Hamish Catanach

In our Monday morning planning meeting we were, of course, talking about Christmas - and the two-day Christmas Tasting and Sale at Yapp HQ this weekend. It was noted that the first day of the sale was also 'Black Friday' – and that set my musical ear-worms racing as it was an easy jump from […]

  Outside the worlds of wine and family I spend what time I can playing guitar in the village band, and as a good indicator of what season we're heading into we've been working our way through new Christmas songs for our next gig (The Bell on the Common, 17th December, Broughton Gifford since you […]

"There are two seasons in Scotland: June and Winter." Billy Connolly. Whilst we have been enjoying the 'Scottish Summer' at Yapp HQ, we have checked through all the new vintages that landed with us over the past few weeks, made scrupulous notes (all in the name of research), and lined up the wines for our […]

We often get enquiries at Yapp HQ for vintage bottles of wine to celebrate anniversaries and birthdays and the such like, and today we had a question about 'what was actually good in 1973'? Well, other than it being the year that Bowie killed off Ziggy Stardust, the UK entering the EU and The Exorcist […]

The clocks go forward, the clocks go back, year in and year out. As we fall into B.S.T. we inevitably see biblical swarms of lycra-clad cyclists (mainly men, it has to be said) descend on Yapp HQ on the Sunday as we host the only 'Cheese & Wine' feeding station on the Lionheart Cycle Sportive […]

Those who follow Yapp Brothers on Social Media may have seen various team members not looking exactly as they should recently. December is always a busy time for any reputable wine merchant so it's all hands to the pump at Yapp HQ – it's only when we close the cellar doors on Christmas Eve that […]

Benjamin Franklin said there were only two things certain in life: death and taxes – but there is a third certainty, and as much as I try and pretend it's not happening my children will not let me forget that Christmas is on the near horizon. My son is after numerous gizmos for Christmas that […]

Many moons ago, well before family life so that I think counts as moons ago, various groups of friends would have the derring-do just to book a ferry and jump in a car with a copy of the Rough Guide, and head off for a few weeks in the summer. My best man, Gareth and […]

Village life ticks along throughout the year, but in the summer months there's a hidden collective force that seems determined to make hay while the sun shines. Well, I say hidden force but my wife and her routine partner in crime Nikki are often the whirlwind that seems to make these things happen. Last year, […]

The last time I moved house I was given the sage advice from staff at Yapp HQ that, as long as I had a kettle and a corkscrew easily accessible during the day, all would go well. This weekend, as we often are during summer months, we were based in our 'second home' (a caravan...) […]