It’s a balmy, sunshine-y afternoon, and we’re greeted with a warm welcome as we open the front door to Humble Grape, Islington.

Located a stone’s throw from Upper Street, this outpost of the ever-growing HG family is the closest wine bar to our apartment. On arriving in London, it was the first wine store-cum-bar that we stumbled upon, and we’ve been regular visitors ever since.

Today, given the glorious weather, we set ourselves down at one of the tables on the outside footpath. There are only four of these little tables, so you sometimes have to harness your inner predator when the sun, often hiding behind the grey London clouds, deigns to come out. Of an evening, we like to sit at the handsome, emerald-tiled bar or survey passers-by from the front window stools. Towards the entrance and flanking wooden tables, are cork and steel shelves crowded with bottles from smaller, relatively unknown producers. At the back, flooded with brightness during the day thanks to a large skylight, is a further dining area, sympathetically swathed in dangly, overhanging foliage.

Most of HG’s wines are sustainably produced, organic and/or biodynamic. With new and old world, fresh and mature vignerons, sitting side-by-side, it can sometimes be a little overwhelming to choose what to carry home and what to sample in-store. HG has an extensive list of wines by the glass: four sparklings, three rosés, 10 whites and 10 reds (the latter three available by the carafe also), alongside stickys, ports and beers. It’s a worldly list, so you can venture from a South African sparkling, to a New Zealand Pinot Gris, to an Italian Syrah.

You can also select any of the bottles for sale and pay a mark-up to drink in (we’re not quite sure how the mark-up works though, and it seems to vary a lot from bottle to bottle). Our favourite bottles, over the last eighteen months, have been the Domaine Laffitte Rosé (£13.75), the Château les Croisille Silice Malbec (sold out at the time of writing), and anything from Vecchie Terre di Montefili (one of our favourite Tuscan wineries – try their Bruno di Rocca if you have the budget).

It’s easy to get a booking at HG Islington, and it’s a charming space for a catch up with friends or a first date. The food menu leans towards French/Spanish and is quite good for vegetarians, with increasing vegan options too. We often venture towards the charcuterie and cheese selection, but the shared meats have always made our mouths water. HG Islington and Battersea put on an inexpensive bottomless brunch too, which is only £15 in addition to your main (such as chorizo shakshuka or crushed artichokes on toast). The service is relaxed and friendly, but sometimes lacking in attention to detail (for example, with misplaced orders).

Our main hesitation with HG Islington is that we’ve probably had – in terms of the wines we’ve selected - as many misses here as hits. And this occasion is no different. We start with a glass of the Domaine Landreau Crémant ‘La Préference’ 2010 from the Loire Valley and the Domaine La Colombette Grenache 2018 from the Languedoc. The former has lots of bubbles, and tastes of lemon and grapefruit, with a slight apricot tinge. It’s short, but lovely and fun – an easy-going apéritif. Unfortunately, with the latter, we taste more alcohol than fruit, and it’s a disappointment when we’ve had so many thirst-quenching, beautifully balanced rosés recently.

Things improve dramatically on the second round, when I splash out on a glass of the Lange Estate Trouvere Viogner 2014 from Oregon. Like drinking liquid gold, this delightful drop tastes of lemon, citrus peel, burnt toast and thyme. B, not having given up on the rosés, tries the Domaine des Aspras Les Trois Frères Rosé 2017 from Provence. It is better than the Languedoc rosé, with menthol on the nose and a smooth strawberry taste. The rule of thumb with HG’s wines, I think, is that you need to pay a little more to find the good ones.

HG Islington has different experiences and offers each night of the week - on Mondays, for example, you can drink-in at take-away prices, and there’s live jazz every Wednesday. HG also hosts wine tasting events each month at various locations. It’s easy-going, approachable and a great place for a rendezvous, and you could well stumble upon some winning wines in your visit.

Disclaimer: B has invested a small amount in Humble Grape via crowdfunding.