Sommelier Mr Dan Whine recommends five vintages.

If you’ve recently visited a wine bar of the younger, trendier, more casual variety – such as Terroirs, 10 Cases or Noble Rot – you may have noticed a certain unifying ideology. The increasing prevalence of low-intervention wines (wine produced with as little chemical or technological input as possible) or the slightly, shall we say, farmier-tasting biodynamic wines has been unmistakable. You may also have noticed that these trendy modern wines tend to be priced rather reasonably and are served in places that feel lighter, brighter and less snobby than the dimly-lit wine bars of yesteryear.

It’s known as wine’s New Wave. And Sapling, a new “wine kitchen” in Dalston, east London, epitomises it. With a list of 30 to 40 weekly-changing wines, available (yes!) by the glass, alongside bold, crowd-pleasing plates such as Colchester rock oysters with horseradish mignonette, or Middle White pork terrine, white grape and watercress, this is a place designed to feel like a home from home, somewhere drinkers can get comfortable and happily work their way through the menu.

“We want to showcase wines that are thoughtfully and passionately made, and enable customers to try something new,” says Sapling’s sommelier and general manager Mr Dan Whine. And that’s really what the New Wave is all about: quality above all else, alongside a sense of accessibility. “In the past there’s been a lot of pretentiousness in the wine world, but we’re trying to change that,” he says. “We’ve tried to be as generous as we can afford to be, and have decided not to charge a premium on wine by the glass. We hope this will enable customers to enjoy high-quality wine for less.”

With balmier evenings just around the corner, we asked Mr Whine to recommend five bottles we should be investing in (and drinking) this spring.

Stopham Estate Pinot Blanc 2015

“Bursting with tropical fruits and beautifully balanced, this is spring in a bottle. England’s sparkling wines are regularly praised for their outstanding quality and are still overlooked. I believe this is one of the best wines the country produces.”

Vini Aurora Falerio 2015

“Vini Aurora was set up in Le Marche in Italy in the 1970s as a commune and was one of the first pioneers of organic and biodynamic farming in Italy. A blend of trebbiano and pecorino grapes with delicate floral aromas and a hint of jasmine.”

GD Vajra Coste e Fossati Dolcetto d’Alba Dolcetto 2016

“Grown on some of the best vineyards of Barolo in northeastern Italy. Deep violet, black cherries and notes of liquorice. Elegant and complex.”

Temuri Dakishvili Vita Vinea 2015

“Ten-generation winemaker Temuri produces this natural wine on its family vineyards in the foothills of the Caucasus mountains in Georgia. A natural wine fermented and aged in qvevri vessels [clay amphora]. Deep and powerful, but with delicate floral hints.”

Les Frères Dananchet Mâcon Burgy Gamay Noir 2016

“Made by husband and wife Benjamin and Florent Dananchet in Burgundy. There is very little done to the wine, as it’s produced to be a true expression of gamay, bursting with black pepper and red fruit.”