I DECIDED not to observe dry January by drinking the newly- branded ‘Skinny Prosecco’. It turns out that Skinny Prosecco has no less alcohol than the normal stuff, just a little less sugar. It won’t make much difference to your waistline or general health.

I’m not, in fact, making dry January at all, but I do feel like taking a rest from all those heavy, heady wines that weigh in at 14 or 15 per cent alcohol – or more. I crave something lighter, but with just as much flavour, and I’ve found more than enough of them to keep me happy.

Perhaps my favourite is the Wine Society’s own Saar Riesling 2014, made by Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, a top-notch German wine estate if ever there was one.

This wine is remarkable for the way in which it combines intensity of flavour with a sublime delicacy and a precisely-judged balance of focused, mouth-watering acidity with just enough sweetness to make it seem almost dry. It tastes of lemon, honey and exotic spices, is just 9.5 per cent and costs just £9.50.

Portugal’s Vinho Verde is almost as misunderstood as fine German Riesling, the result of desire, a generation or two ago, to flood the market with cheap, cheerful plonk. Vinho Verde was concocted by adding sugar and carbon dioxide, as if from a giant Sodastream, to light, rather dull base wines.

In contrast, Quinta de Azevedo 2015 (£6.99 from Majestic as part of a mixed six deal) has some real quality. The product of a single vineyard, it’s dry, very gently fizzy, aromatic in a pear, citrus and bay-leaf way, and is very refreshing. It’s also just 11 per cent.

Yet another poor misunderstood wine is Muscadet. What makes a difference between a truly delicious example and something just rather thin and nasty is how the wine is made.

You may have spotted the words ‘sur lie’ on a label? This refers to the aging of the wine on the lees – the layer of spent yeast cells after fermentation. If the lees are healthy and regularly stirred back into the wine, they can improve is texture and aromas, making it creamier.

Château Oiselinière de la Ramée (£7.75 from the Wine Society) shows the way. After nine months’ such maturation, it emerges still fresh and lively in a green apple kind of way, but with a seductively creamy underlay – all at 12 per cent.

And then there’s Cava – affordable fizz with real character if you’re prepared to shop around and spend just a little more. Two of my favourites are the clean, elegant Conde de Haro, Muga Cava Brut Vintage 2013 (£12.50 from the Wine Society).

The other is Juvé y Camps, Gran Reserva (£12.99 Majestic – mixed six price) which is aged, unusually for 36 months in the bottle, which gives it great complexity. Both are 12 per cent and delicious.