Start by stocking up on a cheap but still-characterful sauvignon. Sancerre from the Loire is as good as sauvignon gets, but Touraine Sauvignon is similarly crisp and scented – and much cheaper. New Zealand’s bosky Marlborough sauvignons match Sancerre in flavour and price, but with delicious tropical fruit, while the Cape’s are heavy on pea-pod and green tomato flavours. Cheap Chilean sauvignon with its extra dollop of lime zest and, in the case of 2005 Misiones Sauvignon, a dollop of asparagus, too, is great value at £4.99 from Morrisons and Co-op.

Oaked and unoaked chardonnay is made everywhere, but white burgundy remains the almost exclusive role model. The Côte d’Or’s closest competitors are the costly, barrel-fermented and aged editions made in Australia and California, but purists often find them too heavy on oak, alcohol, vanilla and buttery spiced-peach flavours. South Africa’s chardonnays and some surprisingly good South American versions are much cheaper, while a lighter, green apple-charged, more Mâconnais style is made in southern France and New Zealand. Try the Kiwis’ gorgeous, ripe, creamy, verdant, hazelnut-charged 2004 Fairleigh Estate Single Vineyard Chardonnay (£6.99, Majestic).

If white burgundy is hard to match, red burgundy’s wily, gamey, plum and straw­berry-charged pinot noir is impossible. So far, some creditable, pricey reserve-level pinots have been made in spots such as Australia’s Yarra Valley and California’s Sonoma and Carneros regions, with New Zealand’s South Island, particularly the Central Otago producers, getting the closest of all. Chilean pinot noir is a lot, lot cheaper and somewhat jammy, but anyone laying out just £4.99 at Somerfield, or £4.39 each for two at Majestic, for Cono Sur’s spicy 2005 will be rejoicing.

Bordeaux’s cabernet sauvignon, either solo or blended with merlot, is the most well-travelled grape of all, carrying its distinctive herbaceous, blackcurranty character with it. California leads the New World pack here, with Australia’s Coonawarra and Margaret River regions also looking good (see star buys), and southern France, New Zealand and South America on the next rung down.

Finally, with winter ahead, don’t forget the seductive, spicy, black-pepper and blackberry-laden syrah, or shiraz, grape, hailing from the Rhône, but successfully transplanted to Australia and California. Classic rhône syrahs such as Hermitage and Côte Rôtie are now £20-plus, but Sainsbury’s rich, savoury 2003 Crozes-Hermitage will set you back just £6.99. Hurrah.

jane.macquitty@thetimes.co.uk

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