I tend to spend my spare time trawling the alcohol aisles of supermarkets and off licences like a Granda with a problem as one shop manager joked the other week. The internet is fine but you can’t beat real shopping where you can pick up a bottle and pretend to read the label while listing to the conversations of other shoppers.

Oh look, Chablis for £8 (dont touch it folks unless you are shopping for drain cleaner), or, I prefer shiraz to Syrah (there both the same thing, honest), touch the bottom dear, if it has a dimple then its a quality wine (no, it isn’t) or my all time favourite ‘I love a Marlborough Sauvignon but how did that Jancis lady know what cats pee on a gooseberry bush tasted like’. Yup, wine sparks conversations in shopping aisles like no other product, even if most of them sound alcohol induced!

Anyhow, here’s the top picks from my latest fly on the wall trawl of the wine aisles

Kookaburra Clair Valley Riesling

A really inviting Mediterranean fruit nose leads into a lovely refreshing palate of limes and grapefruit. The finish is long and refreshing and to be honest there’s a lot of value in this.

Aldi £7.49

Bosman Generation V111 Merlot, South Africa

Finally, a new wine for me to try, and a cracker at that. Ripe cherries and autumn fruits with a Bordeaux like earthiness to the finish. Superb with steaks or tomato based dishes.

Marks & Spencer £8.00

Bread & Butter Cabernet, California

Warm mulberry fruits on the nose with lashings of ripe berries, pepper and toasted vanilla on the palate. This is a really classy wine for the price!

Majestic, £15.99

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