Park your trolley

Whatever the hue, there are some great wine bargains waiting to be snapped up. Here’s my pick of the bunch.

As the jabs rollout continues, it seems that we are all starting to emerge from isolation. I went into an actual shop the other day. It was really quite exciting, waving my card to pay for goods and carrying them away, instead of ordering on the net and waiting days for them to arrive.

The only downside was parking. It seems that while we have all been hiding away, the number of spaces has diminished and the parking charges have gone up. By the time I had done my shopping and sat outside a coffee shop with a friend I haven’t seen in ages, I had rung up £7 in parking charges. Now I enjoy a trip to the high street like anyone else, but I wondered what else I could have spent that £7 on. Instead of breathing in car fumes with my coffee and browsing (but not touching) the goods in a shop, I could have bought any one of the following bargain bottles and sat in my garden with my friend. I don’t remember having dilemmas like this before. Maybe it is Lockdown Syndrome? 25: Bruce Jack has made exceptional wines wherever he has worked, and now with his own name on the bottle the quality shines out. This has zippy citrus fruit with a clean, minerally bite.

Tuna Club Verdejo Sauvignon Blanc 2019, Spain, Booths, down from £8.75 to £6.56 until June 1: Crisp and full of citrus flavours topped with a sprinkle of herbs, which makes it perfect to pour alongside grilled sea bass.

Beronia Rueda Verdejo 2019, Spain, Waitrose, down from £8.99 to £6.69 until June 1: Crisp and zesty like a Sauvignon Blanc, with melon fruit and hints of fennel mid-palate. Perfect with grilled white fish and prawns.

Assyrtiko 2020, Aspri Petra, Greece, Aldi online, £6.99: No apologies for mentioning this wine again because it is fabulous. Assyrtiko is a rare grape full of zesty aromatic lemon flavours.

The Best Gavi di Gavi 2020, Italy, Morrisons, down from £9.75 to £7 until June 1: These longer days deserve some lighter flavours. Fresh lime and ripe pear notes make this a match with creamy chicken and grilled fish.

Rigal Vin Orange 2019, south-west France, Morrisons, down from £10 to £7 until June 1: Orange wine is not made from oranges; the “orange” describes the way it was made. Gros Manseng grapes are macerated for six weeks, giving soft, savoury flavours with apricots, nuts

and a layer of ginger-spice.