RAISE A GLASS

Wigig is an acronym you may not say out loud very often, but when it’s gone it’s gone is a format wine retailers use frequently.

I can be disorganised and when I see the “wigigs”, it’s often too late to tell you about them. Ah, but thanks to a new year’s resolution to stay on top of things, this week I’m on it!

Lidl’s latest Wine Tour launched last week and has an Italian theme. It includes wines from 12 regions.

In my new, organised life, I’ve managed to scout ahead and try a handful of them for you.

The grapes for Weißburgunder (left, £7.99) grow in the Trentino Alto Adige region of the country, in the foothills of the Alps. It’s a place influenced by Austrian heritage. Hence the name weißburgunder, which is German for the pinot blanc grape.

It’s a quietly spoken wine with apple and lemon notes and creamy feel, like a nut. Duca di Sasseta Viognier 2021

(£6.99) has all the peachy, stone fruit aromas I’d expect from a viognier; this one hailing from Sicily. It’s a wine to remind you of sunny days.

San Vincente Chianti Riserva 2019

(£8.49) has dark cherry fruits, dusted with toasty oak and dried fruits.

If you’re doing Veganuary, there are vegan wines in the range, including Mastro Giulio Pasotti Appassimento Rosso 2021 (£9.99) and Ca’ Mandato Valpolicella Ripasso Organic 2017

(£9.99). I love a valpolicella ripasso.

ALSO IN MY GLASS… two gins for Ginuary. Gin drinkers can try our best to help the world be a greener place.

Cooper King Distillery Carbon-Negative Dry Gin

(right, £40 at John Lewis, or £39 online at Cooper King) is crisp and clean-cut. Cardamom is to the fore with subtle notes of juniper.

Each bottle removes 1kg more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it releases. It also plants one square metre of woodland, thanks to the distillery’s partnership with the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.

57˚ Skye earth and sea gin (left, RRP £40.99 online at 57Skye.com, Master of Malt, Amazon) is distilled on the Isle of Skye using botanicals from – you guessed it – the earth and the sea.

The earth botanicals include heather and yarrow; the sea proffers kelp seaweed. I really love it. It’s packed with a peppery personality with earthy, herbal notes. I can almost hear the waves, and feel a brisk breeze on my face.

■ Jane is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers. Find her on social media and online as One Foot in the Grapes.