Christine Austin's wines of the week from Booths, Sainsbury's and Co-op

Yalumba Gen Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2023, South Australia, 12.5%, Co-op £11: Not on offer, but still great value. Rounder and softer than many Sauvignons, with a touch of juicy peach instead of gooseberries.

The Pale by Sacha Lichine 2022, Vin de Pays du Var, France, 12.5%, Sainsbury down from £15 to £13.50 with a Nectar Card until February 4: Celebrate the end of ‘Dry January’ with this elegant rosé full of strawberry and redcurrant fruit.​

Beaujolais Villages 2021, Jadot, France, 13%, Tesco down from £13 to £11 with a Clubcard until February 14: Full of bright cherry and raspberry fruit with a light floral freshness that almost tastes of springtime. Lots of savoury flavours to cope with lamb or chicken.​

Perrin Vinsobres 2021, Rhône, 13.5%, Booths down from £15 to £12 until February 11: Seriously good dark blackberry fruit with layers of spice and ripe tannins from one of the top villages of the Rhône.​

Winery Dogs

Anyone who has visited a winery in England or overseas will have met a winery dog. Usually cute, visitor friendly and one of the best ambassadors a winery can have, they appear on endless photos from vineyard tours. But they may also have another much more important function and that is detecting vineyard pests by their super-sensitive noses.

Dogs can smell things that humans can’t, which is why they have such an important role in search and rescue squads. Now a research project in California has discovered that dogs can scour acres of vineyard for potential insect and mealybug infestation.

Many pests bring viruses such as leafroll virus which damages the health of the vine and reduces the quality of the crop significantly. If a dog can detect the pests early, then this goes a long way to solving the problem. It also contributes to sustainability in a vineyard since spraying against pests can be targeted to small areas.

The research found that English Springer Spaniels were best for the job, and they look cute which is always good for a winery dog.

Bargains at Field and Fawcett

The key to getting the best prices on your wine in York is to sign up for a Purple Card at Field and Fawcett in York.

This is a loyalty discount scheme, where you don’t need to buy by the six pack to get a deal, you get a straight 10% off any wine, anytime.

The catch is that the Purple Card will cost you £40, but that covers you for a lifetime of buying wine. It means that you get first notice on new wines and promotions.

For example, Purple Card holders already know that Errazuriz superb Las Pizarras Pinot Noir 2020 is down from £75 to £29.95. There isn’t anything wrong with the wine, just an overstock in Chile. Now, this deal is open to all customers. F&F also have deals on Tyrrell’s Old Winery Shiraz 2020 down from £12.95 to £6.95.

January Sale at Bon Coeur

There are many bargains to be found Bon Coeur’s Fine Wine sale which lasts until next Friday. On Saturday the duty rates increase so buy now and save money. www.bcfw.co.uk.