Here are my pick of the five best whites and reds at £10 or under from Morrisons - Christine Austin

These samples replace the usual daylong tastings which give me the chance to wrap my taste buds around their latest offerings.

It sounds like heaven but there are downsides to this corporate largesse. For a start my hallway now resembles an off-licence, with a significant trip-hazard between the front door and the coat-cupboard. And while it is lovely to line up the bottles, open them and taste at my leisure, the real beneficiaries are my neighbours who are happy to wait for my round-robin emails telling them at what time I will be placing the opened bottles at the end of my driveway, so they can help themselves in a socially distant way.

These beneficiaries are the same people whom I can rely on to look after my house when I am away – although there has not been much of that going on this year.

This week I have been looking at Bradford-based Morrisons, the fourth largest supermarket chain in the UK. Despite Aldi snapping at its heels, I believe that Morrisons sets itself apart from other supermarkets with a series of policies that helps it engage with its customers.

For a start Morrisons has had its Market Street for years, with real people filleting fish, cutting meat and making bread. It has also just announced a 10 per cent discount for all school workers during this current crisis. Sadly this does not extend to the wine range, but here, again, Morrisons has developed a strategy that gives consistency and quality.

The buying team, headed by Mark Jarman, has been in place for several years and built up connections with wine producers around the world. They create their own wine blends and from the prices they charge, have managed to negotiate serious discounts too.

From my stack in the hallway, these are my top ten choices from the Morrisons range, all of them snuggling at the £10 and under price point.

Whites

The Best Verdicchio 2019, Italy, £6.50: This is a stylish curvy bottle, with stylish wine inside. Fresh and lively with pears, honey and a sprinkle of herbs, making this one to line up with fish and salads.

The Best Casablanca Sauvignon Blanc 2019, Chile, £7.50: A great value Sauvignon Blanc with fresh, citrus and pea-pod aromas and a rounded, lime-infused palate. Delicious as an aperitif or team this with grilled fish or goat’s cheese.

The Best Muscadet 2019, France, £8: Muscadet has had a hard time in recent years as poor weather and short harvests have restricted output. But 2018 and 2019 were both very good vintages and it shows in this apple-fresh wine with citrus notes and a sea-salty finish. Team it with scallops and prawns.

The Best English White 2018, £10: While most of us know that England is now making serious quality sparkling wine, not so many realise that we make terrific still wines, too. This is a blend of grapes sourced from Devon, Dorset, Hereford and Kent, with the Bacchus grape definitely taking centre stage It is fresh and floral, with the scent of an English garden in spring and a fine minerally finish.

Vin Orange 2019, south-west France, £10: If you haven’t tried an orange wine yet then start with this one. It is the term used to describe wines made in a traditional way of long skin contact and low intervention, often using wild yeasts and very low sulphur. I have seen some orange wines that are amber-coloured with a taste that definitely needs time to get used to. This one is different. Its Gros Manseng grapes have been macerated with its skins for just six weeks, allowing the flavours and tannins to be extracted. There is no oxidation here, the wine is fresh and bright, with a touch of ginger spice and a firm, food-friendly structure. Try it with roast lamb and grilled aubergines.

Reds

The Best Western Australia Cabernet 2018, £7.25: I love the way the cool ocean breezes of Western Australia seem to wrap themselves around the wine flavours of the region. Pure cassis fruit, precise and rounded, with just enough freshness on the finish to make this easy to drink with a roast, steak or just a sliver of cheese.

The Best Beaujolais Villages 2019, France, £7.75: Bursting with fresh, bright, juicy red cherry and strawberry fruit with just a touch of spice and smooth tannins, this has enough weight and structure to cope with a roast rack of lamb.

The Best Cahors Malbec 2018, France, £8: We have all got so used to Argentinian Malbec that it is easy to forget that this grape started out in France. Here it makes wines with deep damson and mulberry fruit, laced with liquorice notes with a winter weight and finish.

Cidade Branca Alentejo Red 2019, Portugal, £8: Made from a blend of Touriga grapes by one of Portugal’s most skilled winemakers, Joāo Portugal Ramos, this is a deep-flavoured wine with chunky dark plum fruit and a texture that will happily take on a casserole.

The Best Chianti Classico 2018, Tuscany, Italy, £9: A gold medal wine from the International Wine and Spirit Competition, this is a notch higher than most supermarket Chiantis. With dark cherry fruit, raspberry notes and hints of truffle, it can whisk you to the sunshine of Tuscany in just a sip.

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you'll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click here to subscribe.