Here are some of the best value wines you can find right now

With schools, universities and even some office workers now heading back, this could be a short moment to congratulate ourselves for coping with it all – even though it could all come crashing down at any time.

And while we have all stopped clapping the NHS workers and emergency services on a Thursday night, this might be a good weekend to raise a glass to them too, in the hope that we don’t have to do it all again.

On the drinking front, the real knights in shining armour have been our independent merchants who switched from running their shops to drawing up delivery routes without missing a beat. Not only have they kept spirits up and jobs going across the county, they have introduced many new customers to the delights of using a local merchant.

Several of these merchants lost valuable restaurant accounts during lockdown, so if you have switched to a local merchant you deserve double congratulations because you have saved whole businesses as well as jobs.

Wine producers have had a tough time too. Lack of sales through restaurants has meant that some still have tanks full of last year’s wine, with another harvest ready on the vines right now. Several regions are finding it difficult to recruit pickers because of travel restrictions.

In Champagne, sales have dropped dramatically as weddings and celebrations have been called off. With an estimated 100 million bottles lying in cellars, permitted yields of this year’s harvest have been cut by 20 per cent to prevent a glut of champagne on the market.

So, clearly, to support producers, importers and retailers, as well as to mark the change of the seasons it is our duty to open a bottle or two with our socially distanced friends and family this weekend. Here are some suggestions. Most independent merchants are now open, but if you prefer to stay at home, ring to find out when they are heading your way.

Sparkling wines

Ferrandière Pinot Gris Frisante, Paul Mas, France, York Wines (01347 878716), £9.95: Just gently fizzy, with a convenient screw cap, this is a light, dry sparkling wine, made from Pinot Gris. With just a hint of pink, it has flavours of pink grapefruit, peach and lime.

Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne, Majestic, down from £27.99 to £19.99 on a mix-six deal until Monday: Do your bit to help clear the cellars of champagne with this terrific bargain. Nicolas Feuillatte is a crisp style of champagne with green apples and citrus with rounded toasty notes on the palate.

Leckford Estate Brut, Hampshire, England, Waitrose, down from £26.99 to £19.99 until September 22: A gorgeous, bright, sparkling wine made in the traditional, in-bottle fermentation method. Aged for 42 months on its lees, it has complexity and depth as well as freshness.

White wines

Beronia Rueda Verdejo 2019, Spain, Waitrose, £8.99: Crisp and zesty like a Sauvignon Blanc, but with melon fruit and fennel notes mid-palate. This is a perfect sunshine wine, but it will also drink well into autumn, with salads and fish.

Calmel and Joseph Villa Blanche Chardonnay 2019, Pays d’Oc, Latitude Wine (0113 245 3393), £10.99: A Southern French Chardonnay that tastes like it comes from another more famous region. Fresh with white floral aromas, peachy, apricot flavours with a rounded texture and pure elegant balance.

Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2019, New Zealand, Martinez Wines (01943 60000), down from £19.99 to £15.99 while stocks last: If you are tired of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, then, clearly, you haven’t tried Greywacke. Made by Kevin Judd, who put Cloudy Bay on the map, this is absolutely delicious. Far more than just gooseberry fresh, it has layers of peach, melon, blackcurrant leaves and citrus. And it keeps.

Rosé wines

Rustenberg Petit Verdot Rosé 2019, South Africa, Majestic, down from £8.99 to £5.99 on a mix-six deal: Deep in colour and flavour with red cherry fruit and a dusting of spice.

Taste the Difference Bordeaux Rosé 2019, France, Sainsbury’s, down from £8 to £6.50 until September 15: Packed with delicious Merlot fruit and just a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon, this is full of red berry fruit flavours, with crisp freshness. Team it with fish and salads, or even rare roast beef.

Studio by Miraval Rosé 2019, IGP Méditerranée, France, 13%, Tesco, down from £12 to £10 until Monday: Made from a whole bunch of southern French grapes, this is silky and delicious with refreshing flavours of redcurrants, raspberries and nectarines.

Red wines

Hacienda López de Haro Rioja Reserva 2015, Bon Coeur Fine Wines (01325 776446), special parcel, £9.99: This is an example of how a good independent merchant can expand your taste horizons. Bon Coeur has picked up a small parcel of wine made from old vine Tempranillo, Graciano and Garnacha. It has layers of red fruits with tobacco and savoury balsamic notes.

Fazzoletto Barbera Passito 2017, Piemonte, Araldica, Field & Fawcett (01904 489073), £9.95: A wine that takes far too much explanation to make it on to a supermarket shelf. It uses an old technique where some grapes are left on the vine to shrivel and dry and then added back to the fermenting wine for extra concentration and complexity. As well as cherry and plum fruit there are savoury notes with chocolate and mushrooms. Perfect with roast game.

Waterkloof Seriously Cool Cinsault 2017, South Africa, Harrogate Wines, £13.99: Made from old vine Cinsault vines, grown on breezy slopes that overlook the ocean, this is a wine that tastes good at room temperature but can also stand an hour in the fridge. Ripe blackcurrant fruit with an edge of spice and supple tannins make this good with charcuterie but also with red meats and game. Waterkloof is an organic estate, with biodynamics also playing a part in the farming.