The delights of the supermarket wine aisles | Alistair Gibson

This week it was the turn of the Co-op. Its wine list may not be the biggest on the high street, but I think it has put a lot of thought into it.

From Fairtrade to organic, and more recently natural wines, the Co-op wine aisles are very interesting at the moment.

To my mind one of the truly great wine and food pairings is asparagus and sauvignon blanc.

With the first English asparagus just making an appearance, Truly Irresistible Sauvignon Blanc 2018, Leyda Valley (Co-op £7 on offer from £7.50 until May 12) is a really good value wine to add to your shopping basket.

This comes from one of the cooler vineyard regions in Chile and is made for the the Co-op by highly regarded Vina Leyda.

The bouquet is really fresh with gooseberry, lime and grapefruit, followed by a citrus-led zesty palate with plenty of bright acidity and a refreshing, dry finish.

This would also work really well with a goat’s cheese salad or some Thai-style fish cakes.

Staying in South America, the Co-op recently introduced its first wine from Uruguay. Although a relativity small wine producer, it is just beginning to find its way on to lists in the UK.

Tannat is an obscure grape variety which is grown mainly in south-west France, but Uruguay seems to have become an unlikely home for this dark red grape.

It can make fairly tannic wines, but Finca Traversa Tannat Merlot 2019, Uruguay (Co-op £8 and not available in all stores) with the addition of some merlot, is made in a much more approachable, modern style.

There are some nice fresh dark berry and cherry aromas on the nose and a little chocolate, followed by some juicy fruits and soft tannins.

This is certainly not overly complex, but an interesting new wine country to try at this time and would certainly work with a beef burger or a cottage pie.

Famille Perrin Les Cardinaux 2017, Rhône (Co-op £8 on offer from £10 until April 21) is such wonderful value.

A blend of grenache and syrah you could be fooled into thinking it is a mini Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Full of warm, spicy dark fruits, a twist of spice and some dried, earthy herbs with a long, satisfying finish.

I could just as happily serve this with a simple sausage supper as I could with roast beef or lamb.