There are lots of bargains among the seasonal offers, but even heavy discounts can't make some wines good value.
Does price matter? For the folks crunching the numbers on the special offers in my local Tesco it seems to be the only thing that matters. Australian, red, and two for one is a compellingly simple message that triggers consumers to make their decision. And at Christmas that message is underlined by the volume required - more wine is consumed at Christmas than at any other time of the year, and supermarkets sell more of it than anywhere else.
But low prices do not always represent good value for money. Any wine is too expensive if it is dross. There is, however, value to be had in supermarkets, and we searched through the special offers in search of it.
DUNNES STORES:Dunnes runs regular monthly specials including half-price offers on a select number of wines. For the second time in four months the store is offering the excellent Vin de Pays Monastier Cabernet Sauvignon at €6.99 - half price. I'm told there is plenty of it in stock.
From Argentina, the tasty and earthy Navarro Correas Malbec is reduced from €14.99 to €9.99. For €2 less, you can buy Mitchelton's impressive, petrol-perfumed Blackwood Park 2005 Riesling from central Victoria in Australia.
TESCO:At its best, the Tesco Finest range of wines opens up little-known areas at reasonable cost; at its worst it's neither fine nor good value. The Finest Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2004 at €18.71 is certainly not the finest of this celebrated region, but it does have a rich meaty character of stewed fruit and spice. But that is a hefty price for an own-brand wine. The bubblegum fruit of the Finest Fleurie 2004 (€11.75) is entirely forgettable but the flinty, restrained tropical flavours of the Finest Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2006 (€12.60) saves the day.
Superquinn is on the way up again, and not before time. The Chilean pair, Veranda Pinot Noir 2004 and Chardonnay 2002, both reduced to €9.99, are strong choices, while the ever-reliable South African Wolftrap 2005 is a default buy reduced to €7.99. The Blin Champagne is a very good buy at €19.99.
MARKS & SPENCER:Of the wines I tasted it was an Argentine pair, the rustic rounded red, El Dueno 2006 from Mendoza (down to €6.39 from €7.99) and the more sophisticated, though still quite muscular Canale Reserve Merlot 2005 from Patagonia (down to €12.25 from €15.49), that stood out. Lovers of soft-textured gooseberry-flavoured Sauvignon Blanc should check out the Chilean pair, Pirque Estate 2006 and Secana 2005 (both down to €8.79 from €10.99).
SUPERVALU AND CENTRA: Now claiming a 16 per cent share of the national market, the chain is running a 20 per cent discount offer on some Australian wines and a 33 per cent discount on Christmas "classic wines" such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée des Remparts (€12.99 - down from €19.99).
ALDI:Aldi has four key wines for Christmas, of which the best is the Barolo (see Bottles of the Week). The is thin and dismal; the Les Fresnaies Sancerre 2005 (€11.99) is a big step-up in freshness; while the Ramon Lopez Murillo Rioja Reserva 2001 (€7.99) is simply too crude.
LIDL:The basic (€8.99) is metallic and harsh; the (€4.99) soft and innocuous, but the Pinot Grigio (€6.99) surprises with good balance and clean fruit. The Bisinger Premium Cru Champagne (€24.99) is also worthy of note, with a neat light touch.