Quaffable is a dangerous word - only because it's too often applied to wines that are only just drinkable. But Chapoutier Belleruche Cotes du Rhone, white and red (Superquinn, many SuperValus/Centras, some Tesco outlets, Pettitts in the south-east and many off-licences nationwide, £6.99£7.49) are quaffable in the very best sense: they taste so appealing that you just can't help having a bit more . . . a bit more . . . a bit more. The peachy white, made from Marsanne and Roussanne, is a delicious change; the soft, jammy red has tasty hints of herbs. If this is what the organic/biodynamic brigade can achieve without charging a fortune, a massive celebration is in order.
LIKE the Rhone duo, this Chilean team would slip down pleasantly on their own, or bend to suit the battery of flavours that most partygoers end up sampling as peckishness sets in. The spicier and funkier those taste sensations are, the better: here are wines that can cope. Carmen Sauvignon Blanc, Central Valley 1998 and Carmen Merlot, Central Valley, 1998 (both very widely available , usually £6.49) pack plenty of punch themselves - the white laden with zesty grapefruit and herb notes, the red warm and spicy. They're made by Alvaro Espinoza, one of Chile's most talented winemakers. Raise a glass.