Beyond the thick city walls of Avignon and its historic Palais des Papes, the ancient gnarled vines of Châteauneuf du Pape and the satellite districts of the Rhône are poised for their annual cycle of renewal. Only the white Spring flowers and lilac blossom that add an extra splash of colour to the patchwork of vines rooted in soils of white pebble, golden sand and brown clay hint at the abundance to come in this warm southern French region fed by the mighty Rhône River.

Hard as it may be to imagine Italy as a ragbag of independent principalities 150 years ago, its 20 regions might just as well be separate countries today when it comes to wine. It’s part of what we love and hate about Italy. We love Italian wine for its innovation and flair, its multiplicity of grape varieties, some weird, some wonderful, and its unrivalled affinity with food. Yet it teases us with that very diversity.

If your conscience hasn’t yet been pricked, you might like to be reminded that we’re bang in the middle of Fairtrade fortnight, which runs until Sunday 13th March with Red Nose Day snapping at its heels on Friday the 18th March. I’m a little wary of talking about worthy initiatives because the cynic in me worries that their sheer do-goodability can detract from the central issue. And that is: does the wine stack up value-wise?

When I was first getting to grips with wine in the dim and distant past (I was dim, it was distant), I never had the benefit of appreciating wine by grape variety. Wine was all about location, as the name on the bottle indicated: bordeaux, burgundy, rhône and so on. Since the New World was never hamstrung by the pedigree of location or brand, it turned the label upside down and opted for all those grape varieties it had pinched from bordeaux, burgundy, rhône and elsewhere.

Wine Rack est mort, vive Wine Rack, or so, at least, the London and suburban residents of the 20 locations now served by the revamped Wine Rack are hoping. When the premium arm of the Thresher group decided to offload its entire chain in November 2009, it looked like curtains for the ailing high street brand. But after Venus plc bought the company with 13 stores, refurbished them and added seven more, along with a Gerrys in Leeds, Wine Rack has once again risen like the proverbial phoenix.

The bromide ‘hurry while stocks last’ is so trite that it would be easy to ignore the clamour for 2009 Burgundy if there weren’t a risk of being crushed in the stampede for it. Burgundy’s 2009 vintage showed its hand in a series of London tastings in January and such is the demand for it that any wine lover who hasn’t already secured a case of six or more might need to start giving some thought, and fast, about whether this is an opportunity not to be missed. All hype and wine trade tripe?

With grouse done and dusted and snipe and woodcock shortly off the menu, there’s still a good month until the end of the season for partridge and pheasant. If I could have just one game bird it would have to be a plump, tender, gamey but not too gamey partridge, either roasted with a rasher of streaky bacon or pot roasted with bouquet garni and red wine for maximum succulence. Because pheasant and partridge are not fatty birds, they cope well with wines that are relatively low in tannin and not too oaky or alcoholic. Same goes for rabbit.

It seems that we inhabit two parallel universes when it comes to wine. The recent seizure by HM Customs of a consignment of booze described as ‘car parts’ was all about exploiting the pressure on household finances by offering dirt-cheap booze for the festive period. Contrast that with the 2010 report by ex-van driver Stephen Browett, now co-owner of Crystal Palace FC. His wine company, Farr Vintners, reported a best-ever trading year with a turnover of £169 million. Farr’s top 10 best sellers, by volume, featured three Bordeaux first growths, Château Lafite, Latour and Mouton Rothschild.

10 Red, White and Rosé Under £8

White Under £8

2009 Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay, Casablanca

Natural yeast fermentation brings complexity to the aromas of this Chilean chardonnay whose creamy, buttered fudge richness and nutty oak are moderated by a lively Pacific ocean-breeze freshness. Here’s looking at you, kid.
£6.99, reduced from £9.99, until 4 January, Co-op.

2010 The Ned Sauvignon Blanc, Waihopai River, Marlborough, New Zealand

I was watching the downshift challenge on Daybreak TV recently (don't ask). Drop one brand level lower and you can save 40 per cent, claimed Martin Lewis, because people are fooled at Christmas into thinking they must have the best. He tried out two Christmas trees on children, one cheerful, the other deeply depressing. The suggestion that the cheaper one was better because it was cheaper lacked conviction. He then road-tested a Christmas pudding and mince pie on a blindfolded Adrian Chiles who guessed both the more expensive ones correctly.