Tired of buying wine at your local offie or supermarket? Or just plain idle? If so, some very good wines are only a phone call or mouse click away. A growing band of mail-order specialists will deliver by the case and bring tasting notes to your door, too. Where wine is concerned, the home delivery sector is comparatively small. My estimate is that it represents about five per cent of the UK wine market, which is tiny when you compare it with the power of a Tesco or a Sainsbury's. Even Direct Wines, which owns Avery's, Virgin Wines, Laithwaites and the Australian Wine Club (among others), only has around 2.5 per cent of UK wine sales.

That said, more people are choosing to buy their wines by mail order. There are a lot of suppliers competing for your pounds, some of whom offer head-turning introductory offers. But how do you sort the free-run juice from the lees? Prompted by a letter from an Observer reader, Brian Hagan, I called in 10 cases from some of the country's leading mail- order specialists. Brian and I tasted the wines blind with Jonathan Butt, Threshers' head buyer.

Tim Atkin's top bottles from the wine clubs he sampled

2003 Domaine du Fresche, Anjou Villages (£7.25 Wine Society); 2003 Chateau Pierre Bise, Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu (£10.95 per 50cl, Stone, Vine & Sun); 2004 Grand Gaillard Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé, Vin de Pays du Périgord (£5.99, Richard & Judy Wine Club); 2003 Domaine d'Elise, Petit Chablis (£7.50, Stone, Vine & Sun); 2004 Isabel Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough (£12.77, Berry Brothers).

The best (and worst) cases from £45 to £120

Stone, Vine & Sun

Tel: 01962 712351
Website: www.stonevine.co.uk
Owners: Simon Taylor MW and Andrew Shaw
Case: Discovery case
Price: £87.50
Delivery charge: £3.50 per case
Case contents: 7 whites, 5 reds. 12 different wines

Comments: Our favourite case. French-focused, but every wine was a pleasure to drink. It's definitely worth the £87.50. We loved the Petit Chablis and the Coteaux du Layon.

Rating: 8.5/10

The Wine Society

Tel: 01438 740222
Website: www.thewinesociety.com
Owner: Run as a co-operative
Case: Wine Without Fuss (Mixed)
Price: £69
Delivery charge: Free
Case contents: 6 whites, 6 reds. 12 different wines

Comments: Just pipped to top spot, but still an excellent introductory case, covering lots of different areas and grape varieties. However, you have to be a member (£40 for life) to buy it.

Rating: 8/10

Berry Brothers & Rudd

Tel: 0870 900 4300
Website: www.bbr.com
Owner: Family owned
Case: Berry's Wine Club Mixed Case
Price: £120
Delivery charge: Free
Case contents: 3 whites, 3 reds. 6 different wines

Comments: The case is Burgundy-focused, but there's no denying the quality of the wines. Worth paying the extra for wines of this concentration and class.

Rating: 7.5/10

Avery's

Tel: 08451 283 797
Website: www.averys.com
Owner: Direct Wines
Case: Autumn Tasting Selection (A1147AEA/12002)
Price: £59.95
Delivery charge: £5.95 per order
Case contents: 6 whites, 6 reds. 12 different wines

Comments: A very good mixed case, combining a range of Old and New World wines. We felt the whites were slightly better than the reds.

Rating: 7/10

Richard & Judy Wine Club

Tel: 0870 420 3866
Website: www.richardandjudywine.co.uk
Owner: Direct Wines
Case: The Summer Al Fresco Dining Mixed Case
Price: £56.95
Delivery charge: £5.95 per order
Case contents: 4 whites, 6 reds, two rosés. 6 different wines

Comments: A surprisingly well chosen selection. Aimed at the mass market, but the wines are definitely of good quality. The rosé is excellent.

Rating: 6.5/10

Booths

Tel: 0800 1970066
Website: www.booths-wine.co.uk
Owner: Booths
Case: Silky Soft Reds
Price: £49.99
Delivery charge: £4.95 per delivery
Case contents: 12 reds. 6 different wines

Comments: A bit of a disappointment, given the quality of the supermarket range. The wines were uninspiring, even at the comparatively low price.

Rating: 6.5/10

Waitrose Wine Direct

Tel: 08456 049049
Website: www.waitrose.com/wines
Owner: John Lewis
Case: Premium Red and White Mixed Case
Price: £75
Delivery charge: £3.95 per order under £150
Case contents: 6 whites, 6 reds. 6 different wines

Comments: Not as exciting as the overall Waitrose list, and a little pricey, but we liked the white selection. The reds were harder.

Rating: 6/10

The Australian Wine Club

Tel: 0800 856 2004
Website: www.australianwine.co.uk
Owner: Direct Wines
Case: Australian Discovery Dozen

Price:£79.95 (new customers only)
Delivery charge: £5.99 per order
Case contents: 6 whites, 6 reds. 12 different wines

Comments: Fine if you like Australian wine, but one of our tasters felt that the case was a little monotonous. The whites are better than the reds.

Rating: 6/10

Laithwaites

Tel:0870 444 8383
Website: www.laithwaites.co.uk
Owner: Direct Wines
Case: Laithwaites Top 12
Price: £44.99
Delivery charge: £5.99 per order
Case contents: 6 white, 6 red. 12 different wines

Comments: Some good, some bad, some mediocre. You get three extra bottles of Rioja with the case, but that's no great incentive. Cheap but unexciting.

Rating: 5/10

Virgin Wines

Tel:0870 1642033
Website: www.virginwines.com
Owner: Direct Wines and Virgin
Case: The Can't Go Wrong Case
Price: £49.99 (new customers only)
Delivery charge: £4.99 per order
Case contents: 6 whites, 6 reds. 8 different wines

Comments: Dull, dull, dull. The wines are inoffensive, but they taste cheap. You really do get what you pay for here. Can't go wrong?

Rating: 3/10

Best cellars

Four Riojas - traditional and modern - to enjoy.

1999 Asda Marqués del Norte Reserva, Viñedos de Aldeanueva (£4.99, Asda)
A modern, Tempranillo-dominated blend at a very attractive price. It's smooth and nicely mature, with refreshing acidity, flavours of blackberries and wild strawberries, and a touch of sweet vanilla for added warmth and character.

2003 Vega Ariana, Viña Herminia (£5.49, Waitrose)
This is more old fashioned in style, despite its comparative youth. It's soft yet juicy with sweet fruit concentration, well-handled oak and a smoky, tapering finish. Everything Rioja should be at the price.

2001 Ijalba Graciano (£8.99, Vintage Roots, 0118 976 1999)
An organic red from one of the most exciting producers in the region, made entirely (and unusually) from Graciano. This is meaty, peppery and concentrated, with a backdrop of firm tannins.

1998 La Rioja Alta, Viña Ardanza Reserva (£13.99, Majestic; buy two save 20 per cent)
They don't get much more traditional than La Rioja Alta, a bodega whose wines are some of my all-time favourites. This is a refined, sweetly oaked, pleasantly old-fashioned red that lingers on the palate like a melody in an echo chamber.