The British like a bargain almost as much as we like a drink. Our lives have been distorted by a condition (discount dysmorphia?) that fits with a classic cycle of addiction and abuse: we've gone from feeling the rush of pleasure that comes with finding a genuine deal, to a pasty-faced, sweaty-palmed need to feel like we're always getting a bargain.
Nowhere is this more conspicuous than when buying wine. Around 85% of the bottles we buy are through supermarkets, and most estimates suggest that around 60% of supermarket wine is bought on offer.
That the majority of these deals are spurious at best has been an open secret for some time. The most egregious examples are the creepily named "tactical brands" – whose price is artificially ("tactically") inflated by between a third and 50% to make the real price more attractive. As an investigation by the Guardian last November showed, these wines will be sold at their headline price for a limited period (63 days last year for Tesco's Ogio Pinot Grigio, an insipid wine that barely justifies its half-price, let alone the headline £10.99). They're not the only offenders. It's safe to assume that the true worth of any wine that is regularly sold with 25% or more off is closer to the sale price than the "real" one.
That's not to say you can't find decent bottles discounted from time to time. But the discount will usually be more modest (10% or 20%), or part of the supermarket wine "festivals", where the range will be reduced for a set number of days if you buy a set number of bottles. These at least have the virtue of being honest, even if the poor producers will have to foot most of the bill.
My advice would be to make peace with the fact that genuine value doesn't start until you reach £8, with a dwindling handful of exceptions. There's a particular sweetspot between £9 and £15 but below that most of your money goes on tax: 60% of the £5 we pay on average for a bottle of wine goes to duty and VAT. Above £15, you're nearer the point where reputation – of region and producer – comes into play.
Another tip for drinking well for less is not to fall into the trap of thinking supermarkets always offer better value. Pound for pound, the Wine Society, Oddbins, Majestic and Laithwaites, as well as small independents, tend to hit the spot with more consistency.
When looking for good value, I tend to seek out the neighbours – appellations that sit next to a more famous region, meaning its producers have to work hard to get your attention. That may mean a broad-shouldered red from Montsant rather than starry Priorat in Catalan Spain, a cabernet-merlot blend from Bergerac, rather than the big guns of Bordeaux, or a Loire sauvignon blanc from Coteaux du Giennois rather than Pouilly-Fumé or Sancerre.
The most reliable sources of value in the world right now are still in southern Europe: Portugal, the lesser-known parts of Spain, the Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France, and Puglia in southern Italy. Wines such as the succulent, plummy Herdade do Esporao Alandra Tinto from Portugal's Alentejo at £6.50 (cambridgewine.com) or the exotically scented Paul Mas Claude Val Blanc, Pays d'Oc 2012 (£7.50, jeroboams.co.uk) don't need a Bogof to make them good value. Although if you buy either by the case there's a rather attractive 10% discount.
Six bargain wines
Paseo White, Portugal 2012
(£5.75, Oddbins)
Oddbins may be smaller in scale than in its heyday, but its wine range is right back on form. This racy, floral white and its juicy berry-scented red partner, are rare examples of wines at this pricepoint that actually taste like wine as opposed to chemicals or alcoholic jam.
Finest Sauvignon Blanc Furmint, Slovenia 2012
(Tesco, £7.99)
A first own-label foray by a supermarket into the increasingly excellent wine scene in the former Yugoslavian country, this beautifully crafted and expressive white fleshes out the zesty green sauvignon blanc with the plump peach and apple of central European variety, furmint.
Bodegas Borsao Garnacha Tinta, Campo de Borja, Spain 2012
(£6.75, Swig)
I've never quite understood why this deep and juicy, brambly jam and blackberry-flavoured red from old-vine garnacha by the Bodegas Borsao co-operative has stayed so cheap despite widespread critical acclaim. No matter: this is a genuine example of a wine that punches way above its weight.
Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2010
(£5.75, 37.5cl, Asda)
One of the world's largest wine producers, Chile's Concha y Toro's enormous portfolio is good value across the board, with the ubiquitous Casillero del Diablo range still in the top two or three of big name brands. This lusciously desert wine tastes like tropical fruit marmalade and honey and is pure pleasure.
Domaine de la Cadenette Costières de Nîmes, Rhône, France 2011
(£7.95, Adnams)
Costières de Nîmes, the most southerly appellation in the Rhône was until recently officially considered part of the Languedoc, and it can provide the quality of more famous names to the north at prices more like those of the Midi – as in this evocative, succulent, herby, black-fruited red.
Les Hauts de Bergelles Blanc, Saint-Mont, France 2011
(£7.99, or £6.99 if you buy two bottles, Majestic)
Consistently one of the best sub-£10 whites around, this Gascon white from Armagnac country blends the native varieties arufiac, gros manseng and petit corbu for a superbly tangy mix of grapefruit and mango with a livewire streak of invigorating acidity.
