Here are the wines that I thought stood out for value for money and the matches I’d recommend with them. Since these supermarket tastings are so huge (144 wines in this instance) I’ve concentrated on new vintages and additions to the range and, given these hard times, wines under £10.

Whites and Rosés

Tierra y Hombre Sauvignon Blanc 2008 £5.49
The Casablanca Valley tends to produce Sauvignon with a distinctively citrussy note rather than the herbaceous character of many cool areas so this is choc-a-bloc with zesty lemon peel flavours. Amazing for the price. Good with grilled fish or Mexican-style snacks.

Burra Brook Pinot Grigio 2008 £6.49
This Australian Pinot Grigio is made by Yalumba and delivers much more flavour than you’d normally expect from this grape. It’s cheaper than top Italian versions too but would be an equally good companion for antipasti and seafood-based pasta and rice dishes.

Quatro Sei Gavi 2008 £6.49
An elegant smooth dry white that makes a good partner for creamy risotto and pasta dishes. Another good alternative to Chardonnay.

Ken Forrester Workhouse Chenin Blanc 2008 £6.99
An exemplary richly-textured Chenin at a more than fair price from the reliable Ken Forrester which you could drink with practically anything with which you’d reach for a Chardonnay. Chicken pot pie or a Chicken Caesar salad for example.

Vinha da Urze 2008 £7.99
An intriguingly different fresh, minerally, almost ‘green’ Vinho Verde-like white from Portugal that would be great with a seafood platter, seafood salad or grilled sardines

Les Orris Blanc 2007 £7.99
A curiosity from the Roussillon: a full-bodied peachy, almost tropical blend of Grenache Blanc, Macabeu, Grenache Gris and Carignan Blanc. It tastes quite like a Viognier and as such should go with mildly spiced south-east Asian food, especially chicken-based dishes.

Seifried Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2008 £7.99
M & S drinkers obviously like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. This is one of three in the range and the most appealing to my palate at least with more ripe gooseberry than full-on herbaceous character. Great with usual Sauvignon suspects especially goats cheese salads and grilled or raw seafood with zesty Asian seasoning.

Tasmanian Sauvignon Blanc 2008 £7.99
A lovely elegant crisp minerally Loire-style Sauvignon from Andrew Pirie of Tamar Ridge at a less-than-Loire-level-price. Lovely with spring vegetables such as asparagus. Or with fresh crab.

Long Range Heretaunga Chardonnay 2008 £9.99
Hawkes Bay in New Zealand produces outstanding chardonnay and this is a beaut - full of rich, creamy toasty buttery character. Perfect for barbecued chicken and full-flavoured sweet vegetables such as corn, red peppers and butternut squash. Shame about the unnecessarily heavy bottle though

Vinha da Urze Rosé 2008 £5.99
I currently find rosé getting more and more sweet and confected so this Portuguese example made from Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo) and Touriga Nacional is a refreshing change. Fruity but dry with a nice balancing acidity. Good all-purpose summer drinking or try it with Provencal vegetable and fish dishes or with seared tuna.

Reds

Côtes de Gascogne Red 2008 £4.99
A fresh fruity young red made from Tannat, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon - so it’s tannic but not uncomfortably so. Would be great lightly chilled with charcuterie. Great value.

Tierra y Hombre Pinot Noir 2008 £5.49
An extraordinarily cheap Pinot from Chile’s Casablanca Valley which interestingly contains 6% Merlot and Chardonnay. Ripe, bordering on jammy but perfect for summer parties and barbecues. Chill (the wine not you!).

Paradiso Carmenère 2008 £5.99
A particularly exotically perfumed unoaked Carmenère made in Chile’s Valle Central by Luis Felipe Edwards. I fancy it with duck but it would make a good all-round red for a barbecue

Altos del Condor Malbec 2008 £6.99
A big jammy Malbec from Daniel Pi of Trapiche that would certainly go with charred, marinated meat like barbecued ribs and possibly even dark chocolate it’s so sweet. A mole perhaps

Teichert Ranch Petite Syrah 2007 £7.99
A very dark wintry red from the Lodi region of California to save or buy for winter drinking. Perfect for beef stews, pies and casseroles.

Silver Tree Shiraz 2007 £8.99
An Australian-style shiraz but from Stellenbosch in South Africa. Lashings of ripe sweet fruit and a big spicy, tarry finish. Made for grilled meat, especially steak.

Clairault Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 £9.99
One of a number of more mature Australian wines that M & S is currently offering (not all as successful as this one in my opinion) A lovely minty blackcurrantly Cabernet that would drink really well with lamb or venison, especially with sweet potato

Sweet and sparkling wines

Moscatel Rosado 2008 £5.49
This red version of Moscatel de Valencia won’t be to everyone’s taste but It would make a great match for berry-based desserts such as strawberry pavlova or panacotta with strawberries. Good, I suspect, with cheesecake and white chocolate desserts too. And ridiculously cheap (it’s a full bottle)

Pink Port £7.99
This will also cause outrage among traditionalists I suspect but serve it really cold with white or milk chocolate dessert and you’re onto a winner. Have a feeling it would go with Brie too.

Sparkling Pinot Noir 2007 £7.99
With its sweetish cherry fruit this deep pink Italian sparkling rosé again won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but I have a feeling it would go pretty well with Chinese or Thai food. Or for a slightly kitsch tea party.

A general point: I wasn’t particularly impressed by the Wines Direct range which I thought was less good quality than the wines that were destined for M & S stores (although not all of these are available in all branches) Exceptions were the Falanghina 2008, a fragrant Italian white (good for stir fries and other Asian dishes) and Saint Saturnin rosé (drier and more savoury than it looks from its bubblegum pink colour)