Chianti in magnum from Lidl

The more, er ... mature ... among you may remember when you went to an Italian restaurant and found a round straw-covered bottle of Chianti on the table, often with a guttering candle stuck in the neck and wax (always red) dripping down the side. It’s rather weirdly called a fiasco - which is Italian for flask as well as referring to a disaster. Like Brexit. Or Boris.

Well Lidl is selling one in magnum which I think would be fantastic fun for an impromptu spaghetti and meatball - or lasagne - party. OK, I cannot lie, it’s not the BEST Italian red I’ve ever tasted but it’s clean, fresh and perfectly drinkable and TBH your friends will be having such fun they won’t notice. And at just £9.99 (a magnum is the equivalent of two bottles, remember) it’s hard to resist.

If you prefer a slightly fuller-bodied red (or they’ve sold out of the Chianti) you could buy a bottle or two of the Corte Aurelio Nero d’Avola which at a ridiculous £7.99 a magnum or £3.99 a bottle is even cheaper. I can’t help feeling it must be a bit dodgy for that price but if you’re a student or otherwise strapped for cash, you might consider it worth a whirl. It would also go with spag bol.

Somewhat improbably nero d’avola is Britain's favourite wine - a conclusion extrapolated from a large blind tasting last year organised by Majestic. I have to say I'm not convinced. My own litmus test of popularity - whether taxi drivers are talking about it - suggests it would be a poor runner up to Malbec. But who knows? Maybe it's the Next Big Thing - though possibly not on the evidence of this particular wine.

The Society’s Saint-Aubin 2017: a poor man’s Puligny-Montrachet

This wine is a winner on three counts - it’s from a lesser-known - and very good value - Burgundy appellation, Saint-Aubin, which is just next door to the better known and more expensive Puligny-Montrachet, it comes from the excellent 2017 vintage and it's an own label bottling from the admirable Wine Society,

Made by the respected Henri Prudhon it’s really quite like a Puligny - crisp, taut and elegant, delicious now but certainly capable of lasting another two to three years. The sort of wine that’s made for classic seafood such as langoustines or Dover sole or as the Vins de Bourgogne website more imposingly puts it “with a wine like this, firm-textured fish and grilled or steamed crustaceans would be at ease". Course they would.

The best food pairings with white burgundy

You can buy it on its own or until March 8th (while stocks last) as part of a mixed case of six white burgundies which also includes a couple of classy Saint-Verans (not always the case with Saint-Véran), a bottle of Chablis and two decent Macons. That’s great value for £85.

I was sent the case as a sample by the Wine Society but am also a member and would have bought it anyway.

Wine of the week: Artesano de Argento Organic Malbec Cabernet Franc 2018

In the past Fairtade Fortnight has been nothing to get excited about in wine terms, so much so that I’ve tended to give up writing about it but - hallelujah - here is an absolutely cracking Argentinian red I’d be happy to snap up, Fairtrade or not.

It’s a blend of malbec and cabernet franc from Bodega Argento in Mendoza in which the cabernet franc, a grape variety that is growing in popularity in the country, adds a welcome dash of freshness and zip to the smooth plummy malbec so that it tastes more of wild berries than commercially grown fruit. And it’s organic to boot.

What would I pair it with? Steak is an obvious option but the cabernet franc makes it a bit more versatile than that. I'm thinking grilled lamb, the spicy sausage the Argentinians call chorizo and morcilla (black pudding) but also hearty dishes with beans, lentils or chickpeas. Actually it would be pretty good with a selection of tapas.

The best thing however is that it’s a very reasonable £10 (at Sainsbury's), a price that not only gives something back to the growers but is pretty easy on the wallet.

Buy some!

Il Passo Segreto Appassimento Sangiovese

Confession time. Off-dry reds like this 2017 Il Passo Segreto Appassimento Sangiovese are not really my thing but it’s hard to think of a more romantic looking bottle and if you’ve got a sweeter tooth than I have (not hard) you’ll love it.

It’s also got a sexy Italian name though appassimento doesn’t actually mean passionate but refers to the process of making a wine from dried grapes which concentrates the flavour and sweetness. Think of it like a mini-Amarone or a slightly drier port.

You could have it with steak or lamb but personally I’d enjoy it with a selection of cheese, particularly hard and blue cheeses, grapes, figs and cherries - and maybe the odd chocolate. Which is perfect for V Day cos you don’t really want to cook, do you? And at £8.50 (from Tesco) it’s a really good price

If that doesn’t appeal and you want a drier but still voluptuous red I’d go for a pinot noir - probably one from New Zealand as that’s where I’ve just come back from. It could be from Central Otago, or Martinborough but I was impressed by the pinots from Nelson and Marlborough too this time, especially from the family owned Neudorf. If you can run to it buy the Moutere* though the 2016 Tom’s Block (available from James Nicholson in Crossgar, Northern Ireland for £22.50 and Waitrose Cellar for £25.99 if you’re in no rush, is a gorgeous pinot for the money and would be great with duck - and cherries as you'll see from this week's Match of the Week. Neudorf’s chardonnays are lush too.

* Also available for £42.50 from Berry Bros & Rudd if you need to get your hands on a bottle in London