Quaffing wine, what's that then? My concise definition would be an easy drinking, flavoursome wine that costs less than £5 but perhaps isn't of the highest quality.

We should all have a few quaffing wines set aside in our racks, just in case of emergencies like any day of the week that ends in the letter Y.

The following is proof that the New World hasn't completely cornered the lower end of the market. There's no excuse to be dull in your selection either.

La Chase du Pape Chardonnay Viognier 2004 vin de pays d'Oc has just enough viognier in the blend to convince me that this isn't only chardonnay. It is a golden coloured, creamy drop with a little perfume, spice and stone-fruit flavours from the sunny South West of France.

Hungarian pinot grigio won't ever be top of my Christmas wish list but Monte Cappella Pinot Grigio 2004 is as cheap as chips and very drinkable. It's not the crispest of whites but it would make a palatable, affordable aperitif if you're expecting a houseful. There's just a hint of sweetness to the apple, citrus and honey flavours and a sprinkling of spices to finish.

I haven't got the winemaker's notes for an organic offering from Kendermanns and I am therefore not able to tell you what grapes have been used. But the imaginatively named Kendermanns Organic White 2005, from the Rheinhessen region of Germany, is damned good fun. Off-dry and ideally suited for those of you who like a little residual sugar, it has flowery aromas with thirst-quenching, grapefruit and melon flavours.

Top marks also go to Kendermanns for putting a German red on the supermarket shelves. And no, you don't need to read that again, I did use the words German, red and supermarket in the same sentence. Kendermanns Dornfelder 2005 is what it is, a simple, fruit-packed glugger (for glugger read quaffer). Made from the hybrid dornfelder grape, bred in Germany in the 1950s, it is smooth and medium bodied with lots of spicy cherry flavours, making it perfect for quaffing I'd say.

La Chase du Pape Chardonnay Viognier 2004 vin de pays d'Oc, £4.99 from Asda, Sainsbury's, Waitrose and Co-Op. 15/20

Monte Cappella Pinot Grigio 2004, £3.55 at Morrisons. 15/20

Kendermanns Organic White 2005, £4.99 from Sainsbury's, Waitrose and some Spar shops. 15/20

Kendermanns Dornfelder 2005, £4.49 at Tesco Extra stores. 16/20

Term of the week: Xynomavro

A black grape variety grown in northern Greece for red wine production and also used for sparkling wines.

Updated: 10:08 Saturday, April 29, 2006