If someone asked me which part of the world my favourite wines come from, I would almost certainly say Bordeaux. If they asked me where some of the most captivating wines originate, I might say Burgundy. But if someone asked me where they can find the best value for money while also delivering great complexity and flavours, I would say the Rhone.

France’s Rhone region is home to some of the greatest wines in the country, the most famous of which is Chateauneuf-du-Pape. But while the likes of Chateauneuf, Condrieu, Cote Rotie and Hermitage command the highest prices in the region, there are plenty affordable wines to choose from in this corner of southern France.

And this isn’t a straightforward region either. In the northern Rhone there you find Cote Rotie, Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage along with many other appellations like St Joseph and Cornas, while in the south you find Cheateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras and a lesser-known one like Tavel, including many others.

But while all those appellations are wonderful – and are at the higher-end of quality in the region – what I’m talking about here is basic Cotes du Rhone and Cotes du Rhone Villages. These two appellations are the most basic in the hierarchy but can offer enjoyable drinking for very little cost.

Wines from the southern Rhone make up about 90 per cent of the region’s total production and, while Cotes du Rhone and Cotes du Rhone Villages wines (of which 19 communes can be named on the label), makes up the majority of all of the Rhone region’s output.

That’s a lot of wine. But while the quantity is high, this isn’t to say it should be ignored as a wine. If you are after spicy, peppery wines made principally from grenache, but in some cases they can be blends that syrah and mourvedre.

Two of the best-known and most enjoyable Cotes du Rhones come from E Guigal and M Chapoutier, among the largest producers in the region, but there are plenty more great offerings to choose from. As Jancis Robinson said, Cotes du Rhones is “one of the best-value appellations in the world.”

With that in mind, I’ll get straight to the point and tell you which wines I rate.

Wines to try:

E Guigal Cotes du Rhone 2009 (£10.99, Majestic, but widely available in the UK)
One of my favourites, this is often considered to be among the best wines in the appellation vintage after vintage. While other wines are made mostly of grenache, this tends to feature syrah very highly. For the 2009 vintage it contains 50 per cent syrah, 45 per cent grenache and 5 per cent mourvedre. With plenty of spice and structure, this goes nicely with food.

M Chapoutier Cotes du Rhone Belleruche 2010 (£9.99, Majestic, but widely available in the UK)
Again, this is one of the best of the lot and a consistent performer each year. Made mainly of grenache with a little bit of syrah, it displays cherries and black currants as well as the spiciness you come to expect from Rhone wines. A good one for lamb.

Domaine Andrew Brunel Cotes du Rhone 2009 (£10.99 but on offer for £9.99, Virgin Wines)
From a famous Rhone producer comes a cheaper, more accessible wine that, despite costing around a tenner, offers a great deal of enjoyment. With lots of spice, dark fruits like cherries and currants, this is great for an everyday drinking wine or even to go with lamb or sausages.

Cotes du Rhone Perrin Reserve 2010, Perrin & Fils (£13,95, Roberson Wine)
The Perrin family is renowned in the Rhone region, but this is mainly because they make one of the finest Chateauneuf-du-Papes in under their Beaucastel label. This, however,  is an old-school Cotes du Rhone that is fresh, straightforward, no-nonsense and expressive of its fruit. If this seems a bit expensive compared to the others, why not try the Meridion Par Pierre Perrin Cotes du Rhone 2010 for £10.99 at Laithwaite’s? From a member of the famous family, this is exclusive to Laithwaite’s and displays all the classic characteristics of the region.

When I think summertime wine, my mind almost instantly directs itself to the South of France. Perhaps it is the warm climate, the hot stones, the orange sun and the smell of lavender and the Med. Or perhaps it is the warmth I can taste in these wines, the rich flavours of cooked black fruits and the spicy, peppery notes they display.

Southern France, particularly the Rhone region, Languedoc and Rousillon, is home to syrah, grenache and mourvedre, as well as a long list of other warm climate grapes. The specific grape found in each wine, however, depends on region from which the wine originated, although typically it will have a high percentage of the three main grapes mentioned above.

Southern France is a large and varied wine region that in fact consists of several specific appellations. From Rousillon on the western side hugging the foothills of the Pyrenees to Languedoc in the the centre, Rhone following the Rhone River valley heading north and the various apellations in Provence filling in the east, there is a lot of wine coming out of this part of the country.

The good news is there is a lot of value to be found in this part of France. The bad news is there is so much cheap wine coming out of this region that it takes a great deal of sifting to separate the gems from the rubbish.

One of the best Rhone wines to drink on a budget also comes from one of the biggest names in the area. E Guigal’s Côtes du Rhône is considered by many to be the benchmark upon which all other Côtes du Rhône wines are judged. Each year it seems to get better and better, and the 2009 vintage is probably the best yet.

Guigal Côtes du Rhône 2009 (£10.44, Waitrose Wine Direct) This is spicy, peppery and full of dark fruit flavours. The 2009 vintage is considered one of the best and people are snapping up this wine quickly because of its excellent value for money. This is made mostly from syrah but is also blended with grenache and mourvedre.

Mas Coutelou 7 Rue de la Pompe 2011 (£9.95, Roberson) Full of berry fruits and made from the  syrah grape, this is a Languedoc wine that pairs nicely with a variety of foods. Low in alcohol compaired to many warm climate wines these days, it is refreshing and dry.

M. Chapoutier Côtes du Roussillon Villages Bila Haut 2010 (£8.95, Slurp) The Rousillon region has garnered a lot of interest in recent years as producers in more established regions have begun looking for the next big thing. Rousillon has a rich wine history, but it has not been developed like Bordeaux, Burgundy or the Rhone. Nevertheless, it has great land and plenty of sun, which are two ingredients of good wine. This is another wine that is dark in colour and full of dark fruit flavours thanks to the warm climate. Full of cherries and dark fruits, this is a spic wine that should go well with food and offer a lot more value than the £8.95 price tag.

Notre Dame de Cousignac Luberon 2011 (£5.95, Wine Society) Provence is famous for its rosés but some of its true hidden gems are red – and incredibly cheap. This wine comes from Carpentras, near the foot of the famous Mont Ventoux, and is made of the grenache and syrah grapes. This producer makes more expensive wines, but don’t bother, for this wine delivers mor than you would expect for less than £6. This is the sort of wine that will remind you of a hot day in Provence, the heat rising off the soil and the aromas of garrigue wafting through the air.

A few months back I was with two friends in a sweltering French bistro in Piccadilly drinking a rich red wine that felt like it had been immersed in a pot of boiling water.

Its flavours had boiled off and the experience was, to say the least, not the high point of my wine-drinking life. Not feeling satisfied, I looked at my friends and said we should ask for an ice bucket to cool the wine down.

They took one look at me and said the proprietor was likely to throw me out of the restaurant for committing such sacrilege.

This is in stark contrast to nearly a year ago when, at a celebratory dinner after completing he London to Paris charity bike ride, the hotel restaurant brought bottles of Bordeaux to our table in a well-chilled state. One person at my table expressed his displeasure at such a faux pas, saying the wine had been ruined.

But he was wrong. It was the height of July, the sun had been shining all day and the restaurant was packed. It was broiling in there and beads of sweat were rolling down many a forehead. Serving a red wine in a chilled state at least gave it a fighting chance of warming up to the correct temperature. If it had been served without chilling at all, it would have been too warm, too unappetising.

Now, it’s often a good idea in summer to pop regular red wines in the fridge for 20 minutes before drinking if they have not been stored at cellar temperature. But here’s another idea altogether: Why not try some red wines that can be served lightly chilled?

To do this you will want to go for a lighter-bodied red rather than something deep, brooding and powerful like a Bordeaux or an Australian shiraz. Instead, look to wines made from the pinot noir or gamay grapes since these are low in tannin and light in body. You could also do this with a cabernet franc from the Loire Valley or even a Valpolicella or Bardolino from the Veneto region of Italy.

Wines to try:

Domaine de la Croix de Chaintres 2010 Saumur-Champigny, Loire, France (£8.35, Waitrose Wine Direct)
Saumur is a great place to find red wine made from the cabernet franc grape that is light-bodied, showing red fruits and a herbaceousness that is perfect for chilling. This example is an incredible bargain and well worth seeking out.

Marks & Spencer Beaujolais 2011, France (£6.99, Marks & Spencer)
Made from the gamay grape, Beaujolais is often considered the lesser relation to wines from the northern end of Burgundy, where pinot noir reigns supreme. But this light-bodied wine has fruity aromas reminiscent of cherries and the perfect constitution for chilling.

Marks & Spencer Macon Rouge 2011, France (£8.49, Marks & Spencer)
If you want to venture into pinot noir territory but not completely, travel further north to Maconnais region of Burgundy and give this a try. A blend of gamay and pinot noir, this is light and fruity, brimming with red berries. Should you want to get a little more serious and drink 100 per cent pinot noir, try the Marks & Spencer Cotes de Nuits 2009 (£13.00, Marks & Spencer). This one is made in the same region as Nuits-St-Georges but is much cheaper, yet it has all the cherries, violets, strawberries and blackcurrants the wine is known for.

Marks & Spencer Ripasso Valpolicello Classico 2009, Italy (£8.99, Marks & Spencer)

From Italy’s Veneto region, Valpolicella gained a reputation for being a rather meek light-bodied wine that garnered a lot of indifference, but these days quality levels have improved and the wines are showing much better. This one is fruity,  showing flavours of strawberries, red currants and prunes. While ripasso wines are the bolder versions and you might want to avoid these when chilling, chances are these are the most commonly found in the UK. You can also try the Musella Valpolicella Superiore 2008 (£12.99, Virgin).

And for something completely different:

Scarpantoni Black Tempest Sparkling Shiraz, Australia (£15.99, Laithwaites)
It’s hard to think of a chilled shiraz let alone one full of bubbles. But this is more common than you think and, with a little searching, you might even find a version in your local Tesco or Sainsbury’s. This is packed with black fruits and goes nicely with poultry, if you’ll believe it.

As prices rise due to inflation, tax hikes, the increasing cost of labour and a whole host of other factors, it seems impossible to find a good deal on a bottle of wine these days. Now more than ever I find myself buying bottles of wine for £10 or more, when even a few years ago it seems as though finding something interesting for less than £6 was a realistic endeavour.

One thing I’ve discovered over the years is there is little to find in your local off-licence that is of value or even a bargain. Bottles of Gallo and Wolf Blass selling for £7.99 aren’t exactly making the most of your money. If you want to find something cheap, you’re better off looking elsewhere.

Often I try to find my best wine bargains at one of my local specialist wine merchants, all of whom sell a range of wines from everyday bargain bottles to the best of the best in the world.

But this past Jubilee weekend while I was visiting a friend in Manchester I was re-acquainted with one retailer (and reminded of a competitor that must be mentioned equally) that offers some surprisingly good wines for what are likely to be the lowest average prices in the country.

And those retailers are? Aldi and Lidl.

I kid you not.

The bottles that did it for me were a Pouilly-Fumé and a Muscadet, both of which seem not to be carried by the retailer any more. But the good news is they have no shortage of other offerings available, many of which have gained respect from wine critics and in wine competitions. The situation is the same for wines at Lidl.

The basic premise of shops like Aldi and Lidl is nearly everything they sell is an own-brand product, giving them complete control over the goods they sell. The theory here is they can then sell them at a much lower price than anything else on the market.

If you can get over the fact you've bought some of your wine at one of these shops, you'll find a whole lot of value for everyday drinking wines. Below are some of the highlights.

Henri Di Lorgere Macon Villages, Burgundy, France (£4.99, Aldi)
The Macon region is known for being the source of affordable chardonnay wines in Burgundy, many of which are unoaked, crisp and dry, the perfect accompaniment to a hot summer’s day. Aldi says this one has flavours of apple and pear with notes of minerality. It won a bronze medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards last year, which goes some way to show its quality.

Bordeaux White Wine 2010, France (£4.19, Aldi)
I simply love dry white Bordeaux. The styles made in the Bordeaux region can range from crisp, dry and refreshing to deep and full-bodied, bursting with complex flavours and all sorts of peach and spice flavours. Like all whites from the region, this is a blend of 70% sauvignon blanc and 30% semillon, expressing lively fresh character. Try it with fish, as many good white Bordeaux match nicely.

Cimarosa Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, Chile (£3.99, Lidl)
This win was rated gold in the Decanter World Wine Awards last year because of the quality it delivers despite selling for less than £4. Having drank this not long after its award was announced, I can confirm it is a completely suitable wine, but don’t expect anything overly complex or profound. It is on the lighter side of a typical cabernet with blackcurrant flavours and a fruity, crisp style.

Continuing my theme of recommending white wines (even though the majority of my cellar is dedicated to red wines), this week I want to discuss some lesser-known tipples that many people never knew existed.

Mention Rioja or Chateauneuf-du-Pape to the average wine consumer and they are more than likely to think of big, brooding red wines. You know the sort: bold, oaky, full of spice and bursting with the flavour of sunshine beating down on the rocky soil in which the grapevines grow.

Obviously these famous red wines make up the vast majority of the production in these regions, but for every yin there is a yang and, in this case, that is a white wine that can be characterised by profound power and complexity when done right.

White Rioja makes up just a small amount of the region’s annual production, somewhere between 10 and 15 per cent depending on whose statistics you read. In fact, it is believed perhaps seven per cent or less of the annual production is sold as white wine, since about five per cent of goes into the red wine blends.

This is too bad, because it is a great wine, albeit an acquired taste for wine drinkers who are more accustomed to sauvignon blanc, chardonnay or any of the other popular varietals.

Made from the viura grape (also known as macabeo), which is planted in much fewer numbers than, say, sauvignon or chardonnay, white rioja often displays oxidised flavours that often go against the preferred flavour of a white wine. That is to say it can taste of caramel and a nuttiness, which is most common in sherry.

However, the best white Riojas have a fresh flavour and a pleasant fruity quality to counteract that nutty edge. And because producers are now able to add sauvignon blanc and chardonnay to their blends, the wine will likely take on a more international flavour that is likely to attract more drinkers, even if it means it loses some of its traditional characteristics.

White Chateauneuf-du-Pape (CdP) is an entirely different beast. CdP in general can be made from any combination of 13 different grape varieties, five of which are white. A producer may use just one or all six – depending on how ambitious they feel.

These white varieties are grenache blanc, roussanne, bourboulenc, clairette, picardan, and picpoul. None of these is necessarily a household name for the average wine drinker – much like the viura in white Rioja – although the grenache is probably the most abundant in world wine production.

Because winemakers have freedom to pick and choose white grapes make the final blend in their wines, a white CdP can be quite different from one producer to the next. Clairette may be the main grape in some wines because of its fresh acidity, whereas many producers believe the rousanne should be the main grape because of it tends to have more body and structure than the others.

White CdP is one that divides opinions. Wine collectors say they are short-lived and should be consumed within a couple of years of the vintage, while their producers say they can outlast their red counterparts in the cellar. But that is not the main dig. A lot of wine buffs think white CdP comes up a bit short, but the fact is when they are at their best they can be downright Burgundian and much like a grand cru Chablis.

These wines, full-bodied and lush with fruit, can be fabulous food pairings when done well. Unfortunately, they don’t come cheap. Any CdP selling for less than £15 is likely to be a dud unless it has been heavily discounted.

If your budget won’t stretch to £15 or more for the Chateauneuf-du-Pape, go for the white Rioja. You can find the Spanish white for less than £10.

Wines to try:

White Rioja

Cune Barrel-Fermented Blanco 2009/11, Rioja, Spain (Waitrose, £9.01)
Selling for less than £10, this is affordable enough to be a weekday wine but will also go with your weekend dinner. Made in a rich, creamy style and not too overpowering with the fruit,it has notes of citrus on the palate and that nutty, smoky vanilla aroma this wine is famous for.

Rioja Blanco, Barrel Fermented 2009/2010 Marques de Caceres (Majestic, £9.99, Min six bottle order)
This has pear and citrus fruit flavours and the buttery, vanilla notes that come from being fermented in barrel. Made in a dry style, this goes well with food, particularly seafood.

White Cheateaneuf-du-Pape

Clos Saint Michel 2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, Rhône, France (Waitrose, £18.99)
Full-bodied, rich and fruity, this is a complex wine as CdPs tend to be. It will go well with food, particularly those from the South of France and the Mediterranean. While many white CdPs are mainly mixtures of roussanne and one or two other grapes, this one is a blend of grenache blanc, roussanne, clairette and bourboulenc.

Domaine des Saumades Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2008, Rhône, France (Berry Bros & Rudd, £23.45)
This wine has a backbone of equal measures of grenache blanc and clairette to make up 80 per cent of the wine, the remaining 20 per cent being mostly bourboulenc and small amount of roussanne. This has the typical notes of peaches and fruits in it for freshness, along with some nuttiness and a creamy quality. It would pair well with fish or cheese, particularly goat’s cheese.

Our new wine blogger Geordie Clarke, tells you all you need to know about wine.

Putting on a dinner parties can be a stressful experience, so the last thing you want to do is find out the wine you’ve chosen is a dud.

The good news is matching wine to food isn’t difficult once you know a few basic rules. And you don’t have to spend a lot either; impressive bottles can be found for £10 or less. The best way to do this is to understand which wines go with which kinds of foods and, above all, to be adventurous and try things you haven’t had before.

For dishes that tend to be salads, white meats, fish or shellfish, white wines tend to be the best matches. If the flavours in the food are subtle or more savoury, go for a wine that isn’t too acidity or sweet, such as a chenin blanc or a pinot blanc. For oysters and other shellfish or seafood, you could even do well with a Muscadet. The trick is that you don’t want the wine to overpower the food you’re eating.

For something spicy, you will want a wine with more backbone, so a riesling or sauvignon blanc might go best with hotter foods. And if the dish has some spice to it, an off-dry or slightly sweeter wine will stand up better than something that is particularly dry.

For red wines, the wine served should complement the style of the dish, so try to match heavy reds with heavy meals and lighter reds with dishes that have more subtle flavours or are lighter in their consistency. For example, a cabernet sauvignon or perhaps one of the bigger Italian wines will go nicely with a roast beef or steak.

If the dish is lighter and has more delicate flavours, or is something like a soup or stew, you could opt for a merlot or a cabernet franc. If you are serving roast turkey or chicken, or perhaps a tuna steak or even pasta, you might want a pinot noir or even something like a Beaujolais.

There are no hard and fast rules in the end, but what you want to do is make sure you aren’t serving a tannic cabernet sauvignon-based wine with something that has delicate flavours or a light and supple wine with a brooding T-bon steak, otherwise neither the wine nor the food will taste as it should.

And finally, when it comes to dessert, the basic rule is that the wine has to be sweeter than what you’re serving. For example, you can’t serve a dry red or white wine with a very sweet dessert. Two good examples of versatile dessert wines are Sauternes and Tokaji.

Geordie’s recommendations:

Whites

Cave de Lugny Chardonnay 2010 Macon-Villages, Burgundy, France (£7.49 Waitrose)

Macon-Villages is a bargain. Classic buttery chardonnay but with crisp lemon notes, it pairs well with poultry and soft cheeses.

Triade Campania Bianco 2010, Italy (£8.99 Waitrose)

This is made from three grapes – greco, fiano and falanghina – and works well with fish and shellfish. With a creamy texture and an aroma of vanilla and peach, an excellent wine at a very low price.

Cave de Beblenheim Pinot Gris Reserve, France (£9.49 Waitrose)

Alsatian wines don’t get enough publicity. This example is off-dry, meaning it is a bit more sweet and floral, but this makes it excellent as an aperitif or a partner for spicy dishes, such as Asian stir fry. It also goes well with smoked hams or fish.

Springfield Estate Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa  (£8.99 Sainsbury’s)

Sauvignon blanc is a go-to white wine for most people. In flavour this sits somewhere between the minerality of a French sauvignon from the Loire and the fruitiness of Marlborough. Perfect on its own as an aperitif or even with mussels or a rich seafood dish.

Reds

Vinchio Vaglio, I Tre Vescovi 2009 Barbera d’Asti Superiore, Piedmont, Italy (£8.99 Waitrose)

Barbera is a grape that makes for versatile wines with wonderful flavours and a strong backbone but is often ignored by the average consumer. With flavours of cherries, dried fruits and woods, this wine goes well with game, venison and meat dishes with deep flavours.

Les Nivieres Saumur 2010, France (£7.99 Waitrose)

Cabernet franc is a grape normally known for making up blends in Bordeaux varieties but in the Loire Valley it stands on its own. Fruity and balanced with some tannin, this makes for a fairly versatile dinner wine that can be matched with meats and cheeses.

Domaine de Marie Faugeres 2010, France (£7.99 Waitrose)

If you want a beautiful red from the south of France but don’t want to pay for Chateauneuf-de-Pape, this blend of Grenache, syrah and carignan will likely tick all the boxes. Full-bodied, rich and spicy gives you mulberry fruit and lots of earthy flavours that will go well with roasts and meat dishes.

Gran Tesoro Garnacha 2010, Spain (£4.07 Tesco)

If you want to go even cheaper than the Faugeres, this is an absolute bargain and yet still peppery and spicy like a good grenache-based wine ought to be. This has flavours of cherries and belies its sub-£5 price tag, going well with grilled meats and other robust dishes.