YOU know the tale The Prince And The Pauper, where two kids look the same but one is royalty and the other a commoner...?

And while they have different riches, different upbringings and different personalities, both are proven in the end to be jolly fine people...?

Well, translate it into Italian wine and you could have a story of The Barolo and The Bardolino, currently showing at Waitrose.

Firstly we have the prestigious Barolo red, known as "the king of wines and wine of kings" and hailing from the great winemaking region of Piedmont in north west Italy.

Made predominantly from the Nebbiolo grape - the dominant variety in Piedmont's numerous DOCs (controlled designations of origin) and five DOCGs (controlled and guaranteed) - it is far from the cheapest of Italian reds, though Waitrose currently has a classic offering from the Cantina Terre del Barolo on sale (down from £18.79 to £13.99 until October 13).

Nebbiolo wines can lose colour over time, fading in a few years from deep, violet-tinged ruby to a brick orange. This 2011 Terre del Barolo vintage - a Decanter World Wine Awards bronze winner no less - is a kind of medium red but with little orange nuances around the rim.

Like any good king, it is imperious and powerful, yet elegant and also gentle to its good people.

Steak or game duly sit well on its table. (Just don't have it around vaingloriously rich sauces otherwise it gets peeved.)

However, dress this particular Barolo up in different garb and, on appearance alone, given its similar colour, it could be mistaken for another red currently on offer at Waitrose, a Recchia Bardolino 2014 - a drink from the common man's table (and presently down from £7.99 to £5.99).

Bardolino hails from the Lake Garda region and is popular there as an everyday drinking wine, or a house red at restaurants enjoyed by tourists and locals alike.

Whereas Barolo is full of airs and graces, a good Bardolino can be wonderfully easy going, tasty and pretty versatile, and this 2014 Recchia is all the above, with a soft palate and low tannins.

Light and refreshing on its own, it will sit well with most dishes, including white meat or at a push even fish if chilled, but it'll especially suit pizza when you have your feet up on the settee and rubbish Saturday night TV on the gogglebox.

Hence, prince or pauper, Barolo or Bardolino, there's a common wealth in there somewhere, and even if you mistake one for the other, like in the book, you'll still probably be on to a good thing one way or another.