IT’S cold and wet, so how about we have a stew to warm up those damp dark evenings. Ooh and let’s have some warm-you-up red wine with it.

Actually, that thought process came the other way round: let’s try this Signal Post Shiraz while it’s on discount offer at the Co-op. And, oh look, it’s meant to go well with a stew so let’s have that for tea.

Normally £7.49, this south east Australian Shiraz is on at £4.99 – the magical below a fiver price – until February 2.

Sourced from a variety of vineyard sites, and with a distinct new world Australian Shiraz character, this obviously young wine (2015) tries to warm you up with lifted red and black berry fruits. Luckily, they just about hang fire before getting too tart.

Does it compare well to costlier Shiraz? It probably adds more tang - be it to a stew or any meal - than more subtle rivals, but, either way, if you’re a Shiraz fan, it might be worth trying now to decide whether you’d get it again at its higher price.

If you generally prefer the powerful wines from the old world, then the Co-op also has a Chateau Vieux Manoir 2014 Bordeaux on offer, down £1 to £6.49, again until February 2.

Dark and thick in colour but with bright highlights, you’ll get hit but hopefully not overwhelmed by some ripe tannins – less so if it’s breathed a while - but it’s a nice round attack, with a long, almost smoky finish. One to sip slowly rather than throw down.

It’s a bit fussy, though, with a recommendation to serve at 17 to 18 degrees. (Not sure what happens if it’s a bit colder or warmer, or if you’re expected to stick a thermometer in it before serving, but there you go.)

Have it with the usual red meat or, for a posher evening, roasted game. It could potentially withstand spicier food too.

Then again, it’d also go well as strong cheeses, so it’ll save for afters, and, given it’s textured flavours, it could easily be finished off later on its own when all the food is gone.

l QUICK heads up. Act fast and you could save up to 40 per cent off some of last year's remaining stock at Majestic's so-called "bin end sale". When it's gone it's gone. (The store in York, on Foss Islands Road, is temporarily closed after the recent flooding but orders can be made online.)