IT might be known as Burgundy's aristocratic red grape, but Pinot Noir wines are far from confined to France.

And while some examples of the foreign stuff at the cheaper end of the spectrum can be scrimpy, thin and a bit drab compared to the juicy, smooth, high-end tipples, if you look around you can find pretty good bottles for under a tenner. Hurrah to that.

The difficulty with Pinot Noir is that, while it can produce some of the finest wines in the world, it is a difficult variety to cultivate: the grape's thin skin means it can be unpredictable and its tendency to produce tightly packed bunches makes it susceptible to various viticultural hazards.

But get it right and the low tannins, light colour and medium body can create a lush texture and a high-class yet very easy drink.

Now, if you're quick, you can get a couple of highly-rated examples from outside of France at Sainsbury's for a discount price.

There's a Most Wanted Pinot Noir 2014 down from £10 to £8, and a Taste The Difference Rheinhessen Pinot Noir down from £8 to £6, both on offer until Tuesday.

The Most Wanted is a new brand, less than a year old, that seems to be going from strength to strength with its clean and defiantly un-pompous image.

Its Pinot Noir, from New Zealand, is drier and more elegant than some other Kiwi efforts and has lots of lush plums and cherries with hints of oak from its little ageing. It's light enough to go with white meats but fruity enough for red, and is an absolute banker for Chinese food, especially duck.

The Rheinhessen - one of few German reds you'll find for less than a tenner - is light but fruity, with fresh raspberry and strawberry hints and a soft texture. It's another to have with duck, or pate perhaps.

These two wines, by the way, are 13.5 per cent and 13 per cent respectively, but if anyone here has endured a dry January or is watching the units post-New Year, then a lower alcohol tipple might be an idea.

Step forward the Wine Society, which is presently promoting the "light brigade" - 19 tried-and-trusted wines that are high on taste but relatively low in alcohol.

(To be fair, the alcohol levels aren't all really that low - up to 12.5, when a few years ago 12.5 was thought pretty okay - but still.)

Among them is a Pinot Noir - specifically Vin de France, Jacques Dépagneux 2011 - hailing from the upper Aude Valley, near Limoux.

Pyrenean and Atlantic influences moderate the temperatures there along the grape's heartland Burgundian lines, and the result is a soft, easy-drinking Pinot.

If you're after a remarkable, classy wine that'll blow your mind, this isn't it, but it is a lovely, easy, inoffensive quaffer which is similarly light on the pocket, at £5.75 a bottle.