VEGETARIAN wine? Vegan wine? What the? It's grapejuice, for flip's sake.

You may have noticed some wines these days are classed vegan-friendly and, like most of us, you may then have wondered "since when did grapes become meat?" before deeming it all a load of pointless labelling and picking whatever bottle that took your fancy regardless.

But here's why such labelling is now sometimes used.

Most makers, before before bottling their wines, stabilise them using a practice called fining; a process that makes a wine look clear and lowers the risk of unwanted flavours and aromas getting in before the bottle is opened.

And it's the products used in fining that create the veggie issue. Bull's blood, a traditional fining agent, was banned by the EU after the BSE crisis but some other animal-derived products are still permitted, such as gelatin, isinglass (fish bladders), casein (milk protein) and albumen (egg white).

Now, there are no laws yet that oblige winemakers to say if they've used such products, presumably because they are so negligible, imperceptible or trivial, but it could still be a moral issue for staunch vegetarians - which is why an increasing number of makers and sellers now explicitly state on labels their drink is suitable for them.

(At this point we must apologise to any vegetarians who weren't aware of this and now fear they've drunk the wrong wine!)

Aldi is one of several supermarkets that often use such classification and indeed it states it has an "extensive range of vegan and vegetarian wines, including several award winners".

One such wine is the Exquisite Collection New Zealand Pinot Noir, priced £6.99 - which is damn good value with or without this additional classification.

Light but fragrant with ripe cherries, raspberries and red plum, it also has an elegant streak indicative of the mineral laden soils in the cool-climate region from where it hails.

Sticking with good value reds but changing tact a tad (given this next one goes really well with roast meat with loads of gravy and all the trimmings), if you like big, strong, concentrated, palate-crunching Australia wine, check out Berton Vineyard's The Black Shiraz 2014, which is as muscular and full-blooded as its metal label suggests.

Bold, very dark in colour, and full of liquorice and spicy blackberry and blueberry, it is usually found only in the restaurant trade but is now available at the Co-op and is currently reduced £1 to £6.49 until April 26.

If you prefer your fruity intensity a bit more restrained, there's also a rather well-priced Bordeaux on offer at the Co-op, down from £9.99 to £7.99 till April 26.

Hailing from the picturesque town of St Emilion, the Comtesse Saint Hilaire Montagne St Emilion, comprising 60 per cent Merlot, 20 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon and 20 per cent Cabernet Franc, has a lovely cherry colour with shiny hints, a delicate nose with red fruit scents and slight liquorices notes.

Have it with beef, game or various cheeses.

* GOOD news: York's Majestic store, on Foss Islands Road, will reopen next Friday. It had to close in late December due to the damage caused by the serious floods, but they took the opportunity to refurbish the building and, rumour has it, it's brighter and better than before. Certainly worth a look.