IF God didn’t want us to eat animals, he wouldn’t have made them out of lovely meat.

Or so the saying goes, somewhat tongue-in-cheek one would hope, effectively poking a tickling stick into the ribs of ethical militants who greet such flippancy with disproportionately inflated outrage.

But before any Meat Is Murder radicals take offence here, let us quickly point out that this column has recently talked up some vegetarian and vegan-friendly wines and the benefits thereof.

Indeed, we jumped the gun somewhat, unaware that only a few weeks later it would officially be Vegetarian Awareness Week.

So to underline the fact that, leg pulling aside, we respect the ethics of veganism, and indeed to mark this awareness week, we’re having another quick look specifically at some of the veggie wines on shop shelves.

As we wrote back then, it may seem odd that grape juice could ever be deemed unfit for vegetarians. However, some wines are unsuitable due to a particular "fining" technique in the winemaking, whereby the drink is stabilised using a process which lowers the risk of unwanted flavours and aromas getting into the bottle - with the products used in this process creating the issue, given some are animal or egg-derived.

Others, however, are not.

In fact, down at the Co-operative, apparently “more than 59 per cent” of its range is now okay for vegetarians. (As an aside, does “more than 59%” seem oddly precise yet imprecise at the same time?)

What’s more, it includes all the information about vegan suitability on the back of its bottles, including ingredients used at any point in the winemaking practice.

There are a couple of brand new lines there, too, which are worth a look.

At the magical below-a-fiver price comes a Gran Vista Garnacha 2015, from Spain.

The result of the Co-op’s collaboration with two Spanish Co-operatives, it isn't the greatest Garnacha you can find but, at that price, it's fun, fruity and a does more than a fair job, with its ripe berry vibrancy, plummy palate and sweet black-pepper finish.

It may seem unbecoming to suggest having it with a meaty barbecue but, for those households where herbivores and omnivores live in harmony, it's a good bargain pick. Also, if it's a warm day, it wouldn't be a bad idea to stick it in the fridge for a bit.

Higher up the price scale, meanwhile, comes a rather splendid Co-op Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2015 from France, selling at £15.99.

The famous vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape have produced fine wines since the 14th Century, and this intense yet understated red is full of that history, regardless of traditional or modern fining processes.

Produced by the renowned Perrin family, it is blended from carefully selected Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault grapes to create a complex wine full of rich cherry and blackberry fruit, with a twist of peppery spice leading to a long dry finish.

Try to drink it slowly and appreciate. Whatever God wanted us to do with animals, this is one of those wines which, while still in the affordable bracket for mere mortals, leave little doubt about why He ever gave us grapes.