ROMANIA might not be the first place you think of when you're looking for a lovely Pinot Noir.

In fact, Eastern European wines as a whole aren't always at the forefront of wine minds these days.

For reasons we won't bore you with here (the collapse of the Soviet Union, corruption, the fact vineyards fell into the wrong hands, not enough investment, etc) wine in old Eastern Bloc countries fell into decline in the 1990s, especially when compared to their 1970s-80s heyday.

However, joyously there has been a resurgence in more recent years thanks to a flood of new ventures - and their exports have seemingly been helped in even more recent months by the UK's staggering trudge into the unknown that is Brexit.

In July, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) reported that the average price of a bottle of wine bought in the UK had hit an all-time high of £5.55 due to duty increases and Brexit-related currency fluctuations.

And the battle to beat creeping Brexit wine price hikes is leading to a rise in sales of wines from non-euro nations like Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, with British consumers broadening their horizons and turning attentions to Europe’s peripheries for the best combination of quality and value for money.

Majestic - the UK’s largest wine retailer - has even reported a 400 per cent sales increase of such bottles since last June.

The aforementioned Pinot Noir is a good example. One of the best bargains on our shelves in the 1980s, the Romanian version now seems to be back with a bang for your buck - and the Incanta Pinot Noir is one that shows how.

Available from Majestic for £7.99 (or £6.49 in the Mix Six promotion), this has all the classic bright red fruit flavours of the lauded French versions plus the lovely little sweet spice you'd expect - but not a price tag well in excess of £10 which you might also expect.

With gentle tannins and a smooth finish, too, this is a moreish, light-bodied 12.5 per cent wine which can be served cool with fish or, as we'd prefer as we head into autumn, at room temperature with game or spicy dishes.

Incanta, by the way, is Romanian for enchant or charm, and is often used to describe one of that country's most unique and scarce wild flowers - Paeonia Peregrina Romanica - which has enough captivating beauty to inspired many a folk tale. Hence the label design.

Switching to white wine, Brda, in Slovenia, brings us the Krasno Sauvignon Blanc Ribolla.

Slovenia, formerly part of the old Yugoslavia, adopted the euro a decade ago, and this particular region is renowned for top-quality grapes and diligently-farmed small-parcel vineyards (think Burgundy but in the foothills of the Alps).

Yet, presumably for marketing reasons and maybe Eastern Bloc connotations, a bottle of this Krasno is priced only £8.99 at Majestic (or £7.99 with Mix Six) whereas similar wines across the border in North East Italy will set you back at least £12-£15.

This fresh and elegant zingy blend has flavours of green apple and white flowers followed by a fruity citrus-tinged finish, and is a real Sauv Blanc bargain, especially when considering the price rises of French and New Zealand rivals.