YEARS ago, just after the extinction of the dinosaurs, I discovered that I liked to drink wine more than other alcoholic beverages. I would scour the local supermarket, looking for quality and value in combination, then, like now, with varying success.

My first great vinous crush was with chardonnay and years later it remains a favourite. It is not as fashionable as it was, but still tastes the same.

The Wine Society has an enjoyable and affordable example from Uruguay, Benteveo Chardonnay 2014, from the Juanicó region, ten miles north of Montevideo. It is unoaked and beautifully fresh, with flavours of lemon, crisp green apple, a lick of honey and a hint of mineral. It goes really well with fish but equally, it would match with chicken pasta and salad dishes.

When it came to red wine, I used to err towards the bold, spicy fruitiness of Aussie shiraz. I would not make room in my wine rack for many these days. Those big brand Aussie reds, the ones you find at ‘half-price’ in the supermarket, don’t taste like they used to.

I suppose a reasonably priced Spanish grenache, or garnacha as they call it, would make an acceptable substitute.

Torres Sangre de Toro 2013 is a very reliable vino tinto, strange to think it’s a brand that has been around for 60 years. Made from garnacha and cariñena, it is smooth, spicy and very quaffable, with fruit-forward flavours of blackberry and strawberry.

But what would I drink if affordability was not such an issue?

I like wines that are balanced and complex. Wines that taste like they have been lovingly made, without cutting corners. Of course these come at a price.

One such wine is an Austrian red, Groszer Wein Saybritz Blaufränkisch 2012, a single-vineyard release from the Eisenberg in Südburgenland. Full-bodied, muscular and mineral, it is pleasingly fresh, with long flavours of cherry, raspberry and brambles.

Benteveo Chardonnay 2014, Juanicó, £6.95 from The Wine Society 17/20

Torres Sangre de Toro 2013, around £7.99 at Tesco, Waitrose and Asda 17/20

Groszer Wein Saybritz Blaufränkisch 2012 (1litre), £29.90 from newcomerwines.com 18/20