Pour some Portuguese plonk without making yourself poor

T he co-op is treating shoppers to the pick of Portugal, with a trio of out-of-the-ordinary wines which blend well-loved varieties with interesting local grapes. These fascinating wines are on offer until October 30 at half price (£4.99, reduced from £9.99) enabling shoppers to give them a whirl without breaking the bank.

The wines, one red, one white, one rosé, are marketed under the Two Ravens label. They are from the Lisbon region and come from vineyards on hills just a few miles north of the city.

The hills were once guardians of the city and it was there that the Duke of Wellington built the famous Torres Vedras Lines fortifications to repel Napoleon's forces. The vineyards are owned by one of Portugal's top winemakers, José Neiva.

The Lisbon region has lots of sunshine but the refreshing sea breezes keep things cool; this means that the grapes ripen slowly and evenly, producing perfectly balanced and very complex wines.

The red, Two Ravens Cabernet Sauvignon Touriga, 2011, is a dark ruby red colour, hinting at the concentrated nature of the wine. Its aromas are rich and fruity with a hint of spice. It is intensely fruity in the mouth with lots of ripe forest fruit, raspberry and blackcurrant flavours and there is also a hint of cinnamon on the finish which lingers long on the palate.

Quite full-bodied and surprisingly complex at this level, the white, Two Ravens Chardonnay Fernao Pires, 2011, shows delicious orchard fruit and melon flavours with a note of vanilla; its finish is dry and has a wonderful citrus character which lingers on the palate.

Finally, Two Ravens Shiraz Castelao Rose, 2011, is a medium-bodied and off-dry rose. This wine is bright and perfumed, with flavours of strawberry, red apple and ripe berry fruits. It is well balanced with a hint of sweetness on its refreshingly crisp finish.

England's largest wine estate, Nyetimber, has announced it will be making no 2012 sparkling wine, because the difficult growing season means it can not produce sufficiently high-quality wine from its grapes.

Winemaker Cherie Spriggs said the decision was taken and announced to staff "after serious tasting, analysis and discussions between myself, our viticulturalist and our chief executive."

Nyetimber, after a recent expansion, now covers 430 acres, and makes up to 400,000 bottles per year. It uses only its own grapes to produce its range of sparkling wines, and this is the first time its 24 year history as a wine estate that it has been forced to abandon the harvest entirely.

Nyetimber does not expect a huge effect on supply – their range of sparkling wines age on the lees for different times, and come on to the market at different times, so there should be no major stock issues, although numbers of bottles would be lower.

Julia Trustam Eve, of English Wine Producers, confirmed that yields would be down at many estates, by as much as one-third to one-half, but said that many still expected high quality.

She said: "Picking is around ten days behind, and, obviously, vineyards have had to be much more observant this year. But I've had reports that what's out there is good quality."

Laurent Desvignes Chablis

Where: Waitrose

When: Now, until October 30

Why: An excellent Chablis in the classic style. This is a great example of a Burgundian chardonnay.

£8.99

Where: Waitrose

When: Now, until October 30

Why: Given its purity, elegance and finesse, this is a real bargain price for a quality Chilean pinot. Great with grills and roasts.

£7.86

Where: Co-op

When: Now, until October 30

Why: Australia makes some dashingly fruity examples of its own. This is one of the best and works well with Thai green curry.

£5.49

Where: Co-op

When: Now, until October 30

Why: A blend in equal parts of Carinere and Garnacha has a mellow complexity and will suit roast lamb or chicken.

£4.99