During the lead-up to - and on - Christmas Day, a meal without wine is often considered breakfast. Tis the season.

Typically, I have never strayed from red wine during the festive season but this year I will be doing so after undergoing a transformation last summer.

You might be thinking: "White wine is a summer drink?", but I assure you it can be enjoyed all year round.

So, what was this epiphany? Well, it all happened on a cycling trip last year.

After passing Venice and making our way towards the Slovenian border, the Italian landscape slowly shifted from majestic Renaissance buildings to eventually resembling one gigantic vineyard. 

Fields stretched as far as the eye could see and they were unlike anything I'd seen in the UK before. Over here, we have molehills and abandoned barns, over there? Grapes and wineries.

Tired, parched and starting to blister from the heat, we began to question whether it was all simply a mirage. Our minds playing cruel tricks and showing us these alcoholic safe havens every other 500 hundred yards.

But no, they were all very real, trust us.

We were spoilt for choice and not at all picky at that stage. A moment out of the sun and perhaps one glass would've been enough, so we quickly found a postcard-perfect portal to 1930.

Although I've never been a big white wine drinker, we soon found out it was just 5 euros for one of their ice-cold homemade bottles. So already that "moment out the sun" and "one glass" was in jeopardy.

As the most charming waitress served us chilled wine in the vineyard stranded in time, we all came to the same conclusion. Slovenia could wait.

Forestry Journal: It was my turn to wear the blonde wig in this photo.It was my turn to wear the blonde wig in this photo. (Image: Newsquest)

It was an experience I'll never forget and one I'm sure will be hard to replicate, but that doesn't mean I can't give it a go, can I?

£5 UK supermarket white wines, reckon they've got a chance of holding up to Italy's €5 offering? Especially at Christmas?

I do not profess to be a connoisseur or anybody even close to authoritative on wines, but I'm a fan - perhaps too much - of the stuff, just as you probably are.

These are the most popular types of white wine that you will find in your common supermarket.

  • Chardonnay
  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • Pinot Grigio

I decided to blind taste test Sauvignon Blanc, or as it's known in my family: sorrymumimdrunk. 

Originating in the Bordeaux and Loire regions of France, Sauvignon Blanc has become widely grown worldwide and is today most famously produced in Marlborough, New Zealand, and France.

According to the Sunday Times Wine Club, Sauvignon Blanc is, "probably the UK's favourite white, with explosive aromas of gooseberry, cut grass and guava.

"If you want it with the volume turned up, turn to those from New Zealand, led by Cloudy Bay and Hunters. They leap from the glass ... while the more elegant, minerally Sauvignon Blancs of the Loire Valley are for many still the pinnacle."

Recently, I decided to taste test red wine for Christmas, Aldi won convincingly whilst the Coop was a complete abomination. I came into this test expecting an exact repeat, but was it to be?

Morrisons - £4.69 - 10.5%

Joining me in this blind taste test were my dad and sister, the latter probably being the biggest white wine drinker (sometimes 12 bottles a day, shameful).

This was the weakest of the selections and Morrisons' offering didn't go down too well with either of them. "Smells like paint-stripper", and "a delicate hint of turps" were some of the initial reactions.

I however did not agree, I could barely smell a thing. So after a quick negative COVID test, I tried a taste and it matched the smell. There was nothing in it.

We all thought this was the Coop wine. Watery with zero taste. Could be used as a cooking wine perhaps?

3/10

Forestry Journal: From left to right: Coop, Aldi, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons.From left to right: Coop, Aldi, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons. (Image: Newsquest)

Tesco - £4.69 - 11%

This smelled like wine so we thought we were finally off to a good start.

Alas, it didn't last long as the taste was also pretty bland. "A good wine for people that want to pass off they like wine and secretly hate it."

However, on the second tasting, a slight hint of fruitiness tried its best to sneak through onto the palate, so an extra mark for that single grape. 

4/10

Aldi - £4.50 - 12%

Aldi comes out on top nine times out of ten in most of my reviews due to the quality of the product and then considering the price.

"There is always strength in numbers," well, not in this case. Aldi's wine was the strongest Sauvignon Blanc we tried but also the worst.

It was so bitter and did not smell the best either. Red wine, tip-top, white wine? Not so much.

Coop - £5 - 11%

I'll just get straight into it, this was the best by a mile.

The CoOp's red wine took an absolute battering but completely redeemed itself this time around.

It smelled better than all the rest and had a real summer afternoon taste to it despite being consumed on a damp night in February. Fruity and rich, it was pleasant.

We unanimously agreed this was the best and will be finishing the bottle sooner rather than later.

It wasn't, however, a Sauvignon Blanc. The Coop is slightly pricey so this was the cheapest bottle of white wine I could find. That is actually what it is called, "White Wine", if you want to have a try.

7/10

Recommended reading:

Asda - £4.95 - 11%

Last but not least was Asda, which all but proved what we were all thinking at this stage. Spend a bit more if you want a decent wine.

Again, watery and bland and also slightly sickly (but we'll put that down to being last) it was another white wine which barely passed the threshold.

3/10

In my experience, you can find a decent red wine for £5 but will struggle to find a decent white (cough cough, in the UK). Take that as you will and on your head be it. Happy hunting.