We surveyed the shelves of Sainsbury’s looking for some interesting wines that you might like to pick up over the coming weeks. We selected four wines that, with Shrove Tuesday coming up, could well go with dishes you are preparing if you are doing something special with friends or relatives on or around that day and would like a wine to go with your pancakes, whether they are sweet or savoury.

The first of those we tasted was the Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Chardonnay 2009. It has a great fresh bouquet with notes of acidic citrus and sharp green fruits, apricot and a background hint of resin. As you taste it the apricot comes through on the palate, there is s fruity sweetness to it and a good acidic tang bringing out flavours of lime and grapefruit and some minerality. This is a Chardonnay with body, it has a slight syrupy mouth coating texture and some creaminess to it and in its length you get a hint of oak and a touch of peppery heat. It’s a wine that would accompany fish and white meat dishes very well, but you could also serve it with your traditional pancake with lemon and a sprinkling of sugar

The Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Chardonnay 2009 retails for £7.99 and can be found in most Sainsbury’s

The Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Shiraz 2008 had deep soft forest fruits, plum and blackcurrant on the nose with a hint of caramelised sugar. As you drink and let it wash around the mouth you get fresh red berry fruits and some soft blackberry. It’s a soft but bright fruity red wine with low tannins, it has a good tang and the slightest hint of pepper in its length. This is another wine that would go well with lighter meats, perhaps tuna also, but could work well with sweeter options where the fruitiness would come through, perhaps chocolate desserts.

The Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Shiraz 2008 retails for £7.99 and can be found at most Sainsbury’s

Houghton The Bandit Shiraz/Tempranillo 2008 had good rich black forest fruits in its aroma together hints of toast. It’s a very inviting deep ruby red wine. As you drink it those fruits fill your mouth dark berries, cherry and a hint of spice and a good blackcurrant like acidity pierces through. It’s a beautifully tangy wine, that has medium tannins and a good length with citrus notes lingering on your palate. It’s a wine that would support fuller flavoured meats maybe roast lamb, duck and some game, but would also work with sweeter dishes that matched and balanced its big fruit flavours.

Houghton The Bandit Shiraz/Tempranillo 2008 retails for £10.89 and can be found at most Sainsburys

Finally, Houghton The Bandit Sauvignon Blanc/Pinot Gris 2010, a very pale crisp wine with a greenish hue in the glass. This has a fresh zesty citrusy acidic aroma, with green fruit and tropical fruit notes. As you drink and let it coat your tongue you get pear, passion fruit, peach and green apple. It has a great refreshing acidity and an effervescent feel on the edge of the tongue. This is a bright and lively wine that has a great length fruity length to it. It would be perfect with lighter starter dishes such as smoked salmon, prawn and salads, but because of its zingy fruitiness would, like the other wines we tried, work with sweeter options, perhaps even the king of pancake dishes Crêpe Suzette.

Houghton The Bandit Sauvignon Blanc/Pinot Gris 2010 retails for £10.89 and can be found at most Sainsbury’s

These four wines were a joy to drink and quite versatile in what you might pair them with, take a look when you’re next in Sainsbury’s