The question which springs to mind for a lot of shoppers is ?What on earth should I go for??

There's usually some sort of debatable 'half-price' promotion featured at the end of the aisle, a 3 for 2 offer on the cheap and cheerless Blossom Hill and the odd 50pence discounted off a few mass produced brands. The obvious and easy option for any customer wanting a quick fix.

However, despite the discounts, whether they provide real value for money is clearly disputable.

The most hazy offer is the over-used half-price claim. If you take a couple of seconds to look at the supposed RRP price, you'll soon realise that it's more marketing spin than a really good deal. Supermarkets will over-inflate the retail price of the product, in order to make a profit at the '50%' off mark. So the supermarket looks good, and so do the books - but the juice that ends up in the customers glass isn't all that it's cracked up to be.

The recent increase in duty, which has jumped 14p a bottle to ?1.46, is another consideration when buying supermarket wines. By the time packaging, marketing, transport and agents' fees have been covered off, plus a profit for the supermarket, the customer is likely to be left with about 50p worth of wine per bottle ? far less than what they pay for!

So what is the alternative? What about shoppers who want something that represents real value for money? Something new and different? Something that's not churned out in the millions?

New online wine retailer Naked Wines offers a fresh and exciting proposition, with a wide range of lesser known wines from up and coming winemakers. The majority of Naked Wines' winemakers don't have the means or the financial muscle to break into the UK market ? nor the time to travel the globe to meet Supermarket buying teams. Which is where Naked Wines steps in.

The Norwich-based retailer buys their wines directly from the producers themselves, cutting out a raft of unnecessary and quite literally 'tasteless' costs. Notably for the customer, the savings that the producer makes by selling directly, get pumped straight back in to the quality of the wines themselves. The idea being, quite simply, you get better wine for your money.

For anyone interested in the Naked Wines proposition, you can currently sign-up to sponsor an individual winemaker ? with the offer of a free case of wine to start you off.

To find out more, and to avoid the Supermarket wine aisle, visit (or call them on 01603 201 800).