Rather amazingly, Tesco has it in stock at just £22.48 in more than 600 stores. Richard Granger of Newcastle seems to have the best price among independents, £23.33 a bottle, which is excellent considering that it is better than many a minor "proper" vintage port. Indeed some port producers privately worry that the value offered by good single-quinta ports might be damping demand for vintage port.

Majestic, Oddbins and larger Sainsbury stores also have stocks of Vargellas 1996, which rather surprises me since this top-quality wine has now been on sale for well over a year, often for less than the recommended price of £24.99.

Graham's Malvedos 1996, the single-quinta wine from this stable's top wine farm, is also absolutely delicious and arguably better for current drinking. Fareham Wine Cellar, Tanners of Shrewsbury and Cambridge Wine Merchants offer it at about £22.50 while Sainsbury's has it at £22.99. Also from the Symington group of port houses, Quinta do Bomfim 1996 doesn't quite have the mellowness of the Malvedos or the density of the Vargellas but is certainly very sweet and £21.99 from Tesco, Thresher, Adnams, Tanners and Booths.

All the wines above will have some sediment so are best poured carefully or decanted into a jug or decanter just before serving. They are also best drunk within a day of opening. Vintage port, unlike tawny, should be treated pretty much like a table wine in this respect and certainly not left around in a decanter for weeks.

Warre's Bottle Matured Late Bottled Vintage 1995, the only really traditional rendition of the popular "LBV" style, offers great value at about £16 from most UK supermarkets. Very fragrant and lifted, it offers great refreshment and vibrancy and is seriously vivacious, with the tannins usefully in retreat. Dow's Crusted Port 2000 (£14 at Asda, Booths, Waitrose, Oddbins) is another good buy - much more youthful and still chewy but with a lovely scent of liquorice and real succulence too.

Fonseca has a special bottle that looks as though it has a big cellulite problem but if you can handle that you can choose from two well-priced ports inside it: Fonseca Unfiltered LBV 2000 is £11.99 at Majestic or £9.99 if two bottles are bought, and has a refreshing dry finish while Fonseca Terra Prima Porto (£10.99 at Sainsbury's), made exclusively from organically grown grapes (and presumably very similar to the Organic Reserve Port on sale at Marks and Spencer at £10.99), is floral, rather light but very engaging.

Tawny port is altogether mellower in its impact and much more durable in an opened bottle. Noval 10-year-old Tawny (£15.59 at Waitrose) is decidedly superior - unfiltered, foot-trodden fruit, obviously rammed full of flavours that include raisins and walnuts. It is winter in a bottle, in fact. This is a wine with great personality, although full marks for packaging go to Graham's The Tawny (£14.99 at Tesco, Sainsbury's, Thresher, Noel Young Wines and Harvey Nichols) in its clear glass flask with wooden stopper. This is tawny port as an Australian might make it - super-rich, robust and rugby playing.