Most of us have a hard time in January. After the initial sharp intake of breath and sucking of teeth, economising becomes an instant New Year resolution. But cutting back does not mean cutting out – certainly as far as wine is concerned.

This, then, is the Ultra Liquors annual guide to budget wines. The goal is to find decent offerings with R40 or less on the price label. Good white wine below that threshold is harder to find than red, but these first two bottles show that it can still be done.

Prices only valid until 11 January 2015.

Pocket friendly white wines

Quaffable, pocket-friendly wines are found in abundance in the Summer Edition Ultra Wine Guru edition. Here are 3 of our favourites.

Prices valid until 11 January 2014.

So, no matter which of this emergency pack of half-dozen wallet-friendly wines you pick, you can still enjoy a guilt-free glass while you sit down to consider the implications of that Christmas credit card bill.