Go to the polls for your beloved wine merchant

It's time to vote. The polls have opened in the International Wine & Spirit Competition for this year's independent wine merchant of the year and I want to see the trophy coming to Scotland. Why not? Scotland has a very distinguished history of drinking and buying fine wine.

More than 800 years ago, the ports of Leith and Glasgow were regularly shipping cases of claret, a thin, light red wine from Henri II's wife Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine's land in Bordeaux. Our influence grew 300 years later when Napoleon Bonaparte, in a bid to preserve the 'auld alliance', blockaded English ships while allowing wines to be shipped from Bordeaux and Glasgow. The move helped foster a successful wine trade.

Thirsty visitors to Edinburgh in the 18th century would have been served not whisky or beer but a jug of claret, which was then regarded as our national drink. As a result, the Scots have developed a sophisticated understanding of wine. We also have an indigenous wine trade that for detail, energy, innovation and originality can rival anything in the south. We boast the UK's best Italian wine merchant in Valvona & Crolla and one of the finest small independent wine merchants in Raeburn Fine Wine, while Corney & Barrow and Justerini & Brooks between them hold four royal warrants. And there are plenty of innovative independents, run by knowledgeable enthusiasts.

Take Kenneth Vannan, who owns Villeneuve Wines in Peebles, which has a wonderful, eclectic list. Chris Lockett in North Berwick is busy establishing his wine shop on the High Street as a must visit for any wine lover living south of Edinburgh, while in Bridge of Allan, in little under three years, WoodWinters has built a serious reputation for fine wine. This is not forgetting established names such as Inverarity Vaults, which has recently opened a shop in Glasgow. And Abbey wines in Melrose, Cockburn's of Leith and Edinburgh's Peter Green & Co.

The big London wine merchants can undoubtedly provide an outstanding service for the well-heeled buyer. But can they ever compete with the local merchant who takes the trouble to address an individual customer's tastes? Entries should be sent to ukretaileraward@iwsc.co.uk International Wine & Spirit Competition.

This week's fizz deals

Meanwhile prices of prestige cuvees from top Champagne houses are continuing to rise at an unstoppable rate, despite the current economic downturn. According to Wine trading platform Live-Ex, its Champagne index has seen an increase in value of 27% over the past 12 months.

Live-Ex says the growth is being driven by increased demand for the top brands. Yet if you are prepared to leave the big names at home it has never been a better time to buy sparkling wine. Lidl is selling a bottle of Prosecco at £1.59 (more on that in next week's Spectrum column). But Asda's Cava Brut 11.5%, a perfectly reasonable summer fizz, is just £3.98.

Barbecue bargains

And there are two other wines worth hunting down. Firstly, a New World wine perfect for the barbeque, 2006 Yalumba Y Series Shiraz Viognier, Australia, is down from £7.19 to £5.69 in Waitrose. Secondly, a delicious summer wine that works well as an aperitif or with a mixed salad, is 2007 Finest Gavi, Piemonte, Fratelli Martini, Italy, down from £6.99 to £4.99 at Tesco.