Of the 134 wines shown at the recent Tesco press tasting, nearly three-quarters were own-label brands, labelled either as straightforward Tesco for basic wines or Tesco Finest* for more premium examples. Moving towards private-label wines has become an important trend for British retailers, so this comes as no surprise. Yet there is a sense of disappointment when you see how cheap many of these wines are, knowing that the sourcing process must have involved a very specific remit where price is the overriding factor.
It's seems to be working for their sales, however, which are growing healthily. Last week it...