A bargain thanks to bulk shipping

When Britain's soaraway supermarket group Tesco can offer a perfectly serviceable Chilean Merlot for £2.98 a bottle when UK excise duty alone is approaching £1.50 a bottle, then you know some massive savings have been made somewhere. Tesco Chilean Merlot is full of bumptious 2003 fruit from Curico and Maule, seasoned by a lightly aromatic, leafy perfume and can boast, according to the official tasting notes, oak that is 'restrained and integrated'  (just a small sackful of chips then).

This wine made by Englishman Julian Grubb for the large VIA group is so cheap, sorry inexpensive, largely because it is bottled in Britain, in...