First up, and definitely at the bargain end of the market, is an unpretentious Merlot from California. A blend of more than one year, it doesn’t carry a vintage on the label but is well-priced quaffing wine. The team tend to steer away from the major brands but this, from Australia, is fairly priced and a relatively simple but solidly-made wine with a bit more weight than the Californian. International Merlot Day is on 7 November, so expect lots of promotions in your supermarket to celebrate. But how do you tell which are genuinely good value? Also from Australia, but something of a step up in quality, this has a little bottle age to develop some extra complexity. Finally, a Merlot-dominated blend from its spiritual home on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. Fronsac is a less fashionable village but one that often delivers extra value as a result and this is a very decent example.