Wine: Can you still get a decent bottle for a fiver?

Well, it all depends on how you define 'decent'. And whether or not that's the full price or discounted

Published by Fiona Beckett at www.guardian.co.uk

Can you still get a decent bottle of wine for a fiver? More to the point, should you? The answer to the first question is, just about; and to the second, not if you want the winemaker to get a fair deal. With UK tax and duty now accounting for more than half the cost of a £4.99 bottle, and fixed costs gobbling up almost all the rest, these days the producer is looking at mere pence per bottle profit, as one weary importer told me.

So should I even be writing about them? Arguably not, but if that's the case, are the only people entitled to drink wine those who can afford twice as much? Er, it's complicated, as they say on Facebook…

At least with promotions there's a higher initial price and the hope that the producer will be getting a bit more for their pains. And, frankly, which of us is highminded enough to resist such bargains as Asda's Mayu Sangiovese (£6.98, but on offer at £5 until 4 July; 14% abv) from Chile's much-praised Elqui Valley? This sexy, Latin American spin on chianti would be fantastic with baked pasta dishes such as lasagne. Or the same producer's 2010 Pedro Ximenez (also £6.98 and on offer at £5; 13% abv)? This zippy white is made from grapes that have been traditionally used to make Pisco brandy, and you've got to hand it to Asda for stocking a wine as left field as that. Try it with ceviche or a Mexican-style fish dish with lime and coriander