For richly satisfying, effortless drinking it just has to be Merlot. We start in France with gently spicy and deeply rich La Porte des Princes, and stay in Europe for delicious examples from Spain and Italy: the smooth and plummy Hacienda de Lluna and the deep black cherry-packed Mandriano. And nowhere does the juicy, fruity style as well as Chile: Viña Tarapacá shows the opulent intensity that high-planted vineyards can produce. You've lastly got a velvety number from South Africa in Bees Knees, and the sumptuously rich, smoky and vibrant Château Vartely, made from vines that once served the great Russian Tsars!