Aldi always manages to offer a great choice of products at great value prices. The supermarket's latest Christmas range contains their biggest ever premium selection, which includes food and drink, children's toys, health, beauty and home interior products and even gifts for pets!
At their Christmas showcase, which took place in October, I spoke to the Aldi team.
I first asked them what makes Aldi unique for its customers.
"Our customers are looking for the best value possible. They are looking for the highest quality wines, but at a reasonable price or a price that's not beaten anywhere else on the market. They're also looking for something exciting, not just a run-of-mill product, but one that brings an additional pizzazz to the dinner table. They love wine, they're interested in wine and they're looking to expand their portfolios. So a product like sparkling Nebbiolo, for example, gives us that opportunity to offer a wine that we've never had before. It tastes incredible and Aldi customers are going to love it!"
In recent years, supermarkets have upped their range of English wines, particularly sparkling. So, how important is this for Aldi?
"We have seen such growth of English sparkling wine in the market", said an Aldi spokesperson. "This has also accelerated through lockdown with customers experimenting while at home. In true Aldi fashion, we've seen a trend in the market and thought we have to go out and find the best English sparkling that we can and make sure we can offer it at the best retail price. We open up such high quality wines to customers that maybe have never picked up a bottle before, or thought it too expensive because they've had to pay £30 or £35. That's what we've been able to achieve with the quality of our Bowler & Brolly Classic Cuvée Brut."
What about English still wines, as there's also a perception that they're too expensive?
"English still wines offer a huge breadth of flavours. With some, especially English reds, you just don't taste anything else like them anywhere in the world. We want to help that culture within England of being proud of what we have, proud of our British suppliers and not have to go to the other side of the world for a high quality wine. That's what we're also able to offer in still wines as well as sparkling."
A few weeks later, Aldi showcased their Autumn/Winter collection, encompassing an astonishing range of wines from all over the world and from lesser known grapes too. It was also an opportunity to try some of the supermarket's new premium range, 'Winemaster's Lot'.
"One of the key things is that there's a higher average retail price", said one of the Aldi team present at the tasting. "Last year, we were very conscious that the higher retail lines really performed for us over Christmas, like the Châteuneuf-du-Pape Blanc. So this year, we want to be ready for what we expect to be a massive Christmas."
Aldi's latest wine selection shows how they're really upping the game with the new 'Winemaster's Lot' level that sits above their Specially Selected range. So what's the thinking behind this new portfolio?
"Our Specially Selected wines have done a brilliant job of premiumising the range", said an Aldi spokesperson, "taking us up to about the £8-£9 mark. What we wanted to do over Christmas was to have something that could then take us up to £20-£25. The Winemaster's Lot does that for us. So it's the real crème de la crème of our range. It's going to be incredibly limited, maybe 10 SKUs across the year. There's no fixed price range, but the idea is to premiumise it above Specially Selected."
Aldi's new Autumn/Winter wine collection contains more esoteric and niche wines than ever before, to suit all palates. This includes a greater proportion of premium wines. However, many old favourites remain and there have not been any discontinuations within the sub-£5 offering. "We want to be able to have a range of wines that caters for every pocket, from £4 to £35", added the supermarket. "So, there should be almost no-one who can't buy a wine from Aldi at Christmas!"
Here are a few picks from Aldi's latest selection of wines, available in-store and/or online:-
Aldi has been selling English wine for the last few years, but is this the best one yet?
Lovely fresh green apple and biscuit notes pave the way for a sparkling Hampshire bubbly with good balance of fruit and acidity. If you've never tried English fizz before, then this would be a great, affordable way to start seeing what all the fuss is about!
Aldi has a great record of offering good value, delicious Crémants. Their Crémant Du Jura continues to be one of the best examples currently in the UK. The new Limoux blend, made from 90% Chardonnay, 10% Chenin Blanc and Pinot Noir is a seasonal special that offers enticing, juicy red berry and watermelon notes.
Sparkling Nebbiolo is not a style you see very often, at least within the UK. From the same grape that makes Barolo, this unusual, very pale pink fizz has delicate raspberry and floral notes with a citrus and gooseberry zing plus a lingering hint of creamy frangipane.
Adding to its alcohol-free drinks portfolio, Aldi introduces this no-alcohol wine based on the Sekt style with lime sherbet and green apple notes. The sugar content is 57g/L, but this is masked quite well by the searing acidity.
A volcanic eruption of citrus-led freshness and minerality with aromatic tropical fruit and spice. Grab a bottle while you can!
Swiss wines are relatively unknown in the UK. That's partly because they are … well … niche, require some searching out and are not generally available in the multiples. They are also not the cheapest European wines you can find. So when I saw this bargain, my eyes lit up! Fendant is the name for Chasselas grown in the Swiss canton of Valais. Aldi's new release shows smooth stone fruit notes with citrus, nuts and vanilla plus a fresh, clean finish.
Good wines from Oregon come at a price. Yet Aldi has sourced this delicious and very affordable, intriguing white Pinot blend, made from 91% Pinot Noir, 6% Pinot Meunier and 3% Pinot Blanc. Aromatic, medium-bodied and fresh with crisp acidity, there's a mouthful of crunchy green pear, white peach, red cherry and citrus, a slightly creamy texture developing on the mid-palate plus a mineral, savoury edge and quite a long finish.
A delicious example of an elegant Semillon with lime, melon and honey touches, a saline/savoury edge with some spice and a mouth-filling palate.
Aldi's latest Lebanese red is another great value buy, full of bright cherry and blackberry notes plus herbs and spice with a savoury, earthy mouthfeel. At 14.5% ABV, this still manages a certain lightness of touch and tannins are finely balanced.
Marselan is a cross of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache and shows good resistance to certain grapevine diseases. Its importance is such that it has been approved as one of the new Bordeaux grape varieties chosen to help adapt to climate change.
Aldi's new Marselan hails from the Pays d'Oc, an area in the Languedoc known for its good value wines. This wine has juicy berry and some earthy notes with Christmas spices and a hint of sweet plum too.
If Barolo is too tannic for you, then perhaps you should try Barbaresco! Tannins are often softer and you still get those perfumed Nebbiolo notes. Aldi's new Barbaresco is a great addition to the Winemaster's Lot range. Some rose petal florality plus plenty of ripe red and black berry notes, cherries, spice, a hint of truffle and firm but accessible tannins, this is well worth seeking out.
A very appealing, crisp example of Cabernet Franc that delivers red and black fruit notes with herbs, liquorice, fine tannins, a touch of cedarwood and refreshing acidity.
Where else but Aldi can you find a 40-year old tawny port at such an affordable price? Buy it, chill it and enjoy the satisfying hit of dried fruit, Christmas spices, honey and nuts.
Another classic sweet wine at a great price! Made from a blend of three grapes, but mainly Furmint, the 180-185g/L sugar level is kept in check by the trademark acidity of Tokaji Aszú. Delicious sweet pear, apricot, citrus and honey notes will put a smile on your face!
There are, of course, many other good wines to suit all pockets and palates. The choice above illustrates Aldi's adventurous and original approach to quality wine buying, bringing lesser known grapes and wine regions into customers' homes.
Among the spirits, it's good to see Aldi continuing their successful relationship with Masons of Yorkshire. You can read more about that here.
Haysmith's Oriental Spiced Gin is a £14.99 winter warmer that delivers fragrant and earthy spiciness from cardamom, cinnamon and Szechuan peppercorns plus aromatic, herbal freshness from basil and bay leaf. If you like a gently spicy G&T, then this juniper-led London Dry will make the perfect base.
… but if that's not enough for your festive celebrations, then Aldi's Haysmith's Gin Advent Calendar (now on special offer online for £59.99), featuring 24 miniature bottles in six flavours behind each door, is sure to make your Christmas taste even better!
