ALDI Wine – Is it Any Good? Here’s My Verdict

It’s funny, when I heard ALDI Supermarkets were opening in Perth, it took me back to my time spent in London in 2012. Mr. Spittoon and I were staying with extended family at the time, trying to find jobs to determine whether we’d set up shop in London Town for a few years. We were of course on a budget so it meant visiting budget supermarkets like ALDI for food and the all important wine shopping.

Funnily enough I actually did a review on ALDI wine while in London – it’s pretty raw, but an interesting read nonetheless.

If you live in Perth, you may have seen recently that a handful of Western Australian ALDI stores (South Lake, Butler, Harrisdale, Joondalup and Wattle Grove) are now selling liquor at very low prices. I am talking about bottles of wine from a mere $3!

ALDI have 63 wines, 12 beers, 5 ciders, 8 spirits and 5 RTD’s (ready-to-drink) in their range. Plus I spotted on Facebook last week, they’ll be stocking 3L bottles of Prosecco and a Wine Advent Calendar. The latter has only been confirmed for the UK so far, but I have my fingers crossed they’ll bring it to Aussie as I’ll definitely be buying one if they do!

As part of the ALDI liquor announcement, I was sent a media pack which included 6 ALDI wines to sample ranging from $7 up to $18. I kept an open mind when trying these wines, as I do with every single wine I try.
Below you’ll find my notes on these and whether I would buy the wine in the future. If it’s a no, well that’s because for my palate it just didn’t mesh, however that might not be the case for your palate – so give it a go and then make your own decision. As I always say, ‘drink what you enjoy’.

Before we get stuck into my tasting notes, here’s a bit more about the wines from ALDI:

Who makes ALDI wine?

Basically, ALDI partners with wineries (West Australian based and internationally) who supply ALDI with wine under exclusive brands made just for the supermarket. On some of the bottles, like the champagne for instance, it will mention on the bottle who the producer is. Like me, you may have heard through the grapevine various things about the winemakers getting paid very little for the wines however it’s all whispers so I can’t presume it’s an ethical or unethical deal for all involved.

My ALDI wine tasting notes:

To be honest, I wasn’t fussed on all the wines I tried, but there were some that I will be buying again for sure. On a whole, I enjoyed the whites over the reds. But saying that, I’m keen to try some of the international reds ALDI have on offer, as from my experience in London and chatter from friends, the Spanish and Italian reds can be pretty good.

A.C. Byrne & Co Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2017

Price: $7.99

To be honest, it’s crisp, easy-drinking and for $8 – it’s definitely drinkable. If you like your SBS’s then this is an uncomplicated smashable tipple.

On the eye it’s a crystal clear subtle yellow colour. On the nose, it’s rather grassy with passionfruit and lemonade tickling the nostrils. In the mouth, it’s easy-drinking, thirst-quenching, full of subtle flavours and cleanses the palate. Splurge on some deliciously fresh oysters (NZ Bluff oysters) and the salty lemon-ish flavours will be the perfect companion.

Would I buy it? Yes for $8 I would, especially to match with seafood (chilli mussels particularly come to mind) or for a chilled out day in the sun with friends. Plus I wouldn’t be worried sharing the bottle around.

A.C. Byrne & Co Margaret River Chardonnay 2016

Price: $9.99

I enjoyed this bottle at a recent Sunday family BBQ – for a $10 bottle, it went down very easily. It’s not big, or intense but it went down with ease and left me feeling rather relaxed.

On the eye it’s a subtle yellow-gold colour. The nose is full of creamy vanilla custard, grapefruit and orchard fruit. Whilst in the mouth it has juicy upfront flavour with palate cleansing lemon, a lick of oak and a hint of peach. Pleasantly surprised by this one considering I am a big Chardy lover.

Would I buy it? Yes, for $10 it’s fine for a casual backyard party.

A.C. Byrne & Co Margaret River Cabernet Merlot 2015

Price: $9.99

I didn’t have this one with food, however I think it would be a good match for spaghetti Bolognese night or with an easy week-day dinner. On its own, it was your standard $10 bottle in my opinion.

It’s a light garnet colour on the eye with black fruits, oak and mint on the nose. In the mouth, it’s juicy with big acidity that would match a tomato-based dish well. This wine is full of red and black fruits with a peppery touch.

Would I buy it? I wouldn’t hunt it out. It’s a standard $10 bottle that didn’t spark a huge amount of interest for me. Mr. Spittoon quite enjoyed it for the price point.

Blackstone Paddock Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Price: $17.99

To be honest, neither myself or Mr. Spittoon really enjoyed this wine on its own – there just wasn’t much there. However teamed with food (we hit up BYO spot, Dough Pizza in Northbridge) it was a bit more palatable.

It’s a brilliant bright garnet colour in the glass. On the nose, I picked up hints of blackberries, pencil shavings and green bell pepper. In the mouth, it’s a light and easy drinking Cab. There are hints of blackcurrants, blueberries and leather. It’s inoffensive and easy to down with food. The food (pizza and charcuterie) helped bring out the flavours a bit more. I’d only recommend if having it with food.

Would I buy it? Probably not, it just didn’t have the oomph I am looking for in an $18 bottle of red wine from Margs.

One Road South Australian Heathcote Shiraz 2015

Price: $6.99

So this Aussie Shiraz recently won Best Value Shiraz under $20 at the 2017 Melbourne International Wine Competition. I have consumed a lot of Shiraz recently, and to be honest, I wasn’t wowed by this one. It was drinkable yes, and it’s definitely affordable at $7 but to be honest I wouldn’t buy it.

It’s a deep red-purple colour on the eye. The nose evokes thoughts of chocolate covered liquorice, cherries and vanilla sugar. In the mouth it’s easy drinking with a medium to light body and plenty of fruitiness with Ribena nuances. It’s uncomplicated and I’d suggest it as a very palate friendly tipple for those on a budget and/or starting out on drinking red wine due to its extremely light and fruity nature.

Would I buy it again? No, see above, it’s just not my style of Shiraz.

Monsigny Brut Champagne NV

Price: $19.99

Monsigny Brut Champagne is one of the top 10 best-selling French Champagnes in Australia. For the price – I was suitably impressed.

And yes, before you ask, it is a legit champagne. I think what really attracted Mr. Spittoon and I to this bubbly vino is the fact Charles Mignon produce it. And the reason this intrigues us is that we actually visited this champagne house and had an awesome experience visiting Charles Mignon which you can read about here.

Ok so what’s it like?? Well, it’s a sparkling golden colour on the eye with tiny streams of mesmerizing relaxing bubbles gliding up from the bottom of the glass. On the nose, I picked up hints of vanilla oak, fresh grapefruit and just out of the oven biscotti. In the mouth, it’s smooth and easy drinking with a kick of smooth oak at the back and some slightly toasted lemon and orchard fruit notes. Value for money.

Would I buy it again? Yes, for $20 it hits the spot.

Conclusion

Overall, I think ALDI have some cost-effective tipples in their uber-affordable wine range. Like all wines, there’s a time and place for ALDI wine. All the above wines were drinkable, however, it’s just a matter of what your palate enjoys at the end of the day.

Read more Aldi wine and champagne tasting notes here >>

Have you tried any ALDI wines? What did you think? Comment below!