ALDI's Autumn/Winter wine selection 2024
My tasting notes
Specially Selected Crémant du Jura €17.99
This is 100% Chardonnay and fully sparkling so you could think of it as being like a blanc de noirs Champagne – but it comes from a small region that lies between Burgundy and the Swiss border. Very dry, elegant and crisp green apple acidity and a touch of honey. 11.5% abc
Specially Selected Crémant de Loire €12.99
A brilliant discovery from the relatively cool climate of the Loire, this is a vivacious, distinctly dry and stylish sparkling wine made – like most Champagne – from a blend of white and red grapes: Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc. Zesty with a touch of freshly baked bread. 12% abc
Specially Selected Contevedo Organic Cava €15.99
The renaissance of Cava is starting! This one, exceptionally dry and fresh, combines Macabeo and Chardonnay. Green apples with lemon zest and a touch of toastiness. Staggering value for money. 11.5% abc
Specially Selected Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur Lie 2023 €9.99
A superior Muscadet that has been stirred on its lees giving that faint whiff of yeast or warm bread allied to zingy acidity, breathtaking freshness and a finish that’s as dry as a bone. 11.5% abc
Louis Weiss Alsace Riesling 2022 €9.99
A dry Alsace Riesling combining fresh acidity with lively fruit, lime zest with the faintest hint of petrol – a classic tasting note! And while it’s certainly dry, it’s far from austere. 12% abc
Specially Selected Chassaux et Fils Grenache de Grenache Blanc 2023 €9.99
An attractively straightforward white wine with, lively and fresh, with a hint of ripe apricot and lemon zest. Easy-drinking. 13% abc
Specially Selected Mâcon Villages 2023 €12.99
Unoaked Chardonnay from the southernmost part of Burgundy, dry with lovely fruit and an aroma of ripe red apples. If you look hard enough there’s a suggestion of honeysuckle! 12.5% abc
Pierre Jaurant French Viognier 2023 €9.99, 75cl
A multi-region Viognier that’s lighter and fresher than many of the Languedoc versions. Think luscious ripe peaches but the zippy acidity of a freshly cut lemon. 13% abc
Chassaux et Fils Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2023. €9.99
A fine example of one of the most overlooked white wines of France, representing a small fraction of the Côtes du Rhône’s output. Viognier and Roussanne give an exotic tang of super-ripe melon but there’s a crisp backbone for balance. 13% abv
Specially Selected Castellore Gavi 2023 €9.99
The most popular white wine in the restaurants of Milan, Italy’s fashion capital, this is 100% Cortese, a grape that has stayed in its homeland. Delicate and dry with honeydew melon and green apple. 12% abv
Specially Selected Baron Amarillo Rioja Blanco 2023 €9.99
Fresh as a morning frost with lime zest and juicy apples, very dry but a subtle seasoning of oak frames a very attractive food-friendly wine that begs for shellfish. 13% abv
Unearthed Beira Interior DOC White 2023 €8.99
A most unusual white wine from one of Portugal’s lesser known regions and from off-beat grape varieties: Síria, Fonte Cal, Arinto and the more familiar Malvasia. It’s fragrant, slightly spicy with juicy peach and apricot, dry at first but with a slightly sweet, fruity finish. 10.5% abv
Freeman’s Bay New Zealand Chardonnay 2023 €9.99
New Zealand is famous for Sauvignon Blanc but it’s star grape may well be Chardonnay. Here’s an unoaked example that’s the fruit, the whole fruit and nothing but the fruit. Juicy apple, a touch of citrus and some tropical fruit. 12.5% abv
Beachfront Californian Pinot Grigio 2023 €8.99
Almost too easy to drink, this luscious white wine is all about mango and melon, ripe and round and refreshingly low in alcohol. Maybe just a hint off-dry. 11% abv
Specially Selected Reprobates Chardonnay 2023 €9.99
Classic Australian Chardonnay. A genuinely dry white wine but with oodles of ripe fruit and can taste almost sweet. Everything balanced by fresh acidity. Tropical fruit plus citrus. 13% abv
Mimo Moutinho Alentejo Rosé 2023 €8.99
Just one of the usual suspects features in this bone dry Portuguese rosé: Castelão, Aragonez and Syrah. Exotic on the nose, fresh raspberries on the palate, pretty as a picture. 12.5% abv
Freeman’s Bay New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Rosé 2024 €9.99
Every inch a Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc, except for the colour? How do they do that. Simple, some red wine is back blended before bottling and there you have it! A tasty novelty. 13% abv
Specially Selected Fleurie 2023 €12.99
The most loved of the Beaujolais crus and a wine that’s as attractive as its name. Made from the Gamay grape, it combines delicacy with power, ripe strawberry with raspberry freshness, and gentle tannins. 13% abv
Les Trois Manoirs Médoc Bordeaux 2020 €11.99
Outstanding value in a great vintage and it’s a cru bourgeois! Blackcurrants on the nose, ripe and generous on the palate with a hint of smoky oak. A classic red that will kick on for five or six years. 13% abv
Pierre Jaurant French Syrah 2023 €8.99
Great value from the Pays d’Oc, 100% Syrah, deep in colour, plummy and spicy with a savoury finish. Chunky stuff! 13% abv
Specially Selected Costières de Nîmes 2023 €9.49
Rich, ripe and round, this is the return of an old favourite. Mostly Syrah, with some Grenache and a touch of Marselan, Carignan and Mourvèdre. 14.5% abv
Specially Selected Chassaux et Fils Cairanne 2023 €10.99
A great favourite of Aldi customers, this big, spicy, supple red from the Southern Rhône is back for the cooler months. Mostly Grenache and Syrah, it’s jam-packed with brambly fruit. 14.5% abv
Specially Selected Toscana Rosso 2022 €10.99
No surprise that this red wine from Tuscany has won several awards. It’s 100% Sangiovese, the classic grape of the region, juicy, fresh and fruit-forward. Cherries, fresh fig even a touch of roast red pepper! 14% abv
Specially Selected Chianti Riserva 2021 €10.99
A classic and quite a bargain! There’s sweet and bitter cherry, racy acidity and grippy tannins making it a versatile wine for all sorts of savoury dishes. Look out for a touch of balsamic on the finish! 12.5% abv
Specially Selected Aglianico del Vulture 2020 €9.99
A deliciously fragrant, supple and approachable expression of a grape that’s often rather tough and tannic. Liquorice, dark chocolate, strawberries, spice. There’s a lot going on in this rare and lovely red. 14% abv
Specially Selected Athlon Nemea 2019 €9.99
A strikingly modern Greek red from one of the most beautiful and ancient parts of the Peloponnese and the native Agiorkito grape. Deep and dark, it has lots of plummy fruit, sweet spices a touch of tobacco and a subtle seasoning of oak. 13.5% abv
Specially Selected Ribera del Duero 2023. €10.99
This is an unoaked wine from Spain’s most celebrated red wine region. It’s 100% Tempranillo with terrific brambly fruit underpinned by round tannins and scented with a touch of cherry and chocolate. 14% abv
Specially Selected Argentinian Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 €9.49
Malbec from Argentina is one of Ireland’s favourite red wines and it’s easy to see why. We love the vibrant fruit: luscious blackberry, dark cherries, plums. And that’s exactly what you get here. Full but firm fruit, dry and savoury, it’s meaty in every sense. 14% abv
Chilean Carménère 2023 €7.99
Cármenère has been said to be like Merlot but even more so! It’s certainly soft and fruity and smells of raspberries but there’s also a hint of chocolate here and maybe a touch of pepper. A delightfully easy, approachable red wine. 12.5% abv
Specially Selected Bin 20 Australian Shiraz 2022 €11.99
If you’re old enough to remember when Ireland was seduced by the first wave of Australian wines, this will be a trip down memory lane. If not, it will still be a brilliant sensory experience. Masses of fruit, but absolutely dry with lots and lots of spice – think vanilla – and glorious length. Astonishing amount of sheer flavour for very little money. 14% abv
Specially Selected Australian Pinot Noir 2023 €9.99
Chile and New Zealand were at the forefront of New World Pinot Noir but Australia has more than caught up. This is a truly remarkable wine – perfect Pinot colour and aromas and unlike so many others, not over-ripe and rather flat. It’s impeccably balanced, brilliantly varietal and amazingly affordable! 13% abv
Specially Selected Australian Malbec 2023 €9.49
Warm plums and blackberries in this unusual red - we associated Malbec more with Argentina but Australia provides and ideal growing environment. Mouth-filling fruit, sweetly spicy but with a dry, savoury finish. 14% abv
Specially Selected Kooliburra Australian Grenache €9.99
Surprisingly light in colour this Oz Grenache has oodles of strawberry fruit with bright raspberry acidity and freshness, and a touch of dried herbs and spices like cinnamon. 13% abv
Specially Selected Australian Merlot 2023 €9.99
There’s a lovely balance in this Oz red thanks to fruit from the warm Barossa Valley and from cooler Langhhorne Creek. Soft and round with gentle tannins but oodles of fruit: brambly and spicy. 14% abv