Those wine labels are key to our buying habits (I’ve said many a time) and Aldi has hit on a canny marketing idea to draw us in to a new range of wines.
If you see “chicken” or “lamb” or “pizza” shouting at you in italics from the retailer’s wine aisles it is because the this loves Aldi wines range hooks into our desire to choose the best wine to go with food.
It’s a clever little marketing ploy which will see six new this loves Aldi wines introduced by the end of October. The wines (all £4.99) are three whites – chardonnay, chenin blanc, pinot grigio – and three reds – sangiovese, malbec-shiraz and monastrell-petit verdot.
Sam Caporn, Aldi’s wine expert, says: “A lot of shoppers find food and wine pairing intimidating, especially when faced with a wall of wine in some supermarket aisles. Aldi’s This…Loves range of wines features great tasting, approachable and food friendly bottles that have been created with food loving consumers in mind.”
You know I like it when a food gauntlet is thrown down and I couldn’t resist a little culinary playfulness.
I Put the this loves Aldi wines range to the test
I cooked pizza and poured “this sangiovese loves pizza” (12.5% abv) and for less than a fiver I thought it was a happy little wine. It certainly wasn’t upset by the pizza challenge it had been set. But I disagree with the label description “richly full bodied” as it is light bodied and fruity. That aside the strawberry and cherry flavour notes and decent acidity said “hey” to my pepperoni pizza and it said “hey” back.
I made a hot pot and shared a bottle of “this monastrell petit verdot loves lamb” (13% abv) with chums, who agreed this wine did indeed love lamb. It has a combination of spice, black fruits, herbs and a flicker of violet. It is my favourite of the range. (Saying that, I’ve still to track down the “steak-loving” malbec. I’ll update!)
I wasn’t as taken with the three whites and “this chardonnay loves chicken” (12.5% abv) made me the happiest. I’d fried chicken thighs in Moroccan spices with chilli and peppers and folded in some couscous.
Aldi probably didn’t have that chicken theme in mind. Sorry Aldi. The light fruitiness of the chardonnay (apples and citrus) cut through the spice and was a refreshing counterbalance.
You know I’m not a lover of pinot grigio (which “loves fish”) and it was well, it was OK-ish; and the chenin blanc which “loves fish and chips” was another oh-so wine. It is light on flavour, fruit and the satisfaction factor.
Overall though, not bad, not bad.
First published in over 30 regional newspapers including:
Hull Daily Mail – Leicester Mercury – Cambridge News – Liverpool Echo –South Wales Echo – Daily Post Wales – Huddersfield Examiner
– The Chronicle, Newcastle – Teesside Gazette –
Birmingham Mail – Coventry Telegraph – Paisley Daily Express