• According to Jilly Goolden, Aldi’s Veuve Monsigny champagne is worth double (£25) its £12.99 price tag

• The independent taste test revealed an average 34% saving for Aldi wine shoppers

• Jilly reveals her top tips to help customers bag a bargain bottle

Today, it has been revealed that shoppers can bag a bottle of Champers worth double its price tag at Aldi, as independent wine critic and TV personality, Jilly Goolden, put the supermarket’s range to the test.

Renowned for being able to tell the true value of wine thanks to her know-how and 18-year stint on top BBC TV show Food and Drink, Jilly used her expert palate to put an independent valuation on an array of Aldi’s wines, including tipples from its new seasonal range, available instore and online now.

As well as giving Aldi’s signature Veuve Monsigny Champagne a £25 price tag, despite retailing at just £12,99, Jilly‘s taste test includes impressive results for Aldi’s brand new seasonal range, including the Specially Selected Mâcon Villages valued at 60% more (£11.99) versus the actual retail price of £7.49, and its Specially Selected Chilean Gran Reserva Pinot Noir at £10.99 versus £6.99.

Also new to Aldi this Autumn is the Atzar Spanish Priorat – tipped as an £11.99 worth tipple according to the wine expert, despite costing 30% less (£8.99). Also, the off the beaten track Lion’s Den Greek Assyrtiko, featuring crisp acidity with a complex layered palate and notes of vanilla ice cream, was valued at 20% more than its £9.99 retail price.

The celebrity wine critic, Jilly Goolden, said: “I drink a lot of wines that are £8 and under, and I believe you can find some fantastic wines that don’t cost the earth – if you know how to find them! Aldi’s new Autumn Winter range in particular, shows you don’t have to buy an expensive bottle of wine or a famous brand to get fantastic quality. From its moreish Mâcon Villages 2019 wine to its sumptuous Gran Reserva Pinot Noir from Chile, there’s something for every wine drinker, including some really surprising and exciting bottles that I will certainly be stocking in my wine rack this season.”

Proving Aldi really does stack up when it comes to offering great value wine no matter what the price point, its Estevez Pinot Noir, normally £3.99, was valued at double the price (£7.99) according Jilly’s taste test.

Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK, commented: “At Aldi, we pride ourselves on offering great quality award-winning wines at unbeatable prices, and so this independent tasting with Jilly was the ultimate test.

“The results echo our ethos which is to deliver the best possible value to our customers, and this is testament to our dedicated UK buying team who form fantastic, long-term relationships with some of the best wine suppliers from around the world. The team continually works hard to create a carefully curated range which guarantees something for everyone.“

Jilly’s top tips to bag a quality bottle at a bargain price:

• Go off the beaten track – Often price tags are hiked due to the renown or pedigree of a region or producer, but if you look to lesser known regions, you can often find great quality at lower prices. Portugal, for example, has some fantastic wine regions, bursting with over 250 different local grape varieties, but isn’t nearly as well known as France, Italy or Spain – and that’s often reflected in the price.
• Don’t be afraid to be adventurous – with grape varieties too. The big hitting varietals, such as Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon are well known, but it’s very rewarding (and can be money saving) to side step those mass market types and try less familiar grape varieties instead. They can also deliver delicious wines. A case in point is Albariño – it’s a top Spanish white wine that until recently has flown quite under the radar. You can’t expect to be a walking wine encyclopaedia when it comes to choosing so trust the team who selected the wines – and the back labels will guide you on the right style for you.
• Don’t be swayed by price drops – Prices are regularly slashed, and it’s easy to be tempted… but, wait a minute, was the wine ever worth the higher price? Unfortunately, almost certainly not. Go for a wine with a consistent honest price rather than one that leaps up and down just to tease you.
• Once it’s time to drink your bottle of wine, take time to smell and really taste it – Don’t just gulp it down, pause for a moment. Swirl the wine in the glass to release aromas and smell before you sip. Savour the wine in your mouth to really taste it before swallowing – you’re looking for character, positive flavours you can remember that work harmoniously together in an inviting way and linger in your mouth. A lingering wine is a quality wine!

Taste test results table: