Supermarket Wine Bargains: Aldi Winter 2023

In Supermarket Wine Bargains, we go through the latest supermarket offerings and highlight any gems that are definitely worth picking up. These winter wine bottles aren’t necessarily on offer, but Aldi is such tremendous value for money that they’re still fantastic for the price. From juicy Italian reds to crisp Kiwi whites, the bottles below are absolute gems and will keep you merrily sipping all the way to Christmas, and mostly for under £10 too!

Aldi Red Wines Winter 2023

Castellore Primitivo

This is one of, if not the best Italian red for under a tenner at Aldi, with bold richness and concentrated flavours of dark berries. There is an earthy spice grounding it too, with a slight acidity cutting through and smooth, jammy finish. Top notch all rounder for midweek Italian dishes.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find here: £6.29

Specially Selected Valpolicella Ripasso

This a loud wine for the price, boasting Ripasso structure and spicy intensity, with warm clove underpinning sweet cherry and a subtly nutty note to the finish. You get a generous amount of complexity and flavour without denting the wallet too much either.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find here: £7.99

Specially Selected Amarone Della Valpolicella

This Venetian red costs a bit more but it’s worth it. You get all the stylistic hallmarks expected, with zippy acidity and rich, velvety mouthfeel. Toasty spicy oak sits underneath dark chocolatey cherries majestically for an exquisitely balanced wine you can explore all night.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14.5%
Find here: £16.99

Animus Douro Red

Animus Douro Red has been a reliable stalwart of Aldi’s core red range for a while, always shining with exceptional value for money. There are plenty of jammy red fruits and a splash of bright acidity keeping it fresh. Try it and find out why it’s so many customers’ go-to.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13%
Find here: £6.49

Canyon Springs Californian Zinfandel

Simply superb Cali Zinfandel for the price. It doesn’t suffer from that overbearing sweetness some do, instead coming through with ripe blackcurrant and black cherry jam, a little oak, and dreamy vanilla notes. Dangerously drinkable.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find here: £8.99

Specially Selected Kooliburra The Reprobates Red Wine

This is another red that just cannot be sniffed at for the money, this time from Australia. It’s packed with red berries that come through with great sweetness, and a smooth and silky mouthfeel with a touch of spice. Punchy with the alcohol too.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14.5%
Find here: £7.49

Aldi White Wines Winter 2023

Castellore Organic Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie

This is a classic Pinot Grigio expression with nice light dryness, sharp citrus and crisp green apple notes. You also get some delicate juicy peach through, and the £7 price tag makes it a complete must buy.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find here: £6.99

Specially Selected New Zealand Pinot Gris

This is Aldi’s rock-solid introduction to Pinot Gris, hailing from New Zealand’s North Island. It’s utterly refreshing, with vivid grapefruit, ripe pears, and floral hints. It balances out with a welcome peppery warmth too. Like all the others, it’s very impressive for under £10 and would be delicious with salty seafood or pork.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12.5%
Find here: £7.79

Specially Selected Austrian Grüner Veltliner

This is a nice representation of Austria’s flagship grape, carrying that trademark crisp freshness and minerality, all the way to the kick of spice at the end. Apple and pear come through, but the cool-climate is felt and this isn’t completely fruity, instead it has gentle florality and subtle grassy, celery notes. Easy to like.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12.5%
Find here: £6.29 (usually more!)

Filos Estate Greek Chardonnay

This Greek Chardonnay takes the grape in a new and interesting direction. Think lively acidic lemon and lime, crunchy apples, and soft peach, and a clean, crispness throughout. The citrus bulking out the middle is particularly moreish, as is the slight creaminess.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13%
Find here: £8.99

Specially Selected Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie

Aldi do this lovely Loire Muscadet with upfront melon and zesty orange behind. The dry and light feel is typical of Muscadet, and the salinity and vanilla play off together nicely, settling out to be very well balanced indeed. Make it sing with seafood and you’re laughing.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13%
Find here: £7.49

If you’ve got a different supermarket nearer to you, then check our website for our other Supermarket Bargains, like Waitrose’s November offers here.

Alternative Drinks To Have With Curry

When it comes to Indian curry or Thai food over here in England, light, refreshing, not-too-gassy beer is a firm favourite. Brands like Kingfisher, Cobra, Singha and Jaipur are absolutely leading the way. But what if you don’t want to drink beer? Here are a few alternative suggestions for the best drinks to have with curry as shown by me on talkRADIO this week: 

Wine

When spice is involved, whether aromatic or chili hot, the best sort of wines to have with curry are white and aromatic with lots of flavour and ripe fruit notes. Off-dry wines work brilliantly here too, even if you think you might not normally drink them. It’s because that touch of sweetness really tames the heat and the riper, richer flavours stand up to the stronger flavours of the curry. Key wine styles to seek out for curry would be Alsace Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Viognier, Marsanne, off-dry Riesling. A crisp, sparkling wine will work too, especially when there is a touch of residual sweetness. Try these:

Wolfberger Gewurztraminer

Gewurztraminer is a soft skinned grape that makes wines that are low in acidity, very soft and incredibly aromatic, with notes of lychee and rose petal with a touch of ginger. That kick of sweetness is the perfect foil for spice. 

Find it at Co-op for £9.95

Irresistible Marsanne

This wine blew me away at the press tasting. Marsanne is a grape that hails from the Rhone valley in France - usually blended with Viognier and/ or Roussanne to make the famous, weighty white Rhone wine. Standing alone here, it needs nothing else. Ripe, round and peachy with notes of apricot and honey. Incredibly gluggable and excellent value. Nice label too. 

Find it at Co-op for £8

Bowler & Brolly, Classic Cuvée English Sparkling Wine NV

Bowler & Brolly is ALDI’s new own brand English wine range and this one is made with the three Champagne grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Meunier) in the traditional method. Hailing from Lyme Bay in Devon, this is super crisp and refreshing with a good amount of fruit and a chalkiness that battles the spice. The perfect upgrade tipple for your spicy cuisine.

Something Different

Sollasa & Tonic

A gin alternative created specifically to complement Indian Cuisine by co-founders Vishal and Sajag along with leading chefs and mixologists. It was named after a 12th century book called “Manasollsa’ written in Sanskrit which is considered to be the first ever Indian cuisine recipe book. Lower in ABV than most spirits at 20%, it has delicious, complex flavours of orange zest, lime, lychee, mint and basil, with notes of coriander seed and cardamom. Serve it long with Indian Tonic. Find recipes on their website too.

Find it on Sollasadrinks.com for £29 (70cl)