'I tried £3.49 Aldi wine that is selling out in shops to see if it tasted cheap'

12 December 2023 , 12:58

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Aldi Specially Selected Cairanne has been rated well by critics

Aldi shoppers have been going wild for a discounted red wine that has been hailed as “incredible” by critics.

We visited three stores before we were finally able to get our hands on a bottle of the Specially Selected Cairanne, a French wine which has been reduced from £8.99 to £3.49 until this Sunday (December 17). The budget supermarket had anticipated this deal would be popular and has imposed a two bottle per person limit on the cut-price booze.

In terms of value for money, the discount marks an impressive 61% price drop - making it good value for wine drinkers. But how does it taste? For full transparency: I like red wine and I like a bargain - but I’m not a professional wine critic. I wanted to find out if this was worth the £3.49 we paid for it - and if we would still go for it at full price.

The first test was how it smelt. It’s described as having aromas of forest fruits, plums, black cherry and damsons - and I’d say it delivered just that. The smell was overwhelmingly that of red fruits. A good start.

I was worried the wine would taste sharp or vinegary, or would burn my throat like you get with some cheaper bottles, but it wasn’t harsh in taste at all. It was smooth, sweet and you could really taste the red fruits. The bottle also described the wine as having chocolate notes. I wasn’t so sure I could taste the chocolate, but my partner said he got a cocoa hit in the aftertaste.

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If you like a sweeter red wine, this could be a winner for you - but those who like a drier taste may not be so convinced. In terms of value for money, would we say this tasted like it cost just £3.49? Definitely not. Although I wouldn't go as far as to say it tastes like an ultra luxury wine, we would happily pay full-price for it - so I can see why people are snapping it up at the discounted price. Specially Selected Cairanne is 60% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre and 5% Carignan and has an alcohol by volume (ABV) content of 14%.

Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK, said: “These reductions are part of our efforts to make great quality wines affordable to all this Christmas. We’ve introduced a bottle limit to ensure as many of our shoppers as possible can buy and enjoy the Specially Selected Cairanne at such an incredible price.”

Levi Winchester