Fabulous five from Aldi’s new offerings
Aldi’s new seasonal wines, for Easter and summer, have arrived in store and I’ve had the pleasant task of tasting them all and writing up tasting notes. Here, I’ve selected five of them that I believe are well worth a detour — within the limits imposed by lockdown, of co urse.
I’m particularly delighted with the Jurançon Sec, a style of wine to which I was introduced by Frank Searson many years ago. It’s not entirely clear what the cépage is but it’s a fair bet that it’s Gros Manseng, not a grape we encounter every day. The best description I can muster is fragrant and floral. It’s also juicy with a streak of minerality.
A very respectable German Riesling for €7 may look like a misprint, but it’s not. This Rheinhessen wine has some residual sugar — hence the 11.5% alcohol level — and if you have no fear of a little sweetness, it’s a delight. I’ve enjoyed it with salty duck confit and a blood orange salad. Perfect.
Cairanne used to be sold as a Côtes du Rhone Villages but it’s now, like Gigondas and Vacqueyras, an AOC in its own right. Aldi’s Specially Selected version is back by popular demand and it’s easy to see why. This fleshy, round, spicy blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre is streets ahead of several Chateauneuf-duPape wines I’ve tasted at twice the price. It’s so packed with ripe fruit that you may suspect a little sweetness but the residual sugar level is less than 2g per litre.
When I saw there was a Maremma for a tenner, I was sceptical. This part of Tuscany is expensive, not least because it contains Rolls-Royce vineyards like that of Sassicaia, Ornellaia and Masseto. But this Sangiovese blend, with a touch of oak seasoning and a decent bit of bottle age is a revelation. I’m inclined to snap up half a dozen.
The world of wine has many examples of emperor’s new clothes and one of the most prominent, to my mind, is that cult status of some very expensive pink wines. The only rosé that I would spend more than €20 on is the Bandol from Domaine Tempier and even then, I wouldn’t be doing so on a regular basis.
So my rosé choice this week is, I’m happy to say, my house pink and will remain so for the summer at least or until the stuff is sold out. It’s everything you want a rosé to be: pretty, dry, crisp, delicate, fruity but not flirtatious, versatile with food and — because pink wines don’t tend to do seriousness — fun.