Bargain world beaters
Live a little... award winners with a cut-price pedigree
ABOTTLE of £9.97 gin from Aldi has been voted one of the best in the world. The chain’s Oliver Cromwell London Dry Gin won gold in the dry gin category at the International Wine and Spirits Competition earlier this week – the Oscars of the drinks world. And as no-frills stores battle to win customers, there are dozens of budget-friendly award-winning foods, drinks and other household items on offer. From fine wines to suncream, we round up the best...
FIZZ
A £7.99 bottle of Lidl sparkling wine was named one of world’s best earlier this year, beating Champagnes costing upwards of five times the price.
The chain’s Crémant de Bourgogne Blanc NV got the Silver Outstanding award at the International Wine & Spirits Competition – as did the Veuve Clicquot 2008 vintage Champagne, currently available from Sainsbury’s for £50.
WHITE WINE
A cheap bottle of white from Morrisons was also crowned one of the best after it scooped a silver medal in the prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards. Château de Meursault 1er Cru Charmes-Dessus, which costs £49.50, only managed a bronze. The Morrisons white is just £8. The Burgundy region is home to some of the world’s finest – and most expensive – wines. The top gong in the Burgundy category went to Albert Bichot CriotsBatard-Montrachet... at £375, it’s 47 times more expensive than the bottle from Morrisons.
RED WINE
Tesco Finest Viña del Cura Rioja Reserva 2012, from an awardwinning winery in the heart of Spain’s most famous wine region, recently won gold at the International Wine Challenge Awards 2017 and was also voted bestvalue red wine.
The £8.50 bottle was the only supermarket-own label Rioja to win a medal and beat wines four times the price, as well as Spanish household-brand Campo Viejo Reserva at £11.
ROSE WINE
Aldi picked up another award when its £5.99 rosé beat other bottles three times the price.
The Exquisite Collection Côtes De Provence 2016 was among the budget retailer’s six silver medal winners at the International Wine Challenge. It was hailed for its flavours of “strawberry, white fruit and subtle spice”, triumphing over the 2015 vintage of the same bottle, which sells for £17.50 a time.
ENGLISH WINE
Forget the Rhone Valley, Tuscany or Stellenbosch... Norfolk is now home the world’s finest wines.
The county’s Winbirri Vineyards Bacchus 2015, which costs £13.95 at Waitrose, was crowned wine of the year at the Decanter Awards, seeing off expensive French rivals. The victory for the Winbirri Bacchus, at the largest international wine competition, is the first time a vineyard from England has won such a major award for a still wine.
SUNCREAM
Heading to the beach over the summer? Ditch expensive suncreams – Aldi’s was found to have the best protection.
Research by consumer watchdog Which? found Avon’s It was a 16th century poorhouse and a jail but now a rustic home in Yorkshire has been named the world’s best bed and breakfast.
Millgate B&B is in the small market town of Masham, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales.
It came top in TripAdvisor’s annual Travellers’ Choice awards, after rave reviews on the website.
Guests praised the owners Sue and Andrew Burrell, left, for providing exceptional service at the Grade II-listed guesthouse.
Visitors are given homemade scones and jam on arrival and the breakfasts are said to be legendary. Sun+Multi Protection Sun Lotion SPF30 (150ml) for £10 failed to offer the cover claimed on the label.
But Aldi’s bigger 200ml Lacura Suncare Spray SPF30, costing just £2.79, passed the test with flying colours.
CHEESE
A £2 block of cheddar cheese from Iceland supermarket recently won a gold medal in the International Cheese Awards, beating upmarket Waitrose. Iceland’s Luxury vintage cheddar impressed judges with its rich, creamy flavour.
WHISKY
Budget supermarket Aldi also landed an award for its £12.99 own-label whisky, beating competition from more traditional rivals. Highland Black 8 Year Old Whisky beat rival The Ardmore Traditional Peated Whiskey which retails for £45.55.
Judges described the winning tipple as “a rich blend of the finest grain and malt whiskies from Scotland”.
WASHING-UP LIQUID
Long-time favourite washing-up liquid Fairy has finally lost its crown to a budget supermarket. Aldi’s Magnum Premium Original has scrubbed up best in a Which? consumer test. The 79p soap was found to wash nearly three times as many dishes as £1.70 Fairy Platinum: 14,873 plates per £1 compared to 5,069. It also outperformed all other own-label products, including Asda, Lidl, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.