In the interest of (1) causing a stir, (2) going out on a limb and (3) getting mondo traffic to this site from the Aldi Shopper/Value Hunter/Inexpensive Imbiber crowd, I would like to make the following statement:
Lil Koala Shiraz is the best value in wine today. Better than Charles Shaw. Better than any other house brand. You should check it out. Seriously.
Hyperbole aside, this is darn good. I could ask for a couple things – like a year, and maybe a bottle that doesn’t look like – and remind me of – Yellow Tail.
Other than that, let’s break it down. To the review, mate!
Lil Koala Shiraz Review
Taste
Plum, blackberry, black cherry on the nose. Fruit forward. Maybe a little black pepper, too – so there’s a kick and it’s not overly fruity. (Bottle identifies it as “semi-dry” and that’s a fair assessment.)
We had it with Mediterranean Chicken, and it complemented the meal extremely well. I can’t get over it – it could be that my expectations were low because, again, I was reminded of Yellow Tail. Oh, and the price – see more on that below.
But this is a “can I have another glass?” wine.
Profile
100% Shiraz, though undated. 14.1% ABV. Semi-dry and “Full-bodied” (according to the bottle’s little slider meter thingy).
Value
By the beard of Zeus – we got this for $2.98!
Okay, so it’s not going to drink like it’s $20 a bottle – but, and I welcome your comments here – this wine stands up to $12-$15 Shirazes.
(Plus, with what seems like a dearth of Australian wine at places like Costco, as we didn’t find ANY on a recent trip, this is worth snatching up.)
Metasip Grade: B+
We just gave a $3 bottle of wine from Aldi a B+. Yes, yes we did.
Note that on a recent Aldi trip, this wine had gone up in price to $4.79. Still, people – at $5, if it drinks like $15, can you see why we think this is the best wine value out there now?
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