Aldi

May 17 2014

Grate Red Toscana Rosso

We should be working for Aldi. Yet another sub-$5 wine, this one a red that you can drink everyday.

“Product of Italy.” That should tell us a little something about this wine.

But it doesn’t tell us enough – Chianti? Montepulciano? Something else? A blend?

Aldi Strikes Again with an Everyday Red – Grate Red Toscana Rosso

In this particular case, the red wine from Aldi is NOT going to be something you save for that special occasion. In the “everyday wine” category, however, this shines – with the goal (at least for me) of having something that can stand up for a couple days in the bottle, and won’t make you feel insanely guilty if you have to pour the remainder out.

Grate Red Toscana Rosso Review

This is a non-vintage red. (No year.) It IS from Italy, and, if you look in the lower left corner of the photo up there, you’ll see all officially Italian markings on the cork. Adding to the cool factor.

Taste

Can’t pin this down – not a ton of fruit, actually, but the nose is strong and there’s a bit of pepper on the finish. THIS has to be why they say “An Italian wine perfect for anything grilled.”

We had it, night one, with pizza and that was a-okay. (Even if the pizza did not come right off the Weber.)

Profile

Red wine from Italy. ABV 12.5%. If you know the grapes at work here, let us know. Seriously.

Value

Again, where the above-average wine becomes worthy of the grade you’ll see below. Does this stand up to $30 bottles of Cab (like the Simi we reviewed this week)? No.

Is it an absolute steal at $4.99 at our local Aldi? Yes.

Metasip Grade: B+

Jul 11 2013

Why a $3 Wine from Aldi Is Worthwhile

Breaking from the usual review format to weigh in on a trend: Value Wine from Aldi.

So we opened up something called “Winking Owl Shiraz” last night.

And we were quite impressed. More on that particular vino in a second, but first, let’s talk about Value Wine from Aldi.

Really…what are you waiting for?

I’ve done more than my share of in-store wine tastings, wine demos and wine marketing over the past several years. I know that people have different preconceived notions, and those can be summed up in a few nice bullet points:

“All box wine is swill”
“I only drink [insert brand name here]”
“Unless you pay $10 for it, it’s cheap and undrinkable”

Not everyone is like this, mind you – but these are the “Big Three.”

(Item Four: “I have to taste it before I buy it.” Since some stores can’t – or won’t – allow you to actually taste the stuff, and since not all brands will do “wet tastings,” this is also one of those barriers to expanding one’s palate that is tough to overcome. In other words, if you’re not willing to take a chance on a wine (or a beer or a new spirit), then you’re likely only going to rely on what stores pour, and you’ll miss out.)

I can’t help you with point one…yet. We’re reviewing the box wines soon. Promise. Stay tuned.

Point two…well, that’s part of the problem with the business, especially wine. The big brands – let’s use Santa Margherita’s Pinot Grigio as an example – pour tons of money into marketing. You come to expect finding it on the shelves, and seeing it all over the place, and it becomes, say, the house white. And it feeds off itself, so it appears that’s all you see.

We’re all creatures of habit – and I’ve done it for years myself with what I consider the best beer known to man, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It wasn’t until I thought to broaden my own horizons that I tried other things. And I’m glad I did.

So part of this rant – apologies – is to get you out of the habit of buying the same old stuff. And to get you, too, to broaden your own horizons.

Which brings us to point three – price.

I’ll only drink something that’s more than $10 a bottle.

Okay, then. But…what are you paying for, really? Are you paying for the wine itself? OR, more likely, are you paying for the marketing behind the wine?

Why IS “Two Buck Chuck” $2? And when is the last time you saw a Trader Joe’s billboard?

So, once you get beyond the fact that there may NOT be a ton of difference – even these days – between a $5 wine and a $50 wine, let’s talk about Aldi and its Winking Owl Shiraz.

Winking Owl Shiraz Review

At first blush, this wasn’t a typical shiraz. The nose was very shiraz-like, but it had a very peppery taste. At first.

Taste

It opened up after an hour or so, and we’re glad it did. Quite tasty, some fruit, but pretty dry. Good finish – blackberry, black pepper. (Label pictured below says “a hint of spice.” We agree.) Earthy as well.

Profile

Here’s where you just have to…well, throw caution into the wind. Bottle doesn’t say the alcohol content. Doesn’t say the year. In fact, it only says “California, USA.” Mmmmkay.

Value

I will sacrifice the above profile information for a bottle of wine that is MORE THAN DRINKABLE and only costs THREE DOLLARS. In fact, I’d wager that this would be the second-best value out there right now.

(Want to know more about the best value? Click here: Lil Koala.)

Metasip Grade: B+

Yes, you heard me. This wine cost us $3 and gets a B+.

So…now that you know we’re partial to Aldi wines and not afraid of trying something that’s $3 a bottle…where are you gonna shop next? Or what crazy thing are you gonna try? Let us know!

May 11 2013

Vina Decana 2009 Tempranillo

It’s getting harder and harder to hide my love for Aldi wines. So I tried another one – and, Aldi Corporate People, I’ll keep reviewing them if you want to send them to me. Please.

I heart the Tempranillo grape. But, if you didn’t know, I tend to be more partial to the off-the-beaten-path grapes like Temp, Montepulciano, Carmenere, and Malbec (which isn’t so out there anymore).

It’s very Spanish – in fact, it might be the quintessence of Spanish wine. (Moreso, IMHO, than Garnacha.) So much so that the last time we all went out for tapas, that was the grape. And the time before that, and the time before that.

I know people for whom the Vina Deana 2009 Tempranillo is indeed the house red. Should it be for you? Read the review and rock on!

Vina Decana 2009 Tempranillo Review

This is from Aldi.

I have to get that out there – and you can read all about quite a few other Aldi wines here on the Metasip site.

But one reason I have to say that up front is because some people will never try a wine because it’s from Aldi, and others will never try a wine because it’s under $5.

As the 12-year-old in this house would say…”Pish posh to you, sir.”

We found this for under $5 and liked what it did. “Full bodied.” At least if you believe the label. Opened up after a few minutes, and the second glass was better than the first.

Taste

It’s got a great nose, but not one that will burn your nostrils. Powerful, but not overpowering. Peppery. Some fruit – black cherry mostly – and stands up to food. (Served with…uh…Sloppy Joes and oven-fried potatoes. Don’t judge.)

I wouldn’t call it crazy-tannic, but there were some tannins.

Profile

This is a 2009 Tempranillo. Utiel Requena, Crianza – it’s got the official Spanish wine seal on it, so Aldi doesn’t mess around. ABV of 12.5% – yes, that seems like a low number in comparison to some of the more powerful reds out there.

Value

Until I’m named the official wine critic of Aldi stores, I’m just going to keep banging the drum on the value you’ll get from just about everything in the store. We did not pay $5 for this, and it’s a great wine for the money.

It’s probably worth $10 or more a bottle.

Metasip Grade: B

Can’t go to B+ here, but that’s okay – the equivalent of an 85-point wine on other scales, but for less than $5? This could very well be your house wine for years to come.

Apr 16 2013

Lil Koala Shiraz

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?

Mar 30 2013

Toca Diamonte 2011 Malbec

One of the problems with Malbec over the past couple years: ubiquity. Read: this stuff is everywhere. And once it’s everywhere, everyone gets into the action, which can be a good and bad thing.

Behold, in all its glory, the Toca Diamonte 2011 Malbec. “En Union Y Libertad” is what it says on the bottle, which, loosely translated, pretty much says “five bucks.”

This wine – available only at Aldi in the US – offers a little from both categories. GOOD: it’s actually a decent value (actually not $5, but $4.99 last we checked). BAD: It does taste like an inexpensive Malbec.

Toca Diamonte 2011 Malbec Review:

Taste

Fruit. A little of that peppery nose you’d expect from a Malbec. Not a “fruit bomb,” though. Again, that’s both good and bad. This can’t really fall into any category other than “table wine.”

Profile

Medium alcohol content – 12.5%. All Malbec. Argentina – where, last we heard, they still have to irrigate.

Value

You will hear people say “for five bucks, how can you go wrong?” Take that for what it’s worth – this is a table wine, could be an okay house wine, but is going to taste like you spent five bucks on it.

Metasip Grade: B-

Have you had the Toca Diamonte 2011 Malbec?

Let us know below if you had this wine – give it a rating of 1 to 5 stars.