Aldi launches new 'super premium' range of £10 wines

By Arabella Mileham

Published: 12 March, 2015

Aldi is adding a new 'super' premium range of £10 'boutique' wines as it seeks to capitalise on growth from middle class customers.

The discounter is launching The Lot Series from 30th March, which it says marks a step up from its existing 'Exquisite Collection' premium tier.

Wine buyer Mike James told Harpers.co.uk the momentum behind the Exquisite Collection, which launched in November 2012, had shown demand for a more premium offering. The Lot Series, which is being rolled out with two red and two white wines, has been designed to add wines incremental to the range and build on the super-premium lines that Aldi rolled out at Christmas.

"We wanted to offer customer a tangibly unique, boutique wine and a premium tier," he said. "We are a big player in wine but we are small and fleet-footed enough to develop smaller parcel wines."

The category was not just about tasting, buying and then putting something on shelf, he added and the new exclusive range would highlight the discounter's "hand's on" approach he said. Developed in collaboration with existing suppliers and winemakers, the wines will be available for a limited time only. However Aldi intends to introduce further lines later in the year, with five planned for September and a further four being developed with winemakers.

The first four skus, which will retail for £9.99, comprise two white and two red wines - Lot 2 Tasmanian Chardonnay 2013 from Adam Eggins at Taylors Wakefield, and Lot 4 Valle de Layda Sauvignon Blanc 2014. The two reds include a blend of Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah and Carignan from the Languedoc, Lot 3 Pezanas 2013 from Jean-Claude Mas, and Lot 1 Malbec Cabernet from the Uco Valley in Mendoza, made by Joseée Galante of Bodegas Salentein, who also supplies Aldi's Exquisite Malbec.

James said the Exquisitve Malbec was the best-selling wine in the range, but the new Malbec blend, which comes from a higher quality vineyard, came from a better vineyard and offered a different and more premium expression.

The labels include specially commissioned paintings by a local artist, selected by the winemakers.

Three wines will be on shelf from 30 March, with the Malbec arriving in store on 11 May.

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