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Aldi trials craft wine range in lead up to Christmas trading period

Published:  27 September, 2016

Aldi is trialling a new 'craft' wine range in 50cl stubbies in effort to attract more millennials over the Christmas trading period into the wine category.

The range is made up of two Craft & Origin organic red and white blends from South Africa for £2.99 and a No Monkey Business white Moskato and Moskato rose £2.49. All will be available in store beginning on the 13 November 2016.

"This was a real collaboration between Origin Wines and Aldi and we really wanted to deconstruct what wine packaging is and rip up the rule book. We just wanted to try something different. It is through packaging and innovation that will help make wine more appealing to millennials," said Mike James, the UK wine buying director for Aldi. 

If the new format bottles, which come in brown tinted glass, crown caps and could easily be mistaken for a craft beer, do well over the Christmas trading period the business may consider bringing on the range throughout the year with other wines according to James.

"The wine trade has been talking for a few years about how we need to be more innovative to connect with consumers and millennials. We may not have got this totally right, but we are trying. I am really proud of what we have done," said James.

While some in the trade may say that it seems Aldi is taking a play from the craft beer playbook- why not give it go? "If someone picks up a bottle of this wine range and buys it thinking it is craft beer and gets home to find it is wine- then that is great. I want them to be shocked. They may come back for more. We need to get people standing in front of the wine displays in store in the same way they do with beer," explained James.

The alternative format at 50cl also appeals to those that don't necessarily want a whole bottle of wine.

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