Lidl broadens focus on regional France

Lidl has introduced its broadest Cellar of French wines, which is the first to be largely chosen by its consultant MW team.

Lidl will roll out a more regional French focus in its September Cellar promo

The retailer has previously used its consultant MWs – Richard Bampfield MW, Caroline Gilby MW, and Ed Adams MW – to taste and rate its wine Cellar promotions to give confidence to its consumers, however the three MWs are now involved in selecting the wines both for the Cellar events and some of the core range.

Adams said the team had been tasked with selecting wines with a clear focus on the discounter’s key criteria, covering more “regular” wines as well as some more “esoteric” choices, such as the Maury from Languedoc-Roussillon, an Apremont from Savoie, an Arbois from Jura and the Clairette de Die from the Rhone.

Wine buying manager Anna Krettmann said previous French cellars had been very “Bordeaux-heavy”, but the discounter had tried to “mix this up” this time, with a more diverse selection from a broader range of regions, including the Savoie, Jura, Alsace, five wines from the Rhône, and seven from the Loire, as well as more white wines, including five white Burgundies and four rosés from different regions.

“French wines have always been one of Lidl’s strong points and we have a dedicated reach in France,” she said.

The Lidl French Cellar promotion will feature 42 wines that will go on shelf on 29 September.

According to Bampfield, the wines scored more highly on average than previous ranges, with some of the highest including Reuilly Domaine du Chêne Vert 2015 (RRP: £8.99), a Chablis Premier Cru from Jean Desvignes (RRP: £11.99), a Riesling Ernest Wein 2015 (RRP: £6.49) and Grand Cru Gewürztraminer JP Muller 2013 from Alsace (RRP: £11.99), a Gigondas Puech Morny 2015 (RRP: £9.99), Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Croix Boidard 2015 (RRP: £11.99) and a sparkling Vouvray from Philippe Deval NV (RRP: £7.99).

It has also brought back its Comte de Senneval NV Blanc de Noir (RRP: £14.99), which marks a step-up from its best-selling £9.99 Comte de Senneval.

“It has done very well for us before, and we try to not only bring in a few different sparklers but also have a complimentary range, which is slightly more than our listed range,” Krettmann said.