Lidl focuses on European wines for spring offer

Lidl’s spring wine cellar will focus on French, Spanish and Italian wines, but around 20 new lines, including premium New World wines, will be added to the core range over the next 18 months.

The discounter has rolled out 38 predominantly Italian, Spanish and French wines in its latest Wine Cellar, which will go on shelf on 30 March. The Easter wine cellar range comprises 16 reds, 13 white wines, 3 rose, 5 sparkling and one dessert wine, but wine consultant Ed Adams MW – one of three MWs who are involving in the selection and scoring of Lidl’s Wine Cellar wines – told db the range had some interesting and unusual wines.

“Not many people are doing a Roero Arneis, or a barrel-aged Albariño from Rias Baixas,” wine consultant MW Ed Adams told db. “It is about introducing the consumer to different styles – Lidl is not afraid to take a punt on a Clairette or a barrique-aged Rias Baixas or an Arbois.”

Highlights in the Easter range include a Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune from Louis Dupleix (RRP: £9.99), a Muscadet Sèvre et Maine from Domaine de L’Ardennerie (RRP: £5.99), a Veneto Bianco, which has been made in a lightly passito style (RRP: £6.99) a Roero Arneis from Cascina Valentino (RRP: £8.99), and a barrel-aged Rias Baixas Barrica from Salneval (RRP: £7.99).

Among the reds is a “terrific” Saint-Chinian from Val de Salis (RRP: £7.99), Adams said, a Blayes Côtes de Bordeaux from Blason de Montbelly (RRP” £5.99), as well as classic wines such as Pauillac 2013 (RRP: £11.99), a Puisseguin Saint-Emilion (RRP: £9.99) and a 2011 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva from Duca di Sasseta (RRP: £9.99). Lidl has also re-released a sparkling Clairette de Die from the Rhône – which is the fourth time the wine has appeared in a Wine Cellars, Adams said, due to its popularity

Because of the discounters’ operational model – whereby a lot of the wine for selection are sourced by wine buyers in countries where Lidl operates and has an office – it has historically been stronger in European wines, but wine consultant Richard Bampfield MW said there was scope for growth in New World wine and this was being addressed with the new additions expected to come out over the next 12-18 months.

More than 20 wines will be added to swell the core range, including a selection of Reserve New World Wines under Lidl’s Cimarosa brand, which will look to add more regionality and interest. Although the final line-up and pricing is still being finalised, Bampfield added that these premium wines would take the discounter’s core New World wine range into the £6-and-over price bracket, allowing consumers to trade up from the current New World selection, which retails for around £4- £5.

The core wines range currently comprises around 60 lines, a spokesman for Lidl confirmed, and is set to rise to around 90. This follows additions last year, which saw wines, especially white wines added to the range to provide a better balance.