Aldi to roll out organic wine range

Aldi is rolling out a range of organic wines and upping its range of Proseccos as it looks to tap into growing demand from consumers.

The team has added 8 new organic wines as part of its seasonal lines, which it says tap into “the Whole Foods generation”. They will hit shelves from 4 April.

The ‘green range’ comprises an organic Prosecco and an organic wine from the same producer, its best-selling Spanish Toro Loco Superiore, an organic red blend from Ytiel Requena comprising 70% Bobal, 25% Tempranillo and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon 2015. Others in the range include a red and wine wine from French supplier Jean Claude Mas, two carbon dioxide neutral wines from 80 Acres in South Australia, and two no-added sulphur wines – a Cabernet Sauvignon from Origin in South Africa and a Shiraz from Swartland, which are on limited availability.

Last month the Soil Association’s 2017 Organic Report found that organic BWS had seen the second biggest growth in market share over the last year, up 14.3% to 2.2% of the market. Organic wine in particular had a strong Christmas, it noted, rising nearly 40% in the four weeks leading up to the festive period.

In addition to the new organic Prosecco, sparkling wine has seen a renewed focus, with Aldi adding its first Prosecco to its rolling Lot Series, from producer Follador. The Lot 25 a Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOCG 2016 (RRP: £9.99), has been produced using new cryo-maceration technique, the team said and left on the lees for up to 120 days to give it “exceptional purity, weight and complexity”.

The retailer reported a 50% uplift in Prosecco sales in 2016, compared to the previous year, while its sales of Veuve Monsigny Champagne Brut hit 1.2 million in 2016.

It has also bumped up its popular Cremant de Jura 2014 into the Exquisite range (RRP: £7.49), and added a new Cremant de Loire Blanc de Noir, made from Cabernet Franc, which will be a seasonal line, rolling into stores from 23 March. The Belletti Prosecco DOGC NV has also been added as a magnum format (RRP: £12.99), in stores from 4 April.

It has also rebooted its French wine selection with the addition of “new discoveries”. This comprises two wines under The Forgotten One label – an Haut Poitou 2016 and Cahors 2014, and as well as four wines from Jean Claude Mas under his own brand.

Mas has also provided one of the French new lot series – Lot 22 Terrasses du Larzac Syrah/Grenache blend from Languedoc which is barrel-aged for ten months, while other lot series French wine, Lot 23 Minervois La Liviniere comes from producer Chateau Fauzan by winemaker Jean-Philippe Bourrel, comprising of a Syrah, Grenache and Carignan blend.

It has also added four sub-£5 wines aimed at undercutting the pretention of French wines and making them easier for consumers to shop, under the “fun” ‘Pardon my French’ label. Comprises a Cotes de Gasgogne, Minervois 2015, a Fitou and a Ventoux (RRP: £4.99), the labels include a pun on the wines’ names.

Other new seasonal lines include a Lot 21 Argentinian Chardonnay from La Pampa in the Uco Valley, Pinot Noir from Central Otago, the Animus Douro DOC 2014 from Portugal, a Falco Rosso Appassimento (RRP: £5.99) and Grande Albarone Zinfandel (RRP: £7.99) from Puglia and a Gran Reserva Valdepenas 2009 (RRP: £4.99).

Aldi is also planning to run a second beer festival in late May to celebrate regional beers, rolling out 16 beers, three of which are returning lines from last year’s festival.