Aldi launches range of half bottles

UK supermarket Aldi has launched a range of 37.5cl wine bottles in a bid to fill a gap for weekday treats, with two of the wines hailing from Romania – an increasingly prominent supplier of entry-level wines.

Selling at £2.99 a bottle, the range includes a Romanian Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir, alongside a Malbec from Chile.

“With more and more consumers opting for a healthier lifestyle, they are a great way to still enjoy a midweek tipple with dinner, without needing to open a whole 75cl bottle of wine,” said Julie Ashfield, managing director of corporate buying at Aldi.

While half-sized bottles have had a somewhat mixed reception over the years, their popularity with retailers appears to be on the up.

Last year Waitrose launched a range of half-sized bottles as part of its mid-tier Blueprint Wine range. Its range of 37cl bottles includes a Rioja (RRP £3.99), a white Burgundy (RRP: £4.99), a Pinot Grigio from Veneto (RRP: £3.49), a reserve claret (RRP: £3.49), an Argentine Malbec (RRP: £4.49) and a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (RRP: £4.49).

Elsewhere, the Co-Op is launched a range of smaller format wines last year, trialling single-serve wine pouches across 598 stores nationwide under its Most Wanted label, in a bid to tap into convenience and mid-week shopping and appeal to younger consumers. The new 187ml pouches are available as either a Sicilian Pinot Grigio or a Mendoza Malbec, with a RRP of £2.49.

In May 2017, Spanish and Chilean producer Felix Solis launched a new range of 50cl bottles across its wine range, including Viña Albali, Pulpito, Pagos del Rey, and its Chilean brands, the Guv’nor, and Piqueta.

Richard Cochrane, MD of Felix Solis UK said at the time that the move enabled consumers to buy better quality wine at a lower price, preventing some from falling out of the category altogether, while also tapping into trends such as premiumisation and the needs of a more health conscious consumer.