Aldi rolls out new premium offer and relaunches online Classic Icon range

Aldi is relaunching its online-only Classic Icon wines and adding a series of new premium wines from November including a Super Tuscan and White Châteauneuf du Pape along with more unexpected choices, such as a Brazilian Chardonnay, a Lebanese red and a pink Prosecco.

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Around 20 new Classic Icon wines will be available online this Autumn,the discounter said, including a Château Chene Liége Pomerol 2016, La Croix de Boyd Cantenac Margaux 2014, and Le Moulin Teyroud Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2018, which all retail for £19.99. Other additions include a Ca’ Solare Barolo 2016 (RRP: £12.99) and Corte Carista Amarone della Valpolicella 2017 (RRP: £13.99).

The new wines are set to appeal to the cohort of  ABC1 shoppers that the online offer has attracted since it launched the ecommerce business in January 2016. The Classic Icon range was originally launched in September 2019, comprising 35 wines priced between £7-£20, which typified a particular place and variety. At the time, buyer Josh Heley said the types of premium wines in the Icon range didn’t do enough volume to justify space in bricks and mortar in a volume-led retailer, but “definitely” had a place online.

It also appears to have quietly replaced the Lot Series range of one-offs wine parcels, which was being reviewed in the spring, wine buyer Josh Heley told db in March.

Other online additions included more esoteric choices such as the Aurora Brazilian Chardonnay 2019 (RRP: £6.99), a Lion’s Den Greek Assyrtiko 2019 (RRP: £9.99) and the Château Ksara Lebanese Red 2017 (£9.99) as well as a Piccini Super Tuscan 2016 (RRP: £9.99) and the white Châteauneuf du Pape,  Grand Vallon Grande Reserve Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc 2019 (RRP: £14.99). 

Writing in the Autumn tasting booklet, Heley said the discounter has already rolled out 170 lines so far this year, and there were plans to add a further 50 lines before the end of the year.  Some of these new lines included a Chablis Premier Cru, Pomerol and Gevrey-Chambertin, as well as a “vibrant Vouvray and a punchy Priorat”.

Performance 

Heley admitted there had been “more than a few hurdles to overcome” since March but that supply had remained steady throughout lockdown and performance in the first half of the year had been good.

“Our rosé in particular has been flying off shelves, with sales up 40% vs. the same period in 2019. However, it’s been our performance over the past 12 weeks that excites me most as we’re seeing an increasing number of shoppers switch to Aldi wine,” he wrote.

“We hope to keep up that momentum as we launch our Autumn Winter range of wines and our new range of online-only Classic Icons.”

Sparkling buyer Andrew Maxwell added that there had been increased demand for “fun and fruity sparkling wines”, noting that the rejuvenated Cava range had also bucked the general market decline.”

“Our Cava Rosado and Ice Cava performed incredibly well over the summer, testament to the quality and great value of the range,” he wrote.

In response, Aldi is adding pink and blue Moscatos, a sparkling Vinho Verde, Lago Cerqueira Vinho Verde (RRP: £6.99), and a Prosecco Rosé that lands in store this November.

The retailer has also recently unveiled plans to invest 1.3bn in new stores and upgrades.