Aldi launches new half-bottle range

UK discounter Aldi has launched a trio of half wine bottles and a single-serve classic under its premium own label which it says will appeal to ‘mindful drinkers’ who still want to enjoy a drink.

The retailer is tapping into the growth of fractional bottles with the addition of the four fractional bottles, which it claims are a perfect sized treat for mid-week dinner.

The three half-bottles comprises a light Italian rose, a ‘zippy’ Chilean Sauvignon Blanc and an Argentinian Malbec, which all retail for £2.48 for a 37.5 cl bottle.

It has also brought out a mini format for its award-winning Mâcon-Villages wine from its premium line Exquisite Collection, retailing for under £2 (RRP: £1.99, 18.7cl), which it says is aimed at drinkers who want a mid-week drink but don’t want to open a full bottle.

The new range replaces the selection of 37.5cl wine bottles the retailer launched last March in a bid to fill a gap for weekday treats, which included two Romanian wines – a Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir – and a Chilean Malbec.

Aldi is the latest retailer to sell fractional bottles, and follows similar moves by Waitrose, which launched six of its most popular own label wines into half-sized bottles as part of the 2017 revamp of its mid-tier Blueprint Wine range, and The Co-Op, which trialled smaller format wines including single-serve wine pouches from Off-Piste Wine’s Most Wanted brand across its stores.

Speaking to db at the London Wine Fair in May 2017, Spanish and Chilean producer Felix Solis UK boss Richard Cochrane told db that the UK needed to innovate with new packaging concepts in order to meet the changing needs of consumers. He argued that smaller bottle sizes enabled consumers to buy better quality wine at a lower price, helped prevented some customers from falling out of the category altogether and appealed to health-conscious consumers aiming to cut their drinking but not have to go without wine altogether.

His comments came as the company launched a new range of 50cl bottles across its Viña Albali, Pulpito, Pagos del Rey, the Guv’nor, and Piqueta wine brands, which he said was a better size for two people sitting down for dinner.