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Wine buffs fooled by Aldi cheap wine stunt
Retailer Aldi went undercover at a royal show jumping event to dupe unsuspecting guests into drinking cheap supermarket booze — by claiming it was fine wine.
In a video posted on YouTube, a fake wine merchant called Justin Youraldi poured glasses of red, white and rosé to the upper echelons of society at The Royal International Horse Show in West Sussex.
But although the guests thought they were drinking fine wine from the world’s top vineyards, they were actually supping wines that cost as little as £4.99.
Attendees of the show spoke about the aromas, balance, acidity and earthiness of the wine, before it was revealed what the wine was.
Some guests were even coaxed into putting their ears to glasses of fizz to see if they could identify more expensive products.
Staggered
One taster after the reveal said “I can’t believe that! I’m staggered! I’m off to Aldi, you’ve won a customer”. Another priced a £7.99 bottle at £30 to £40 and was shocked to hear they’d been drinking the supermarket’s wine.
The stunt came as data from the retailer revealed that sales of its wine are growing rapidly with 23% increase so far this summer compared to 2023.
Research by the supermarket of 2,000 wine drinkers also revealed that shoppers were keep to fool their mates with a bargain, as 43% served lost-cost wine and received compliments on its quality. More than a third (38%) said more expensive options were “completely over-rated”.
A quarter of shoppers also said they couldn’t tell the difference between a bottle of wine that cost a fiver and one that cost £50 and 17% thought that rosé was produced by mixing red and white wine.
Just under half (40%) thought that wine ‘rules’ were “snobbish” and two-thirds (65%) of Brits thought that wine should be enjoyed as “they see fit” rather than being “told how to drink it” – and the majority are “throwing out the rule book”.
In addition, 55% fill a glass to the brim and don’t measure, and more than a third (38%) drink rosé all year round. Half (49%) served red directly from the bottle, without letting it ‘breathe’ first.
Taboos
Other wine taboos were thrown out by those surveyed, including more than a quarter mixing wine with lemonade (27%) and 12% — or one in ten consumers — adding a cube of ice to a glass of red wine.
Just under a third (29%) simply opt for the cheapest bottle when buying wine, and only 14% of Brits were influenced by the advice of wine experts when purchasing. Almost half (42%) said a special offer would sway their decision.
But premiumisation does also have an impact, with Brits happy to fork out £16 for good quality vino.
Sam Caporn MW said it was “really no surprise” that Aldi’s wines were mistaken as far more expensive ones.
She said: “The Specially Selected Toscana Rosso we see sampled in the undercover clip has a nice youthful colour with notes of red cherries, herbs and blueberries with fine, but evident tannins on the finish.”
“We also see wine drinkers delighted by Aldi’s Chassaux Et Fils Saint Victoire Provence Rosé. This new wine for summer 2024 has notes of strawberry, raspberry, pomegranate and pear offset by pink grapefruit acidity, which makes it a great alternative to £24 Whispering Angel, but at half the cost for £12.49.
“My top pick of the wines that fooled Justin Youraldi’s customers is the Pierre Jaurant Côtes De Gascogne. Pale and fresh with delicate green aromas of herbs, grass, elderflower and citrus – the palate of this white wine is zingy and pleasing in texture. At just £4.99, it’s an absolute steal.”
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