POURING a glass of rosé and putting your feet up after a hard day at work is how a lot of us like to unwind in the evening.
But you don’t have to splash out to get yourself a bottle of the good stuff, according to Aldi‘s wine expert Sam Caporn.
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As Aldi’s “Mistress of Wine”, Sam loves nothing more than sharing her top tips with shoppers on how to pick the best wine and fizz.
And after five years working at the supermarket, she knows all the insider tips to getting the best deals.
Her advice will come in handy as households face paying up to 20% more for wine this year.
Bad weather and fires that hit major vineyards last year, coupled with soaring prices due to a cost of living crisis, are behind the hikes.
But there are still bargains to be had.
From using a handy website trick to buying wines from specific regions, here’s Sam’s five tips for nabbing a bargain bottle.
Do your homework
Getting clued up on which of Aldi’s wine lines are the cheapest is an easy way to get yourself a bargain.
The cheapest bottle you can get costs £2.99, which is the Baron Saint Jean Red Wine.
But you can get an award-winning tipple for a fraction more. The Grapevine range is the supermarket’s value wine range, Sam said, with prices starting from £3.69.
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“These wines been known to win big at prestigious wine awards,
competing against wines three or four times the price,” Ms Caporn said.
Meanwhile bottles cost from £3.99 in Aldi’s seasonal Spring/Summer range.
Bend down for bargains
Wine is always stocked on the back walls of Aldi’s stores.
But the next time you’re wheeling your trolley down this aisle, keep your eyes peeled on the bottom shelves.
It’s where the cheapest wines are stocked, so if you’re on a budget, that’s where you should start looking.
“Wines are displayed according to price, making it easier to see that the higher up the bottle, the higher the price tier of the product, so the lowest priced bottles are located on the lower shelves,” Sam said.
Supermarkets often sell top-end branded items higher up on the shelves to promote pricier items more to shoppers.
This is because you’re more likely to buy items that are at eye-level, rather than reaching down to the bottom shelf – so this is a good rule in general to follow when doing your weekly shop.
Pick specific regions
You might not know that wine from certain regions of the world costs more than others.
But some wine producers charge more per bottle just because of where they are located.
For example, wines made in France’s Bordeaux region are more likely to be pricier because the area is so famous for its tipples.
“Rather than a Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre, for example, try a Sauvignon from Chile,” Sam said.
“By swapping to less illustrious regions, bargains can be found.”
Her top swaps including choosing Touraine Sauvignon instead of Sancerre, picking Bourgogne Chardonnay rather than Chablis, and opting for French Syrah over Cornas.
They’re similar styles with a cheaper price tag.
Make the most of seasonal offers
Lots of supermarkets slash booze prices around holidays or seasonal events like Christmas or Mother’s Day.
Price battles usually occur – for example, Asda came out on top for the cheapest fizz for New Year’s Eve last year, slashing the price of its prosecco down to just £4.99.
Keeping an eye out for special deals and discounts is a good way of saving money on your booze, Sam said.
“Occasionally, the price of bottles are dropped around seasonal calendar dates such as Easter and Valentine’s Day.”
She recommends signing up for newsletters and mailing lists to make sure you’re kept in the know about any offers and promotions – look out for leaflets in-store too.
Try these website tricks
Aldi has a dedicated “Wine & Spirits” section on its website where you can shop for booze online.
The supermarket doesn’t deliver groceries – you have to shop in store for this – but it DOES deliver booze.
However, you have to order at least six bottles, and delivery costs £5 – so be sure to factor that in.
Still, you can always do your research online and then pop to your nearest store to avoid the delivery charge.
Click on the “Sort By” filter and select “Price (Low to High)” – this will makes sure the cheapest bottles are listed first.
But the filter can also be used to sort wines by which bottles are most popular among shoppers.
“Another useful hack for those shopping for wines online is to use the ‘sort by’ tool on the Aldi UK website to show not just the cheapest wines, but also the ‘highest rating’ wines,” she said.
Pints of beer are expected to soar in cost as a cost of living crisis bites.
One supermarket expert reveals how to beat rising prices as inflation drives up the cost of everyday essentials.
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