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PLONKERS! WINE BUFFS FOOLED IN UNDERCOVER STUNT BY SUPERMARKET ALDI

• Aldi goes undercover at a royal show jumping event with spoof wine merchant ‘Justin Youraldi’
• £4.99 bottle of Aldi red mistaken for nearly 10 times the actual price and £12.49 rosé that experts say rivals Whispering Angel ranked as favourites in blind taste test
• 40% of Brits say wine rules are snobbish, and 1 in 6 (17%) think rosé is made from mixing red and white wine
• New data from Aldi suggests shoppers are increasingly shunning top-price wines for supermarket alternatives

Wine buffs at a royal show jumping event indulged in gourmet wine – that actually came from Aldi.

The hilarious video shows a flamboyant wine merchant – known as ‘Justin Youraldi’ – pouring out glasses of red, white, and rosé to the upper echelons of society.

While they thought they were sipping on exotic grapes from the world’s most exclusive vineyards, costing nearly 10 times the price, they were in fact enjoying more modestly priced wines as low as just £4.99.

Attendees at The Royal International Horse Show in West Sussex spoke eloquently about the aromas, balance, acidity and earthiness of the vino – before the big reveal.

Some were even coaxed into putting their ears to glasses of bubbly to see if they could identify the more expensive sounding fizz.

Little did they know, Justin Youraldi, who claimed to be offering samples of his latest collection, was actually undercover, serving up Aldi’s award-winning wines.

One surprised wine taster can be heard exclaiming: “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-£40 and was shocked to hear they’d been drinking the supermarket’s wine.

New data by Aldi reveals sales of its wines are soaring, with a 23%* increase compared to last summer, as shoppers look for great value luxury items.

Research by the supermarket of 2,000 wine drinkers shows that people revel in fooling friends with a bargain, as 43% say they’ve served a low-cost wine and received compliments. Meanwhile, 38% say the more expensive options are completely over-rated.

A quarter (24%) admit they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a £5 and £50 wine, and one in six (17%) believe that rosé is made by mixing red and white wine. 

40% agree that wine rules are snobbish. In fact, the majority (65%) of British wine drinkers agree people should be able to enjoy wine anyway they see fit, rather than be told how to drink it, with many throwing out the rule book and doing just that.

55% fill a glass to the brim rather than measuring it out, nearly 4 in 10 (38%) drink rosé all year round, and 49% served red directly from the bottle, without letting it ‘breathe’ first.

People are embracing their own way of drinking wine by mixing in lemonade (27%), and more than 1 in 10 (12%) say they’ve even added a cube of ice to a glass of red.

When shopping for wine, 29% simply opt for the bottle that is cheapest. Only 14% of Brits said purchases were influenced by the advice of wine experts compared to 42% who said a special offer swayed their choice.

Despite Brit’s thriftiness, British wine drinkers would happily fork out up to £16 for good quality.

Mistress of Wine, Sam Caporn, explained why the budding connoisseurs were so easily fooled by Aldi’s wines. She said: “It’s really no surprise that Aldi’s wines were mistaken as far more expensive ones.

“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.”

The wine, according to influencer TheWineWally[1], is reminiscent in flavour to Tiganello, known for being a favourite of Meghan Markle, retailing for around £150. The main difference is the price point, with Aldi’s Toscana Rosso retailing at just £7.99.

Sam continues: “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.”

Watch the full video https://youtu.be/IvLSGtljtYQ

ENDS

For more information contact Meral Taze

Meral.Taze@taylorherring.com

07894 66 84 84

Notes to editors:

* Volume up 23.4% YoY over the 12 weeks up to 7^th July.

** The Agria Royal International Horse Show – Hickstead

Full tasting notes supplied by Mistress of Wine Sam Caporn

Red

Pierre Jaurant Bordeaux (£4.99, 75cl)

‘Cassis, blackcurrant leaf, plums and vanilla with some peppery tannins on the finish.’

Beachfront Big Sur Californian Zinfandel (£5.79, 75cl)

‘Medium garnet in colour with aromas and flavours of summer pudding, raspberry, apple and blackberry, black cherries and pepper. Juicy.’

Specially Selected Toscana Rosso (£7.99, 75cl)

‘A nice youthful colour with notes of red cherries, herbs and blueberries with fine, but evident tannins on the finish.’

Rosé

Chassaux Et Fils Saint Victoire Provence (£12.49, 75cl)

‘An elegant colour with restrained red fruit aromas. Delicious purity of fruit on the palate with strawberry, raspberry, pomegranate and pear offset by pink grapefruit acidity.’

Chassaux Et Fils La Belle Rosé (£7.69, 75cl)

‘Pretty pale colour with a crunchy, fresh palate of redcurrant and raspberry. Dry, elegant and restrained.’

Castellore Primitivo Rosé Dolce Amore (£5.99, 75cl)

‘A pretty pale colour with a slightly floral aroma of honeysuckle alongside peach, vanilla and raspberry. Good ripeness with a subtle, lightly nutty finish.’

White

Baron Amarillo Rueda Verdejo (£5.99, 75cl)

‘Really pretty notes of lime, green apple, nectarine, quince and Galia melon. Juicy and balanced.’

Pierre Jaurant Côtes de Gascogne (£4.99, 75cl)

“Pale and fresh with delicate green aromas of herbs, grass, elderflower and citrus. The palate is zingy with a pleasing texture.”

Specially Selected Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie (£6.69, 75cl)

‘Fresh, crisp and stylish with aromas of lime, fennel, aniseed and pear with a nice, slightly grippy yellow plum finish.’

Sparkling

Veuve Monsigny Champagne Brut (£14.99, 75cl)

“An appealing, layered savoury nose with golden apples and quince, crisp lemony acidity and a toasted almond and apple pie finish.”

[1] tiktok.com/@thewinewally