• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • about Dom in the Kitchen
  • contact me
  • pr & demo’s
  • Private Dining

Dom in the Kitchen Homepage

Recipes from my Lincolnshire kitchen

  • Home
  • Chicken Thighs
  • Bread
  • Cakes
  • Eggs
  • Vegetarian
  • Everything else

the exquisite collection by aldi – a wine review

10 February 2016 by Dominic Franks

… I had no idea but as always, i’m last to the table when it comes to stuff that everyone else knows about the supermarket phenomenon that is Aldi.  They have a beautiful collection of very delicious and very good wines.  Labelled under the name The Exquisite Collection these wines have been developed through Aldi’s special relationships with wine’s most noted producers, the collection comprises bottles of exceptional quality for every occasion and allows wine lovers and connoisseurs alike to discover the finest wine from diverse regions around the world. I always think it’s great to know that your local supermarket has thought about the changing tastes in wine and offers such a premium collection… and in a world where looks are as important (if not more so) than actual substance, the bottles of wine look incredibly stylish as a range and will not embarrass you when they’re displayed on your shelf…

…I didn’t manage to get back to the cottage last weekend and The Viking left me home alone with 6 bottles of wine so I cooked up a storm in the kitchen of our London flat and invited neighbours Jenny and George over to help me taste the wine.  As you can imagine, we had an absolute blast.  It was windy outside but the sun was gloriously shining into the dining room and it felt like a Spring day as we settled in to the lovely grub.  We decided to try the whites first, prior to eating and then the reds once our bellies were a little fuller.  It was such a nice way to try wine.  None of us would consider ourselves connoisseurs… the reviews below are simply honest reviews…but we all drink wine regularly and we know what we like… there were some surprising misses and some even more interesting hits…

I was sent the Aldi Exquisite Mixed Case which is brilliant selection of the wines from the collection and a great place to start.  The mixed case retails at an unbelievable £38.24 which averages out at £6.37 a bottle.

shall we start with the reds…


Argentinian Malbec
This was by far our favourite red.  It’s quite full bodied and is a lovely bright and intense ruby-red with aromas of fresh fruits – a result of the high altitude vineyard plots apparently. It feels quite autumnal to me, not that this is a bad thing but i’m thinking warm fire-side drinking with a bowl of meaty stew.

New Zealand Hawke’s Bay ‘Bordeaux Blend’
This was a very decent glass of red but nothing exceptional.  Like the Malbec it was quite fruity with cherry tones and had a really caramel aroma.  Again, I would pair this with beef or lamb or a wonderfully rich curry.

French Ribera Del Duero
This was the least of our favourite reds.  It was way too sharp for us and had a very ‘tannin’ taste  It may be because it’s so rich and has a more oaky flavour which I don’t like but other than the beautiful label it didn’t really leave us with much.  The wine uses Tempranillo grapes for what is quite an intense wine.  It has overtones of black cherries and an almost chocolatey quality to it.  Again, perfect with a rich beef stew or slow roast lamb shoulder.

and now onto the whites…

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Now I adore a Sauvignon Blanc, it’s always my wine of choice so I was hugely disappointed with how much I didn’t love this.  It had a wonderful mixed aroma of peaches and nectarines with notes of blackcurrant and lime too but the taste itself was not so intriguing.  To me it tasted a little too bitter and too fresh.  A real shame.

Gavi
This Gavi reminded me of the summer… or to be more precise gave me a longing for the summer.  It had a fresh, tangy and fruity aroma with a lemon undertone that I liked.  It was very very drinkable and was a lot lighter than any of the whites in the box.  Jenny actually didn’t like it and felt it was so light it had an almost watery quality but I liked this aspect to it.  It made it more refreshing.  Divine served chilled with cold salmon and lashings of lemony mayonnaise!
















Limestone Coast Chardonay
Surprisingly for all of us at the table this peachy chardonnay was a favourite.  I’ve never been a fan of the intense smokey flavour of chardonnay but it seems the wine-world has caught up to more contemporary tastes and removed that smokey oaked flavour and what’s left is a delicious glass.  This is unoaked, dry and full.  There’s a sweetness that comes through that is has a mouth-wateringly fresh pineapple taste…  It’s still rich but is refreshing and was perfect with our rich chicken dish.

I hope this little review has been helpful and allows you an insight into what’s on offer within this lovely range of wines.

drink and of course enjoy responsibly!

Share this post:

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on E-mail

Filed Under: Everything else Tagged With: Aldi, Aldi Exquisite Collection, Aldi wine, Bordeaux, Chardonnay, Gavi, Malbec, red wine, Tempranillo, white wine, wine, wine tasting

Previous Post: « oven roasted spatchcock chicken stew
Next Post: one-pot oven baked lamb and leek risotto »

Reader Interactions

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Comments

  1. Sue/the view from great island says

    10 February 2016 at 4:14 pm

    Is this wine available in the US Dom? It sounds wonderful!

  2. belleau kitchen says

    10 February 2016 at 4:29 pm

    Hey Sue. They do have Aldi in the US but I don't know which wines they stock… best to check out their US website.

  3. Tricia Buice says

    11 February 2016 at 2:20 am

    Thanks for the lovely review! I always need to know more about wine.

  4. Magnolia Verandah says

    11 February 2016 at 2:22 am

    Go you good thing – little Aussie wine topped the list. I am not a big oaky Chardy lover and I really enjoy the unoaked whites. Thanks for the review will check out Aldi.

  5. Mark Willis says

    11 February 2016 at 6:02 pm

    Hmmm, Dom you don't seem to rate many of these wines very highly. I'm not tempted by them. The one you liked best wouldn't suit me at all, because I'm mildly allergic to the Chardonnay grape.

  6. belleau kitchen says

    11 February 2016 at 6:10 pm

    cheers Tricia… it is always nice to have a layman review of wine x

  7. belleau kitchen says

    11 February 2016 at 6:14 pm

    yes, love an Aussie wine!

  8. belleau kitchen says

    11 February 2016 at 6:14 pm

    I guess Mark, they were all OK, none outstanding!

  9. Choclette Blogger says

    12 February 2016 at 8:32 am

    Haha, I can just see you all there eating and drinking away – a some sort of compensation for missing out on Belleau.

  10. belleau kitchen says

    12 February 2016 at 5:19 pm

    We did have a jolly good time!

  11. Karen Booth says

    12 February 2016 at 7:13 pm

    Just received mine, as you know, and am keen to get tasting – will link to your review when I do! Interesting tasting notes Dom – Karen

  12. belleau kitchen says

    12 February 2016 at 9:24 pm

    Thanks honey xx

Primary Sidebar

About Dom In The Kitchen

My name is Dominic, I am a cook, food writer and creative event producer. I write the food blog Dom In The Kitchen and also write a monthly recipe column for Lincolnshire Life Magazine and Good Taste Magazine. I also run creative event production company The Persuaders, producing global events for brands since 1997. I am based both in the small village of Belleau in Lincolnshire and the smaller village of London! Read More…

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe

Archives

Tweets by @DomInTheKitchen

as featured in Lincolnshire Life Magazine

Lincolnshire Life

creatively managed by

The Persuagers
Belleau Cottage

Footer

dominthekitchen

#ad Jubilee Cakewiches with @guylian.uk Still sl #ad Jubilee Cakewiches with @guylian.uk 

Still slightly obsessed with these cakewiches which are basically cakes made into sandwiches and all topped off with the ultimate finishing touch - a beautiful Guylian SeaShell. 

#cakes #cake #cakesofinstagram #picnic #jubilee #celebration #party #partyfood #food #foodies #platinumjubilee
Tomato, Feta and Strawberry Salad with my Slightly Tomato, Feta and Strawberry Salad with my Slightly Pickled Pink Onions

I wanted to share the pics of this salad the moment I made it cos it’s just so vibrant and summery. 

The real star of the show are the amazing slightly pickled pink onions… but… (and I hate to be a tease) you’ll have to wait till next week for the recipe!

#salad #salads #tomatoes #feta #healthy #healthyfood #healthyeating #food #foodblogger #foodie #foodiesofinstagram #britainsbesthomecooks_
I love my garden for many reasons… #worldnakedg I love my garden for many reasons…

#worldnakedgardeningday2022 #garden #gardeninspiration #gardening #nakedgardeningday2022 #summer #muscles #gym
Apricot & Strawberry Frangipani Pudding (recipe be Apricot & Strawberry Frangipani Pudding (recipe below)

This pudding is like a bowlful of summer. It’s light and fruity and sweet and so easy to put together.  I think it’s also quite unexpected to serve a pudding when fresh fruit is in abundance and a simple fruit salad would suffice but that’s what I adore about this.  Plus, this pudding makes very good use of those punnet’s of strawberries that look great in the supermarket but in fact taste all spongy and gloopy when you get them home.

Here’s the #recipe:

🍓 200g butter
🍓 200g golden caster sugar
🍓 3 large free-range eggs
🍓 200g ground almonds
🍓 100g strawberries – quartered
🍓 4 apricots – sliced into wedges
🍓 the finely grated zest and juice of half a lemon
🍓 2 tablespoons @fage_uk Greek Yoghurt
🍓 1 teaspoon @little_pod Vanilla Bean Paste

I greased a 20cm fluted ceramic pie dish and pre-heated the oven to 160C

beat the sugar and butter together in a large bowl until light and creamy… a stand mixer will do this in 4 minutes, a hand held electric whisk will do it in 6 minutes and a wooden spoon will do it in 8 minutes.

add the eggs and 1 tablespoon of ground almonds and beat in, then add the rest of the ground almonds and gently beat in, followed by the Greek Yoghurt, lemon zest and juice, vanilla and half the strawberries and beat in – the strawberries will become mush – which is exactly what you want.

lay half the remaining fruit into the bottom of your dish and cover with the frangipane batter, then scatter the remaining fruit on top

bake for 45 mins or until darkly golden brown, then remove from the oven and let it cool to set

#pudding #summerfood #summer #strawberry #strawberries #apricot #frangipani #cake #cakesofinstagram #cakes #food #foodie #britainsbesthomecooks_
Potato Kugel Traybake with Poached Eggs and Mushro Potato Kugel Traybake with Poached Eggs and Mushrooms

Is there anything more ‘Sunday Brunch’ than a crispy rosti with a delicately fragile poached egg on top? This Traybake rosti is a twist on a Jewish potato cake made with potatoes, carrots and onion. It’s amazing and really does make the perfect brunch. 

What are you having for brunch today?

for the kugel:
🍳 5 medium potatoes
🍳 2 large onions
🍳 2 large carrots – roughly grated
🍳 2 eggs – beaten
🍳 2 tablespoons flour
🍳 salt and pepper
🍳 a large handful of fresh rosemary
🍳 2 tablespoons of olive oil

for the poached eggs:
🥚 2 eggs per person
🥚 water
🥚 salt
🥚 a ramekin or similar

pre-heat the oven to 180C and butter your baking tin… i’m using an oblong swiss roll tin but any metal pan will do, a quiche or tarte tin is good.  Earthenware will work too but there’s something about the metal tin that makes it more ‘roasty’

Cut the potatoes and carrots into large chunks and par-boil till just beginning to yeald, drain and place in the fridge for one hour.  I usually do mine the night before.

Once the potatoes and carrots are cold, grate them and add them with the rest if the ingredients to a large bowl and mix together well.

Tip into your cake tin or roasting tray and roast in the oven on 190C till golden and grisp around the edges, roughly 40 mins

To make the poached eggs I prefer to use my large shallow cast-iron casserole dish.  There’s something about the cast-iron that holds the heat and cooks them evenly.  Fill the pan with water and heat it till it’s rapidly boiling, then turn down the heat until it is just steaming. 

Once it’s steadily hot with no bubbles lower the eggs into the hot water and leave them alone at this exact heat.  They should take about 5 minutes to become perfect with soft yolks but feel free to go until you like them.

#rosti #breakfast #brunch #sunday #eggs #poachedeggs #food #foodie #foodiesofinstagram #breakfastideas #britainsbesthomecooks_
Asparagus, Caramelised Onion and Cheddar Tart Cel Asparagus, Caramelised Onion and Cheddar Tart

Celebrating the start of the British asparagus season with these gorgeous ruff puff pastry tarts. So simple to make but so absolutely divine. 

#recipe on the website - link in bio

#asparagus #britishasparagus #tart #pastry #vegetarian #vegetarianrecipes #lunch #spring #seasonal #britainsbesthomecooks_ @britainsbesthomecooks_
Load More… Follow on Instagram

&copy 2010 - 2021 | All rights reserved | Website by Peckish Digital