The start of a month usually signifies the initiation of a new Lidl Wine Tour and October turning into November was no exception.
Some 15 items appeared on the new list with regular prices from £6.99 to £10.99 and a couple have been discounted.
However, I have ignored those price reductions since I am not sure when they end.
Overall, the quality here is excellent and several of today’s “also enjoyable” selections would have been top choice bankers in previous Tours.
Almost half the list are French although Spain, Portugal and Italy also figure.
There is also a fizz – in the shape of a Loire Cremant.
Here are the items on the list that I felt I should bring to your attention.
As is normal here, pictures and hyperlinks are provided where possible to guide you straight to the right wine on shelf or web page.
Starting in Bordeaux
2022 Château Langlade Montagne St Emilion (£8.99 in Lidl while stocks last, and 14.5% abv):
Being from the largely clay based “right bank”, there seems to be a substantial merlot component to this Bordeaux red.
That is good news given the overall quality of the variety there in 2022 and, often, its approachability too; many Bordeaux reds are in wine aisles well before they are ready.
Dark and with cherry aromas, this one provides slightly earthy, red plum, loganberry and cherry flavours.
In its backdrop comes gentle tannin, just the right level of acidity and suggestions of cinnamon, vanilla, mocha and violets.
Speaking of approachability
2024 Tulga Toro Joven (£6.99 at Lidl while stocks last and 14%):
As the “Joven” (juvenile) implies this Spanish option is for you if you like your red wines young, fresh and straight forward.
In my view, however, it is the best of the reds at the entry level price point in the current Wine Tour.
Purple in colour with liquorice aromas, it features youthful damson, cherry and chocolate flavours.
These are accompanied by firm acidity, gentle tannin and supplementary herb and cinnamon traces.
Stepping up in price.
2023 Hacienda Uvanis Garnacha Old Vines (£8.99 at Lidl while stocks last and 14%):
We stay in Spain for the next red – one that shows off the expertise the winemakers of Navarra have developed with the garnacha grape.
The Hacienda Uvanis brand (made, I think, by Bodegas San Martín in Navarra) is a regular in the Wine Tours – this time justifiably winning top marks in the Master of Wine assessments.
The wine itself is fragrant and soft with limited tannin, but enlivening orange peel acidity.
Principal flavours on display include red plum, raspberry and pomegranate coupled with baking spice elements and contrasting juniper savouriness.
Moving to the Whites
2024 Domaine Clos du Moulin Muscadet Sur Lie £7.99 at Lidl while stocks last and 12%):
I wrote last week about the revival of muscadet that is helped appreciably by controlled yields and a firm focus on “sur lie” richness.
Well, this is one of the best examples of the point I have tasted this year.
Much muscadet takes a minute or two to open up but, here, the blossom fragrances and beautifully clean flavours strike home almost immediately.
They centre on a cooked apple, apricot and crunchy conference pear foundation coupled with vibrant acidity and a lime-based texture.
Just ahead of it, is my Star White.
2024 Caíz Avesso (£8.99 at Lidl while stocks last and 13%):
Seeing Vinho Verde on the label here may conjure up memories of last century’s casual drinking, fairly bland white wine blends – but things have changed enormously.
Several constituents of those blends have been developed into classy wines on their own and this avesso (one of them) has appeared in at least three previous Wine Tours – but I consider this one to be the best
Deep yellow in colour and attractively long on the finish, it exhibits distinctive greengage, orange and peach flavours.
Supporting components include rounded grapefruit acidity, texture and depth and enticing orchard fragrances.
Other Enjoyable Tour Wines
2024 Camille Meyer Riesling (£8.99 at Lidl while stocks last and 12%): An excellent example of Alsace riesling with baked apple and melon flavours, fresh aromas and mellow grapefruit acidity.
2024 Cuvée de Brieu Sauvignon Blanc (£7.99 at Lidl while stocks last and 12%): Orange aromas lead into soft orchard fruit, greengage and ripe melon flavours in this textured Languedoc sauvignon.
2022 Altos de Tamaron Crianza (£8.99 at Lidl while stocks last and 14%): While perfectly acceptable drinking now, this Ribera de Duero red is one to keep. Doing so should accentuate its rich blackberry and cherry flavours and the herbal texture that accompanies it.
Crémant de Loire Organic Wine (£10.99 but discounts may apply and 12%): Here is clean tasting sparkling wine with small active bubbles and tart green apple components that provides an antidote to sweeter fizz like prosecco.
Call in again on Monday when the spotlight falls on Top Tips that offer especially good value at a store near you.
16 responses
What’s happened – no comments by six o’clock? We appreciate you really, Brian.
Am I alone in thinking Lidl have lost their super-competitive edge? I think you can often find better value at Asda and even Waitrose can compete during their 4 for 3 offers. But anyway, I’d be interested to know why you rated the Montagene St Emilion claret (for which mysteriously Bamfield awards no points) above the Château Plagnac Médoc on which he showers 90. I can’t find any vintage info on the website so perhaps it was still too young? Isn’t it also quite unusual to find a merlot-based wine in the Medoc?
I think many people know that wines from Sainsburys, Waitrose, Morrisons, Tesco, Asda – if you wait for a little while, can be bought at a 25% discount. Indeed when I am considering value for money, I am mentally reducing the price by 25%. I have lots of wine at home so rarely need to “distress buy” a wine at full price! Aldi and Lidl might have the odd reduction, but rarely (never?) have a blanket reduction of that scale.
So, I think you are right, they have lost their super competitive edge. But, Lidl can have absolute star buys, as do practically every other retailer. The trick is knowing what they are! And that’s where savvy buyers can look to Brian, and other trusted sources, to give a steer.
Hi David, I must agree I was rather surprised that no one has responded today, if nothing else to declare “I prefer the X wine from retailer Y”. My excuse is rather more basic in that the Lidl store in my town Canterbury disappeared some time ago and there’s nothing above that immediately grabs my attention to go and seek it out further afield. However, like you I ‘suspect’ their perceived and long-standing reputation in relation to Quality – VFM is disappearing. Hopefully, this clearly unfounded hunch will encourage someone to mount a defence !!
On an unrelated topic, Richard W recently suggested I was rapidly becoming the MWW Austrian wine correspondent/advocate. As the shortlived 4 for 3 offer at Waitrose has now finished I’m happy to report that their rather good No.1 Grűner Veltliner which scores 90/100 among the recommended November Weekday Wines in the latest edition of Decanter is discounted to £9 from £12 until 25/11. Now that’s a good deal.
Some time back I tasted the Blueprint and the No 1 Grüner Veltliners side by side. I thought the Blueprint was decent at £9 (= £6.75 “deferred purchase”) it was less at the time. But the No 1 was a distinct step up, and at £9 (no need to wait for buy 6 offers) is great value.
Unlike Zweigelt where I find there can be stylistic variations, I feel Grüners are more consistent, if you pay more money you won’t get any surprises just “more Grüner expression!” Is that your experience, Keith?
Every time I drink a Grüner, I think I must drink them more often. They are refreshingly different from, say a SB or Chardonnay, but somehow don’t seem to jar with casual wine drinkers. And, most importantly, my wife loves them.
Your wife is not alone, Richard, despite the British aversion to lengthy Germanic names. It is indeed a “wine for all seasons” and, as you say, pleasingly consistent.
Always really helpful to get your steer on Austrian wines Keith.
Thanks for your Waitrose 🇦🇹 No.1 Grűner Veltliner @ £9 recommendation.
Nipped down Friday to our local store and grabbed the last 3 bottles on display.
Lightly chilled it proved a perfect and much applauded pairing to a Poached Cod Loin in Vermouth dish (M.Roux jnr recipe) for our small Dinner party affair.
Regards
Yes I can see how vermouth and gruner can rub along together. So, gold star to the chef and the man who recommended the wine
Apologies about the typo extra ‘e’ in Montagne.
I, too, have a keyboard with a will of its own!
You have obviously woken everyone up David – thank you. Possibly, the criteria I use may differ from Richard’s with suitability for immediate drinking being the yardstick I have used here. In my view the Medoc still needs more time while the one from the Saint Emilion satellite could be drunk straight away and, on the downside, its fruit elements had faded appreciably by Day 2. As for merlot in Medoc, I think something like 40% of the vines there are merlot but, you are right, it does play a subsidiary role in the blends made there (especially the prestigious ones) and is not as dominant as on the other side of the Gironde.
Interesting question too about Lidl. Unsurprisingly, that retailer is unable to recapture the excitement and quality of their “Claret offensive” a decade or so ago. Indeed, neither they nor Aldi can be viewed as “disrupters” any more with, as you point out, other retailers competing with them for value. Both premium discounters do, however, still have solid and dependable core ranges and “bottle for bottle” do well on the overall value stakes in my opinion.
I really enjoyed the Hacienda Uvanis Old Vines Garnacha, which needed to be aired for a while, fairly rustic but in a good way, rich and heady at 14% abv, I bought this a little while ago, think I paid £6.99, so it has gone up a bit, then it disappeared, good to see it back, I will definitely get more.
Given your excellent knowledge of Spanish wines, Dave., I wonder whether you have a view about this latest one being the best vintage yet.
I shall let you know when I grab a bottle and try it
The last three posts are appearing under the “Related Posts” section of the October 23rd post, rather than appearing on the chronologically-ordered email search. I only discovered them by chance, as they hadn’t appeared in my inbox for a couple of weeks.
Maybe people are having difficulty finding the new posts, hence the slow responses.
One for the IT department to fix, I think..
Thanks Bernard. I will check that out.