The Aldi Wine Club - how I've found it so far

In November, I wrote about how I was lucky enough to be selected as a member of the Aldi Wine Club. I've now had three little parcels of joyful wine sent to my door, so I thought I'd write an update on my experience. 

At the start, I was slightly sceptical in all honesty because I don't buy that much supermarket wine and I was worried I'd end up drinking lots of wine that I didn't like that much. 

But, I've loved receiving the emails to tell me my latest batch of wines to taste is on its way. And, then waiting for the special little parcel to arrive at the door to try. 

Two Pinot Noirs I was sent to try. The one from
Marlborough was particularly good

As well as the excitement of new wines to try, I've been pleasantly surprised to enjoy drinking nearly all the wines that I've been sent.

My particular highlights have been the New Zealand Pinot Noir which is from their Exquisite collection. At just under £7 a bottle, this is a pretty classy Pinot Noir at a really affordable price. I also really liked their Prosecco Superiore which tasted much more expensive than you'd think from the actual price point. 

I'm a creature of habit when it comes to buying wine, so I often end up buying the same thing or wines I know I'll probably like. So, the best part about being part of the Aldi Wine Club has been getting to try lots of different wines that are slightly out of my purchasing comfort zone. For example, I would never have gone and bought a sparkling Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. But I was sent one as part of a special Aldi Wine Club package and it was really different and delicious. We drank it with a mild chilli and because of the lime notes, it went really well.

Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc? I'd never
tried one before either

There have been a couple of wines which I found a bit average (although actually really drinkable) but I guess some of that comes down to personal taste and you're not always going to love everything.

Overall, I've loved it. I think I get kicked out of the club at some stage as they constantly refresh members. And, I've noticed they're currently advertising for new recruits so if you're interested, then why not give it a go?

In the meantime, I'll wait to see if I get another little surprise in the post! And, hope I don't get kicked out just yet! 

Oh My Gin. A Spanish Gin?

I'm a bit of a creature of habit when it comes to gin. I nearly always buy Bombay Sapphire as I like the clean, crisp taste and there is also a distillery near where I live so I feel like I am buying local. If there isn't any Bombay, then I'll always try to choose a London Dry Gin like Tanqueray. 

So, when the Naked Wines Christmas case included a bottle of gin from Spain, I was intrigued. Had I ever tried a gin from Spain? I don't think so.

The Rambla 41 Mediterranean Dry Gin is made in a small, artisan distillery in Spain by Stefan Lismond and Philippe Geeraert and is made just for Naked Wines. 

According to the blurb, all the ingredients come from the Catalan region near Barcelona. The base spirit is made from Grenache and Carignan wine lees (the left overs from the bottom of red wine tanks). It is then infused with botanicals like Almonds, Juniper and Angelica which are apparently gathered by hand from the hills around Priorat. They then add orange and lemon peel and some special water from the gin makers' well. All impressive stuff.

I've never really looked at the ingredients of gin before, but much of the base ingredients seem similar to others I've tried. For example, Bombay Sapphire is made with Juniper, Angelica, Almonds and lemon peel. So although the method of production is more artisan, it shares many of the common ingredients to gins I've tried before.

However, the biggest difference in production seems to be the filtering method. Rambla 41 is non-chill filtered whereas most big brands chill-filter their gins as a cosmetic procedure in order to make the spirit clear.

Because Rambla 41 is non-chill filtered, it is slightly cloudy as the botanicals have not been stripped out. 

Ok, so enough about the ingredients. What was it like?

Well, the bits floating around in the gin didn't bother me at all. I mean, once you've squished some lime in your gin, it always ends up slightly foggy anyway.

If you look carefully, you'll see
the botanicals floating about

But I have to say, it does have a unique taste. It is very aromatic and fruity and quite unlike any gin I've ever tried. It is also very smooth and not at all harsh. 

But at £34.99 (£24.99 Angel Prices), it's not cheap. So is it worth it? Oh My Gin, I loved it. A really delicious treat that I will definitely buy again. On the Naked website, Angels can review things they've bought. And 98% of the 224 people who have reviewed this gin say they will buy it again. Which is a pretty strong accolade IMHO.

The gin makers recommend serving it with Fever Tree tonic, lime, a grape cut in two (presumably because a whole one would be a choking hazard - jokes) and some orange zest. I'll give that a go next time I buy some.

The bottle is also very beautiful (label below) if you like that sort of thing.