2020 Specially Selected Aglianico del Vulture (Aldi – was £8.49, now £6.99)

Another Aldi wine reduced in price? Another bargain because its name is unfamiliar.

Yes, yes. But a few quibbles before the good news. The weight (too high) of the bottle seems to be determined by the maxim “heavy is prestigious and therefore good and expensive”. The alcohol is high, 14.5%. Under the new duty rules, this wine will attract a high rate and its price must surely rise.

It’s out of stock online but there should still be some bottles in the stores. Aglianico is generally held to be the greatest grape of southern Italy. Vulture (three syllables, accent on the Vul) is not a bird; it’s an extinct volcano in Basilicata and the wines produced here are some of Italy’s best.

So why is it so reasonable in price? Bulk buying seems to be one of the answers; Aldi Italian wines have one supplier name, Castellore.

Its aroma is of dark fruits, smoke, and spice. It tastes of plums and blackcurrants and the fruit is well balanced by tannin and acidity.

Get to Aldi before it disappears.

John Freeland (u3a Wine Tasting Group)