Get an A-List Wine Cellar with ALDI

By Editor1SYS | May 29, 2020 0 Comments

ALDI REVEALS HOW YOU CAN SCORE ROONEY’S WINE CELLAR LOOK IN YOUR OWN HOME – FOR A FRACTION OF THE PRICE

It’s not just at-home cinemas and spas that celebs are lusting over anymore; with reports revealing Wine Rooney has splashed out on an extravagant new wine cellar and walk in bar costing over £150k[1].

As well as a recent sneak peak of Kylie Jenner’s own wine collection[2], it’s possible that the next big Instagram brag may just involve a wine glass or two!  Wine cellars conjure up images of fine wines, some slowly aging to perfection, with a fairly hefty price tag to match. For those who aren’t exactly balling on a budget like Rooney and Jenner, Aldi has ensured that shoppers don’t have to miss out and can easily get the look without having to splash out.

Whether you’re looking to buy wines to save for a special occasion or are just keen to make your favourite bottles last that bit longer, Aldi’s resident wine expert, Sam Caporn MW, explains what to look out for while browsing the wine aisle:  

“The general rule of thumb is that anything that has some good tannin structure and a decent level of acidity can age well within the bottle as over time the tannins will soften, and the fruit becomes more mellow. Anything around the £10-20 should easily be able to age for a year. I’d recommend sticking to red, whites and sparkling wines like Champagne – don’t we all love a vintage fizz for a special occasion!”

Those looking to score a deal can opt to fill up their racks with some of Aldi’s much-loved ICON range – this premium selection has many keepers in the range, showcasing classic wines for outstanding value.  Sam continues:  

“Aldi’s ICON range is a good place to start as these are classic styles without the premium price tag. Their aromas may change slightly over a year which makes them even more of a treat when the time comes to pop the cork! The Châteauneuf-du-Pape is wonderfully affordable and is sure to please both the palate and the purse strings. If you’d like to add a couple of white wines to your collection, opt for the Pouilly-Fuissé with its touch of smokiness, it’s bound to get better with age!”

Ready to store your wines but not quite sure where? No problem, we’ve grilled the Aldi wine expert on the most common questions when it comes to storing your plonk and keeping it fresh – so before you raise a glass, have a read and perhaps take a moment to rearrange your supplies!  

STACK ‘EM UP – ALDI’S WINE EXPERT, SAM CAPORN’S GUIDE TO WINE STORAGE

Where in the house is the best place to keep my wine bottles?  
The most important thing for wine is to think of them as sleeping until you want to open them. They like to be somewhere that is a stable, kept in a cool temperature, away from the light, vibrations, movement and temperature fluctuations. Storage is often in short supply in most people’s houses so it is important to be practical. Garages are a great place to store wines, if not, under the stairs as long as you don’t thunder up and down them. However, if the wine doesn’t tend to hang around for too long, then a small wine rack placed in the coolest part of your home is all that is really required! 

What wines should I store in the fridge and out of it? Is it true that reds don’t belong in the fridge?
Wine shouldn’t be stored in the fridge per se, the fridge should be utilised for chilling prior to drinking. Fizz should always be served fairly well chilled, over time as it warms up in the glass, the aromas of the sparkling wine will change and open up in a similar way to whites.  Where people commonly go wrong is the serving temperature of white and red wines. White wines shouldn’t be served straight out of the fridge. If they are too cold it can close down the aroma or nose of the wine. Whereas, reds are often served a bit too warm. They can benefit from being popped into the fridge just before serving – an easy way to enhance their vibrancy and drinkability!

Top Tip: Remember the 20/20 rule – take white wines out 20 minutes before serving and pop red wines in the fridge 20 minutes before serving.   

What wines should I store upright, and which ones are okay to be laid down flat on their side?  
The general rule is that anything under a natural cork needs to be stored on its side to stop the cork drying out – the contact of the wine with the cork keeps it moist. Screwcaps and sparkling wines can be stored standing up.  

Once I’ve opened a bottle, how long will it retain its intended aromas and flavours? What can I do to keep them as long as possible?
Once a wine has been opened and you have some left over the best thing to do for both red and white wines is to pop them in the fridge as this will keep them fresher for longer. Some wines you will find improve with having been opened whilst others tend to lose fruit freshness.  It’s often a matter of trial and error, as well as personal preference, but generally wines that are lighter and with higher acidity tend to stay fresh for longer. Wines such as Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling for example, can easily last a good few days after opening and in my experience can even make a week.  Rounder, fuller wines would want to be drunk within a couple of days. Reds are trickier as drinkability after opening tends to be extremely varied, the acidity in the wine will play a key role so I’d pop in the fridge and try to enjoy the rest of it within 2-3 days.  

My wine has been open for a couple days, how do you know when a wine has gone bad?  
Wines don’t go bad so much as they fade and don’t taste as good as they did on opening. The liquid will only really go bad if kept open for quite a long time; after a good couple of weeks the wine will slowly turn into vinegar and it will taste as such too – I once popped an old, opened bottle of red into my cooking and it nearly destroyed the dish as it was basically vinegar so don’t keep opened red for cooking!  

How long does sparkling last once it’s opened and what’s the best way to store it once the cork has been popped? 
The higher the atmospheric pressure in the wine, the longer the bubbles can last for – this means that Champagne and other traditional method sparkling wines (Cava) will stay fizzier for longer than Prosecco and tank method sparklers.  Champagne can last probably two days whilst I would drink Prosecco the following night. Store the bottle standing up and use a sparkling wine closure, not a teaspoon as that old trick doesn’t work! 

If you’ve opened a wine and it’s not quite to your taste, what else can you do with it?  
In my experience there haven’t been many wines that I didn’t like enough to drink, however, in the event that you’ve popped open a bottle that’s not for you, there are a couple routes you can go down before pouring it down the sink!  You can use both red and white wines to add depth and flavour to a variety of dishes including soups, stews and even sauces. Alternatively, you can make spritzers or even a jug or two of some crowd-pleasing sangria – white or red! If it’s a bottle that has already been opened, just be sure to taste it to make sure it hasn’t oxidised and got that vinegary twang before you use. 

Now you know how to store your wine, if you’re still drawing a blanc at some of the bottles you’ve bought, look no further than Aldi’s very own wine course, the Aldiploma. It includes some great, easy to remember tips – and is a great way to pass the time – all for free. 

All six modules are ready and waiting, so sit back, pour yourself a tasting measure and get ready to imbibe some wine know-how: https://www.aldi.co.uk/aldiploma