Lidl have added even more wines to their Wine Cellar range – 40 French wines ranging in price from £4.99 for a pale pink rosé, to £14.99 for a champagne and a red from a named Bordeaux chateau. Wines added earlier in the year to the same range hailed from all over the world and proved to be pretty good, and in one instance out right spectacular – but how will they taste this time?
Their tastes ranged from ‘superior’ to ‘well-made’ according to my rating using the Lidl 100 point marking scheme.
Lidl rates it wines with a marks out of 100 – a system made popular by the influencial American wine critic Robert Parker.
So if you see a wine rated between 100 and 95 on the Lidl 100-point scale this means it’s ‘a great wine’; 94 to 90 is rated as ‘superior character and style’; 89 to 85 shows ‘special qualities’ and 84 to 80 is a ‘solid, well-made wine’. Lidl don’t indicate on their website what a wine ranking below 80 is like – and I didn’t find any wines I’d want to rank below this. Not this time anyway – my tasting reviews of their earlier additions (Paula’s Wines of the Week 1 May 2015) found a few wines in the 70/100 range – but not this time.
Things are looking up then? It would seem so. Below are the first six reviews of their more expensive wines ranging from £14.99 down to £7.99. Next week I’ll follow with reviews of their £5.99 and £4.99 wines from this latest launch.
PG Wine Reviews
Clervigny, Arbois Reserve 2013, Jura White
£8.99 Lidl
Lidl Points Rating 90/100: superior character and style
Paula’s Points Rating 99/100: ace wine at an ace price
This pale yellow white from the mountainous Jura region is both wonderfully aromatic and perfumed on the taste: aromas of almond and honey are followed with long flavours of apricot creaminess that just go on and on. Thanks to the posh label, this is a wine that looks more expensive than it is so grab yourself a bargain and enjoy yourself.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Comté du Mirail 2013, Rhône Red
£13.49 Lidl
Lidl Points Rating 87/100: wine exhibits special qualities
Paula’s Points Rating 87/100: a sophisticated wine
If you want a famously named wine that also tastes pretty good then this is the one to buy. It does cost thirteen quid but then you are adding to the Châteauneuf-du-Pape marketing budget as well as buying the vino. Tasting of liquorice and barley sugar cough sweets with some cherry underneath this is a lingering and sophisticated wine.
Château La Dauphine Fronsac, Bordeaux Red
£14.99 Lidl
Lidl Points Rating 88/100: wine exhibits special qualities
Paula’s Points Rating 85/100: very nice but expensive
This is a really nice wine with easy-to-like flavours of damson and dark chocolate, but when I can get similar flavours at half the price in a Chilean red then why am I buying this?
Vacqueyras 2014, Côtes du Rhône Village Red
£8.99 Lidl
Lidl Points Rating 88/100: wine exhibits special qualities
Paula’s Points Rating 85/100: good at the price if that’s what you want
When the London-based wine retailer Berry Bros & Rudd are selling similar wines at over £10 a bottle then you have to admit that Lidl are selling at somewhat of a bargain price – if that’s the wine you want. So if you want a light-bodied red that tastes of plum and black pepper from a named château then it’s a steal at the price. Otherwise buy yourself one and a half bottles of Chianti instead.
Pinot Noir Bourgogne 2013, Burgundy Red
£7.99 Lidl
Lidl Points Rating: 86/100: wine exhibits special qualities
Paula’s Points Rating 82/100: nice but pay more and you’ll get a better Pinot Noir
Bit of a rough Pinot Noir this one – sharp cherry with lots of upfront black pepper. The French don’t come out looking too good when compared to English Pinot Noir – yes English. Try Sussex Bolney Estate Pinot Noir (£15.99 Waitrose Cellar) for a comparison with its sophisticated smoky blackberry flavours to understand that with Pinot Noir you get what you pay for.
Fleurie 2014, Beaujolais Red
£7.99 Lidl
Lidl Points Rating 88/100: wine exhibits special qualities
Paula’s Points Rating 80/100: nice and simple
Raspberry and plum with a drying sloe edge – nice and not sweet like many generic Beaujolais can be.
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© Paula Goddard 2015 www.paulagoddard.com
