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Irish Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
I visited Lidl's epic Spanish wineries - here's what goes into your €8.99 bottle
There's a moment, standing among the dusty vines of Spain's Rioja region, when I realised the €8.99 bottle of wine I put in my trolley back home has already lived a far more interesting life than I have. From here, it will travel hundreds of kilometres, pass through countless expert hands and be scrutinised at every stage before it lands on the shelf. Lidl sells millions of them every year - three million from one supplier alone - but behind each one is a story of weather, wood and a surprising amount of quality control. I was there to follow the story from grape to glass, joining the Lidl Ireland team through La Rioja and Ribera del Duero. Over four days we visited three of their key wine suppliers - each with its own history, quirks and fiercely guarded traditions. We also had Lidl's Master of Wine Richard Bampfield on hand to offer tasting notes, opinions and, at one point, a suggestion to serve rose with frozen strawberries. Our first stop was Bodegas Isidro Milagro in Alfaro, La Rioja - one of Spain's top 10 wineries, producing over 40 million litres of wine a year. This family-run operation sends around three million bottles a year to Lidl, including customer favourites like Cepa Lebrel Rioja Crianza (€8.29) and Cepa Lebrel Reserva Rioja (€8.99). Bodegas Isidro Milagro in Alfaro, La Rioja Here, winemaking follows the strict "rules of Rioja", from the grape varieties allowed, to the exact time a wine must spend ageing before it can wear one of those little coloured Rioja labels you see on the back of the bottle. Green, red, purple or dark blue - they're easy to miss, but they tell you a lot about what's inside. The vineyard at Bodegas Isidro Milagro in Alfaro, La Rioja Joven (young) wines spend little or no time in oak, keeping them bright and fruit-driven. Crianza wines age for at least two years, with a minimum of one in oak, adding gentle spice and structure. Reserva wines are matured for at least three years, with one in oak, developing deeper, more complex flavours that can stand up to rich dishes. And at the top, Gran Reserva wines are aged for at least five years, two in oak, resulting in layered, elegant bottles made for slow, indulgent sipping. Tasting session at Bodegas Isidro Milagro At Isidro Milagro, that ageing is split evenly between French and American oak barrels - French bringing subtle, spicy notes and American adding sweeter vanilla tones. It's a balance that Irish drinkers, who tend to favour fruitier styles, love. Lidl's team sometimes turns up for unannounced visits, but the winery takes it in its stride. "We're a working winery - it doesn't matter", a manager told me with a grin. Vineyard tour at Bodegas Isidro Milagro in Alfaro, La Rioja - one of Spain's top 10 wineries Later that day, we headed to Bodega Garcia Carrion in Labastida, Rioja Alavesa - a fifth-generation family-owned business that works closely with 40,000 farmers on long-term contracts. They're one of the biggest players in a region that boasts 6,000 wineries, and their Antano Rioja Crianza (€8.49) is one of Lidl's best sellers. Bodega Garcia Carrion in Labastida, Rioja Alavesa - their Antano Rioja Crianza (€8.49) is one of Lidl's best sellers Admiring the stunning views at Bodega Garcia Carrion They said September to November is the best time to see the winery in full swing. Even outside that window, quality control is relentless. Every bottle is photographed during production, and if a label is even slightly crooked, the entire bottle is rejected. The attention to detail is meticulous, but it's how they keep quality consistent across the millions of bottles they produce each year. Touring Bodega Garcia Carrion in Labastida, Rioja Alavesa Touring Bodega Garcia Carrion in Labastida, Rioja Alavesa The next morning, we crossed from Rioja into Ribera del Duero to visit Bodega Felix Solis, one of the largest family-owned wineries in Spain. Built in 2002, its modern Pagos del Rey facility partners with 450 family vineyards. We crossed from Rioja into Ribera del Duero to visit Bodega Felix Solis The cellar here feels more like a chapel. Barrels are stored horizontally to keep corks wet, while classical music drifts through the air - the wines "rest" to the sound of opera. There's even a statue of Ariadne, a figure from Greek mythology, watching over the rows of oak. Felix Solis produces some of Lidl's most highly rated wines, including the 93-point Hachon Ribera del Duero Crianza (€10.99). That score comes from Richard Bampfield himself - a Master of Wine, one of the wine world's most prestigious titles - who tastes and grades every Lidl Wine Cellar bottle alongside two fellow Masters. They use the internationally recognised 100-point system. Anything over 90 is considered outstanding for its category, which is how a €10.99 bottle can genuinely hold its own against wines several times the price. Bodega Felix Solis produces some of Lidl's most highly rated wines, including the 93-point Hachon Ribera del Duero Crianza (€10.99). If you imagine Lidl's wine buying process as a boardroom full of tasting glasses, you wouldn't be wrong - but Richard admits he prefers not to meet suppliers first. "I'd rather judge it for myself", he told me. For the average Lidl customer, technical talk about tannins or malolactic fermentation isn't the point. These wines are chosen because they're versatile - as happy beside a steak as they are with Friday-night pizza. Fruity styles often win out, and Lidl's competitively priced Reserva offers great quality without the premium price tag, making it an excellent choice for savvy shoppers. Enjoying a curated wine tasting with Richard Bampfield at Castilla Termal Monasterio de Valbuena hotel Rioja is famous for its reds, but Lidl also sources great-value Navarra rose. Richard says it's underrated, and not just for its flavour. "One of the reasons rose is so popular is it looks good in the glass", he smiled. Try Hacienda Uvanis Garnacha (€8.99) with one ice cube or a few frozen strawberries His summer serving trick? A glass of Quarzose Tempranillo Garnacha (€8.99) or Hacienda Uvanis Garnacha (€8.99) with one ice cube or a few frozen strawberries bobbing about. Quarzose Tempranillo Garnacha costs €8.99 in Lidl Ireland may not be known for our vineyards (our soggy summers see to that), but we're fiercely loyal to Spanish wines. Lidl's success here is built on finding wines that over-deliver for their price, whether that's a €8.99 Rioja or a €10.99 Ribera del Duero. Behind every bottle are hundreds of decisions: where to source the grapes, how long to age the wine and whether to use French or American oak - which, by the way, can cost between €400 and €1,000 per barrel! The incredible Hotel Marques de Riscal hotel, which combines the most deeply rooted winemaking tradition with an avant-garde design, luxury and the most advanced technology of the 21st century. For all the stainless steel tanks and automated bottling lines, this is still a people-driven industry. Lidl works with multi-generational winemaking families, some stretching back five generations. In Rioja alone, tens of thousands of farmers, vineyard workers and cellar hands keep the tradition alive. They're the ones walking the vineyards in late summer and tasting grapes to decide the perfect harvest day. The ones keeping watch over barrels as they mature. And the ones making sure that, if a bottle isn't perfect - even down to an off-centre label - it never leaves the winery. Richard Bampfield is a Master of Wine who tastes and grades every Lidl Wine Cellar bottle By the end of the trip, I'd walked among centuries-old vines, tasted more wines than I could count and learned that an €8.99 bottle doesn't mean cutting corners. It means smart buying, a respect for tradition and an innovative approach that sets Lidl apart. The legendary vineyards in Spain's Rioja region So the next time you reach for that bottle of Rioja or Rose in your local Lidl, you'll know it's travelled from a sun-baked vineyard in Spain, aged in barrels that cost more than your TV and passed through more hands (and tasting glasses) than you might expect. And if you're feeling fancy? Add those frozen strawberries - Richard would approve. 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Telegraph
25-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
I tried 52 Lidl wines. These are the best bottles to buy this summer
Lidl's wine range consists of a permanent core offering of some 150 different wines, layered with a carousel of Wine Tour wines that change each month. Typically, each Wine Tour will consist of around 16 different wines although not all of these are ranged to every store. If you are pitching up to a Lidl branch (which number over 980) with no recommendations or personal favourites to hand, my advice is to head straight for the Wine Tour bottles. The set arriving in store this month (late June) is relatively weak (sod's law, just as I write about them), but I usually find these offer a higher hit rate than the core range. Naturally there are exceptions, but wines in the core range are often quite sweet, and/or subjected to an oak treatment (sometimes from chips or staves – the narrow planks of wood used to construct barrels – I'd guess, from tasting them) that gives them a gloopy, confected vanilla taste. However, the Wine Tour range usually have more varietal personality and taste, well, more like true wines. Skip to: Lidl's best core wines – sparkling Lidl's best core wines – rosés Lidl's best core wines – whites Lidl's best core wines – reds Lidl's best Wine Tour wines How I tasted Why you can trust us Another tip is to look for the scores given by Master of Wine Richard Bampfield who works for Lidl as a consultant. You can see some of these in store and some online. Bampfield gave good scores to two of the incoming (from June 26) Wine Tour wines that were not available for me to taste when I wrote this: the Cuvée de Brieu Sauvignon Blanc (£8.49) and the Cuvée de Brieu Syrah (also £8.49). I have been tasting Lidl's wines and looking at Richard Bampfield's scores and listening to his recommendations from the range for years, and have come to view him as a principled guide whose judgment can be trusted. 'Richard is a safeguard for us,' according to Lidl's PR Hannah Steel. 'He scores wines and if they are not performing well we might go back to the supplier.' Bampfield says Lidl put him under no pressure to give good scores; note that if a wine scores poorly, the score is not used. Lidl's budget rival Aldi has a couple of wines that have achieved cult status amongst middle-class shoppers (the Crémant du Jura and the Veuve Monsigny Champagne). Lidl doesn't quite have any equivalents, although its Comte de Senneval Champagne (£13.99) does, deservedly, have a strong following.
Scotsman
28-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Rosé wine: Lidl unveils dupe on popular rosé wine
This could be the wine of the summer 🍷 Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Lidl has launched its own Whispering Angel dupe The new wine is named Breath of Paradise Breath of Paradise is priced at £10.99 As we approach the summer season, many of us may be switching up our favourite tipples to drinks which are lighter, fruity or give more 'summer vibes'. Wine lovers prefer to sip on a glass of rosé over other wine variations in the summer, with searches for rosé wine climbing to 138% at this time of year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Joining La Vieille Ferme Rose (also known as 'chicken wine') as one of the most popular wines of 2024 was Whispering Angel, which proved to be popular with Gen Z for not only its taste but general aesthetic. Just in time for summer 2025, discount supermarket Lidl has announced the launch of a brand-new take on rosé wine, which is said to be a cheaper alternative to Whispering Angel. Rosé wine: Lidl unveils dupe on popular rosé wine ahead of summer season | Lidl Lidl's brand-new rosé wine is named Breath of Paradise, which is priced at only £10.99 per 75cl bottle. Given that Whispering Angel is usually priced around the £20 mark, this means that Lidl's Breath of Paradise is around 50% cheaper. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad While the Breath of Paradise wine is supposed to be an alternative for its taste, it also has an aesthetic appeal with black, white and gold label and angel wing design. Lidl's Master of Wine, Richard Bampfield, said: 'Well known for producing grapes that fuel the 'premium dry rosé' category, wines from the region of Provence are well known by both Brits and the French alike. However, with branded options often carrying a hefty price tag, most tend to reserve them for special occasions rather than include them in the weekly shop. 'At excellent value, Lidl's Breath of Paradise is a summer game changer. Like any luxurious dry rosé alternative, it's made primarily with Grenache grapes grown in Provence, giving it that iconic rosé hue and the classic Provençal aroma of fresh peach and wild herbs that we know and love. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'With a perfectly balanced acidity, body and dryness, each bottle of Breath of Paradise is effortlessly drinkable. Best served well chilled or even over a large ice cube, it'll quench the thirst of rosé lovers at any occasion this summer.' Lidl's Breath of Paradise rosé launched in stores on Tuesday May 20 and is available while stocks last. If you have a food and drink story to share with us, we'd love to hear from you. You can now send your stories to us online via YourWorld at It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.
Scottish Sun
23-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Cheapest shops to buy Whispering Angel dupes this bank holiday and they're up to 79% less
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IF you're hoping to enjoy the taste of a refreshing Whispering Angel rose this bank holiday, there are plenty of cheaper dupes on offer. The Provencal tipple is hugely popular among Brits, but it comes with a hefty price tag. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Whispering Angel is hugely popular but it costs £22.50 per bottle A 75cl bottle costs £22.50 while a magnum comes in at up to £44.50. Its fresh flavours of grapefruit and citrus have made it famous around the world. In fact, it's even a favourite of the Beckhams. But if you're wanting to enjoy similar flavours for less this bank holiday, we've put together a list of dupes... Lidl 5 Lidl's Breath of Paradise is made mostly with Grenache grapes grown in Provence Credit: Supplied Lidl launched its Whispering Angel dupe this week - and it's half the price. A bottle of Breath of Paradise costs just £10.99, making it more than 50% less. It's made mostly with Grenache grapes grown in the French region of Provence, and has an aroma of fresh peach and wild herbs. Breath of Paradise hit shelves this week and it's only available while stocks last, so you'll need to get in quick. Lidl's master of wine Richard Bampfield said: "Well known for producing grapes that fuel the 'premium dry rosé' category, wines from the region of Provence are well known by both Brits and the French alike. "However, with branded options often carrying a hefty price tag, most tend to reserve them for special occasions rather than include them in the weekly shop. Wine expert taste tests the newest supermarket dupe of Whispering Angel "At excellent value, Lidl's Breath of Paradise is a summer game changer." Bampfield added the wine is best served well chilled or over a large ice cube. Home Bargains 5 The Angel wine costs only £8.99 for a huge magnum-sized bottle Credit: Bargain Lovers Facebook The Home Bargains version is a whopping 79% less than the real deal. The bargain store recently launched The Angel, which comes in a magnum-sized bottle but has a price tag of just £8.99. Given that magnums of Whispering Angel are £44.50, that's a huge £35.51 saving. It comes in a pink and white patterned bottle. M&S 5 A TV wine and drinks expert has said "rose doesn't get better than this" Credit: M&S The posh supermarket recently revealed its summer wines selection - including a Whispering Angel dupe. The La Balconne Organic Provence Rose costs £18 for a bottle, so it is among the pricier wines in this list. However it's still £4.50 cheaper than Whispering Angel. Plus, TV wine and drinks expert Andy Clarke said he was blown away by the quality. "I've tasted hundreds of rosés over the years and it's always so exciting to find a new one that whizzes straight to the top of my list! "... Move over Whispering Angel… Rosé doesn't get better than this!" Asda 5 A bottle of Screaming Devil will only set you back £12.97 - far less than Whispering Angel Asda's version is around half the price of Whispering Angel, and it has a tongue-in-cheek name. The Screaming Devil wine has gone viral on social media. It costs £12.97, making it £9.53 cheaper than Whispering Angel. It's produced in Côtes de Provence by French winemaker Les Grands Chais de France, and is available to buy at Asda and Ocado.
The Sun
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Cheapest shops to buy Whispering Angel dupes this bank holiday and they're up to 79% less
IF you're hoping to enjoy the taste of a refreshing Whispering Angel rose this bank holiday, there are plenty of cheaper dupes on offer. The Provencal tipple is hugely popular among Brits, but it comes with a hefty price tag. A 75cl bottle costs £22.50 while a magnum comes in at up to £44.50. Its fresh flavours of grapefruit and citrus have made it famous around the world. In fact, it's even a favourite of the Beckhams. But if you're wanting to enjoy similar flavours for less this bank holiday, we've put together a list of dupes... Lidl 5 Lidl launched its Whispering Angel dupe this week - and it's half the price. A bottle of Breath of Paradise costs just £10.99, making it more than 50% less. It's made mostly with Grenache grapes grown in the French region of Provence, and has an aroma of fresh peach and wild herbs. Breath of Paradise hit shelves this week and it's only available while stocks last, so you'll need to get in quick. Lidl's master of wine Richard Bampfield said: "Well known for producing grapes that fuel the 'premium dry rosé' category, wines from the region of Provence are well known by both Brits and the French alike. "However, with branded options often carrying a hefty price tag, most tend to reserve them for special occasions rather than include them in the weekly shop. Wine expert taste tests the newest supermarket dupe of Whispering Angel "At excellent value, Lidl's Breath of Paradise is a summer game changer." Bampfield added the wine is best served well chilled or over a large ice cube. Home Bargains 5 The Home Bargains version is a whopping 79% less than the real deal. The bargain store recently launched The Angel, which comes in a magnum-sized bottle but has a price tag of just £8.99. Given that magnums of Whispering Angel are £44.50, that's a huge £35.51 saving. It comes in a pink and white patterned bottle. M&S The posh supermarket recently revealed its summer wines selection - including a Whispering Angel dupe. The La Balconne Organic Provence Rose costs £18 for a bottle, so it is among the pricier wines in this list. However it's still £4.50 cheaper than Whispering Angel. Plus, TV wine and drinks expert Andy Clarke said he was blown away by the quality. "I've tasted hundreds of rosés over the years and it's always so exciting to find a new one that whizzes straight to the top of my list! "... Move over Whispering Angel… Rosé doesn't get better than this!" Asda Asda 's version is around half the price of Whispering Angel, and it has a tongue-in-cheek name. The Screaming Devil wine has gone viral on social media. It costs £12.97, making it £9.53 cheaper than Whispering Angel. It's produced in Côtes de Provence by French winemaker Les Grands Chais de France, and is available to buy at Asda and Ocado. How to save money buying alcohol Alcohol can be pricey if you're planning a party or hosting an event but there are ways to cut costs. It's always important to drink responsibly, here, Sun Savers Editor Lana Clements share some tips on getting booze for the best price. Stocking up can mean big savings on drinks, especially if you want to buy wine or fizz. The big supermarkets regularly offer discounts of 25% when you buy six or more bottles of wine. The promotions typically run in the lead up to occasions such as Bank Holidays, Christmas and Easter. If you know you are going to need booze later in the year, it can be worth acting when you see offers. Before buying your preferred drink make sure you shop around to find the best price – you can use a comparison site such as or Don't forget that loyalty cards can unlock better savings so make sure you factor that in too. If you like your plonk, wine clubs can also be a good way to save money and try new varieties. You'll usually have to pay a membership fee in return for cheaper price so work out if you will be buying enough to make the one off cost worthwhile.
