Lidl’s revolving Wine Tour selection, which changes every couple of months, is always a popular draw for shoppers – and the new French Wine Tour has just hit the shelves. The selection encompasses dry whites, rosés and reds, plus two sweet wines. It will be in stores while stocks last and until the next Wine Tour goes on sale in late September.
The buyers for the German-owned supermarket, which established itself in the UK in 1994, do a great job of sourcing small quantities of interesting and well-priced wines for the Wine Tour line-up. Between this and the core range, it offers a comprehensive selection of Old and New World wines across a range of styles.
French Wine Tour
In this Wine Tour Lidl has chosen to focus on France, an area where it is traditionally strong. The wines are sourced from across the country’s wine regions, including Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône, Alsace and Southwest France.
The white line-up includes some lighter styles that are perfect for outside summer sipping. The Mâcon-Villages (£7.99) and the Muscadet (£6.99) both show good typicity and a fresh, lively character, while the Chardonnay/Viognier blend (£6.99) is another easy-drinking option which would work well with or without food. The standout among the whites though was the Gewürztraminer from Alsace (£8.99): it’s off-dry, with an exotic, floral flavour profile and a lovely weight in the mouth – try it with a Thai green curry.
If it’s rosé you’re after, Lidl has sourced an organic wine from Provence at a bargain price for a rosé from this region (£7.99), offering the pale hue and elegant red berry, white floral characteristics that you’d hope to find. Meanwhile the red line-up features a wide selection of options, majoring on Rhône and Bordeaux. We enjoyed the Vacqueyras in the last press tasting and it’s now been pulled into this French Wine Tour – it’s a lovely, dark-fruited and full-bodied wine, ideal to accompany robust meat dishes. Also look out for Château Grand Mazerolles (£9.99), a good everyday drinking claret from the very good 2018 vintage.
Lastly but certainly not least, a special mention for the Jurançon (£7.99) from Southwest France. This is a sweet wine, but made in a lighter style than some dessert wines, with a more modest amount of residual sugar. It’s deliciously honeyed and barley sugar in profile and would be lovely either served with a fruit-based dessert, as an aperitif to accompany chicken liver paté toasts – or even with a spicy main dish.
Deluxe wine range
Earlier this year Lidl launched a Deluxe wine range, a logical step, since the Deluxe branding has been on the shelves in UK stores since 2008 in other food and drink lines, and has won a loyal following.
The Deluxe collection showcases classic styles in wines that offer typicity and easy-drinking pleasure. The Deluxe New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc from Awatere in Marlborough (£7.99) is a good buy, while the Barossa Shiraz (£6.99) red is also worth trying.
Don’t forget the core range beyond the Deluxe brand, as there really are some fantastic bargains to be found. Among the sparkling wines, The Crémant de Loire (£8.99) offers great value, made in the same way as Champagne but from the Chenin Blanc grape. If it has to be Champagne, the Montaudon Elixiris (£14.99) is a fantastic buy at the price, toasty and creamy with a good purity of fruit – perfect for a celebration. The red wine I always recommend is the Corte Alle Mura Chianti Riserva, which offers fabulous value at just £6.49.
The best Lidl wines this summer:
Lidl introduces six ‘Wine Tour’ updates to its core range every year. The wines are only available for a short period of time, while stocks last. The French Wine Tour 2023 selection went on sale on Thursday 27 July – every wine in the Tour goes into every store. The first nine wines listed below are highlights from the French Wine Tour, and the remaining wines are part of Lidl’s core range, tasted at this and / or previous press tastings, that are still available.
