At a show jumping competition, wine connoisseurs were tricked into believing they were tasting top-quality wines, while in reality they were tasting selected wines from Aldi.
A humorous clip features an extravagant wine master named Justin Youraldi serving red, white and rosé wine to the select guests.
While guests expected to enjoy rare vintages from prestigious wineries that would normally cost almost ten times as much, the wines actually tasted were surprisingly affordable; some cost less than five pounds.
One astonished wine lover said: “I can’t believe it. I’m speechless.” Another participant estimated the value of a £7.99 bottle at £30-40 and was stunned to discover the supermarket trick.
The inspiration for the funny stunt comes from a study of 2,000 wine drinkers, which found that 43 percent of them frequently serve inexpensive wine and receive praise for it, while 38 percent believe that more expensive alternatives are overrated.
29 percent of consumers will go for the cheapest option when buying wine, and a quarter admit they can’t tell the difference between a £5 bottle and a £50 bottle. On average, consumers spend £9.24 on a bottle of wine, but are willing to pay up to £16 for a wine they perceive as high quality.
The wine lovers spoke passionately about the wine’s flavors, balance, acidity and earthiness, some even showed off their extensive wine knowledge – and then came the big reveal.
Viewers were even persuaded to listen to their champagne glasses to try to hear the sound of a more expensive fizz.
Aldi’s wine master Sam Caporn commented: “The specially selected Toscana Rosso that we see sampled in the undercover clip has a beautiful youthful colour with notes of red cherry, herbs and blueberries with fine but clearly perceptible tannins on the finish.”
According to influencer TheWineWally, the taste of the wine reminded him of Tiganello, known as one of Meghan Markle’s favourite varieties, which retails for around £150. The main difference, however, is the price: Toscana Rosso is available for just £7.99.
Sam Caporn added: “My top favourite of the wines that fooled Justin Youraldi’s customers is the Pierre Jaurant Cotes de Gascogne – pale and fresh with delicate green aromas of herbs, grass, elderflower and citrus.”
The survey shows that 40 percent of respondents view wine regulations as elitist and more than half prefer to pour a glass liberally to the brim rather than measure it carefully.
Advice on breathing when drinking red wine is also often ignored. Almost half (49 percent) choose to serve red wine straight from the bottle. Interestingly, over a quarter (27 percent) of consumers said they mix lemonade with wine and 12 percent admitted to putting an ice cube in their glass of red wine.
About 38 percent enjoy rosé all year round, but not everyone is aware of the production process: 17 percent mistakenly believe that rosé is made by mixing red and white wine.
When choosing a drink, only 14 percent of consumers are influenced by the advice of a wine expert. However, 42 percent are influenced by a special offer.
A spokesman for Aldi, whose wine sales have increased since last summer, said: “Our research clearly shows that customers value inexpensive, high-quality wines.”
“We have seen a 23 percent increase in our wine sales this summer as shoppers discover our expertly crafted wines.”
