Even under ideal conditions, the weekly trip to the grocery store to stock up on supplies can be stressful. As you fight the crowds throughout the aisles while shopping for the best cheap and healthy snacks at Aldi, it helps to have a light at the end of the tunnel to look forward to. For some, that light is one final stop in the wine section to grab a bottle to relax with at home. But with so many choices, which bottle should you pick up? In our review of every Aldi California Heritage wine, we found more than a few bottles worthy of bringing home, but the pinot noir wasn’t one of them. In fact, you should skip it completely.
At its best, pinot noir can be outstanding and full of nuanced flavors, but it is notoriously difficult to grow. The grape can suffer greatly from exposure to frost, wind, or poor soil quality, while also requiring precision in pruning. Our reviewer found “a jammy, stewed fruit flavor that does not resemble the elegance often associated with pinot noir.” They also noted that the wine lacked “aromatic attributes and well-balanced freshness,” which connoisseurs expect from the varietal.
The pinot noir may be lackluster, but there are many better bottles to be found at Aldi
While our reviewer found that you’d be best off skipping the California Heritage pinot noir, there are plenty of bottles of the reasonably priced Aldi brand wine worthy of your time. If you have your heart set on a red wine, try the merlot. We know merlot often gets a bad rap thanks to Paul Giamatti’s hilarious rant in “Sideways,” but our reviewer found the flavors in the California Heritage merlot to be worthwhile and named it the best red in the line.
Moving away from red wine, we found the California Heritage rosé to be the best of the bunch. The blend of pinot grigio, muscat, and albarino grapes has aromas of framboise, wildflowers, and red cherry and a fresh palate.
If none of the California Heritage wines are speaking to you, you can always choose a bottle from Aldi’s Winking Owl line of wines. If you you’re really after a pinot noir, the Specially Selected Willamette Valley Pinot Noir was our favorite of Aldi’s Private Label wines. So even though we recommend skipping the California Heritage pinot, Aldi still has plenty of bottles worth picking up.
