Supermarket Aldi has teamed up with Lyme Bay Winery - the producers behind its Specially Selected Bowler & Brolly English Sparkling wine - to launch a new Specialbuy Vineyard Experience. Tickets cost just £2.67 – the price of a glass of Aldi’s English Sparkling – while similar vineyard tours will set shoppers back a lot more.
Guests can enjoy a tour of the vineyard, walking amongst some of the finest vines in England, followed by an Aldi English wine-tasting led by Mistress of Wine, Sam Caporn. Visitors will leave with a goody bag, which includes a full-size bottle of Aldi’s celebrated English Sparkling and some nibbles to accompany it.
Tickets are on sale now, throughout English Wine Week, which runs until Sunday, June 25 - the perfect time to celebrate England’s vineyards and mark the start of the new growing season. The launch comes as Aldi celebrates its success in the English wine category.
It said sales had jumped 240% in a year and its English Sparkling and English Bacchus beat brands costing up to 90% more to land Best Buy accolades in a recent Which? round-up. The supermarket has expanded its offering to meet demand and now offers six English wines, both still and sparkling, ranging from £9.99 to £19.99.
Julie Ashfield, MD of buying at Aldi UK, said: “English wine, particularly sparkling, has a reputation for being expensive, but we’re proud to be at the forefront of making it accessible for all. There’s no better time than English Wine Week to launch this fantastic opportunity - celebrating an industry that is seeing rapid growth year after year thanks to suppliers such as Lyme Bay Winery which is putting English wine on the map.”
Sam Caporn, Mistress of Wine, added: “English wine is an exciting and up-and-coming category. It’s increasingly being awarded the recognition it deserves, both for sparkling and still wines, and I love championing our home-grown talent. I'm thrilled to be able to show Aldi shoppers the fascinating journey that these bottles have undertaken to get from the vineyard, via the winery to the shelf where they can be purchased at great value for very impressive quality."
Aldi’s Specialbuy Vineyard Experience takes place on Saturday, September 9, and Sunday, September 10, in Essex. Sessions will last around two-and-a-half hours. Tickets, which are limited to two per person, are on sale now until Sunday, June 25. Like with all Aldi Specialbuys, once they’re gone, they’re gone. They are available to purchase via the Lyme Bay Winery website here.
