Get these at home right away: these are the six best-tested Lidl wines, and they cost next to nothing

With a background in wine, I’ve known for years: you can pick up fantastic wines from Lidl’s wine shelves, wines that surprise you both in terms of price and, above all, quality. In fact, you’d be crazy not to stock up on some wines very quickly. Because when something is this cheap and delicious, doesn’t it make you want to break into a spontaneous conga line?

The Champagne Brut Reserve de Brismand (€14.99, for a real Champagne!) has been a Lidl assortment favourite for years. During blind Champagne tastings with my wine club, it always emerges as one of the winners, which is quite something among more than a hundred bottles, some of which are ten times more expensive! And it doesn’t only stand out on our tasting table. Comte de Brismand frequently wins national and international awards. And that for less than fifteen euros! I’ll say it again… You’re stealing from your own wallet if you don’t stock up on a few of these bottles for your next party. (Not available all year round, so keep a close eye on Lidl’s website and in-store promotions).

Master of Wine

But there are also genuine gems among the still wines. And it’s not just me who thinks so; Master of Wine (MW) Richard Bampfield agrees. And when a Master of Wine says this, you can trust it blindly; it’s the highest international qualification attainable in the world of wine. It’s an incredibly demanding course, which is why only 300 people worldwide are allowed to put MW after their name.

In any case, Richard MW independently assessed Lidl’s wines according to very strict international criteria—and without knowing the wine’s retail price. That last point is interesting, because numerous studies show that when people know beforehand that a wine is cheap, they rate it worse than a wine they know to be much more expensive.

A delicious wine

So how does this Master of Wine work? He takes only the absolute quality of a wine into account in his evaluation, using a 100-point system. From 80 points onwards, he considers the wine good, with a price-to-quality ratio that works. “A correspondingly tasty and pleasantly drinkable wine,” in Richard’s words.

These are the best-tested Lidl wines according to him: three whites and three reds, all of which scored more than 80 points. I’d say: trot off to the nearest Lidl. The cheapest wine recommended by Richard MW costs €2.99 and the most expensive €4.69. So price is no excuse!

WHITE

Chardonnay Coonawarra (Australia), €4.69

“Refined, cool Chardonnay, subtly oaked. Flavoursome, melon fruit, lightly spiced oak. Good overall balance and flavour,” says Richard MW. At the FavorFlav editorial office, we can only agree: this is our favourite among the three white Lidl standouts. This Chardonnay has a powerful aroma but goes down very smoothly. With a striking koala bear (because Australia) on the label.

Chenin Blanc South Africa (South Africa), €2.99

Chenin Blanc is one of my favourite wines. From bone-dry to honey-sweet. Young, aged, oak-matured, sparkling or still. And when it comes to price, there’s something for everyone. In short, that’s what a bottle of Chenin can be. The fragrant Chenin Blanc grape originally comes from France’s Loire Valley, but South Africa also produces fantastic Chenins. Often citrus-fresh (and sometimes a little fuller), with a drizzle of peach, a dollop of pear and a touch of honey. Delicious! “Good nose of tropical fruit. Fresh, crisp, dry. Correct in every respect,” says our Master of Wine.

Chardonnay Colombard (South Africa), €3.49

Chardonnay—who didn’t grow up with it? This is a wine for every party, every picnic and every reception. Richard MW: ’’Ripe, tropical fruit. Refreshing, dry and uncomplicated’’. Who are we to argue?

RED

Shiraz Australia (Australia), €2.99

Richard MW: ‘’Rich, ripe fruit, spicy, sweetly fruity. Dry finish’’. A wine for beginning red-wine drinkers, someone at our tasting table suggested. “Approachable wine, not outspoken, for beginner red-wine drinkers who aren’t ready for the heavy stuff yet.”

Chevalier De Fauvert Pays d’Oc (France), €2.99

One in ten bottles of French wine comes from Pays d’Oc. Pays d’Oc isn’t a region, by the way, but a collective name for wines from Languedoc-Roussillon that, under French wine laws, do not ‘meet’ the criteria for the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) there. Not because they are inferior wines. Often because they are made from non-native grapes, in other words, grape varieties that officially don’t belong there, such as Chardonnay—you know, that famous grape they use in Burgundy to make excruciatingly expensive wine..

Richard MW was also pleased with this wine: “Good, fresh, plummy nose. Excellent fruit definition and freshness. Good, authentic Merlot. Relatively light”.

Fairtade Shiraz (South Africa), €3.99

“Good colour and a good ripe, juicy nose. Lots of flavour, good fruit, warming, balanced oak, lots of pleasure.” Our favourite of the red wines, somewhat more complex than its predecessors, with a rich, powerful aroma—delicious!

And one final tip: recently we found an ideal wine cabinet at Lidl that can hold eight bottles. At just over a hundred euros, this was my best quarantine investment. It’s currently sold out online, but it’s worth keeping an eye out for.

Also read:

• These are the most underrated wines according to top sommeliers
• These are sommeliers’ favourite wines under ten euros
• The strangest drinks sommeliers have ever had