Aldi vs. Trader Joe's: Round NZ Sauvignon Blanc
A friend recently sent me a meme that said you don’t walk into a Trader Joe’s with a shopping list, you let the spirit of Trader Joe’s guide you through the store. Truer words were never spoken and although I am a die-hard Trader Joe’s shopper, I’ve been cheating on good old Joe with it’s sibling rival, Aldi. Last year, a brand new Aldi opened in my neighborhood and at first, I was skeptical to give it a try since I assumed Aldi focused on generic, low-quality groceries, but I gave it a shot and I’ve been a regular shopper ever since. And Aldi, like Trader Joe’s, operates under a cloak of secrecy where one assumes both companies have negotiated secret deals with food manufacturers allowing shoppers to take advantage of discounted pricing via their private labels. But, unlike Trader Joe’s, the design and packaging of Aldi’s private labels very closely mimic the bigger brands, almost to the point where you think you’ve entered an alternate universe. Aldi’s offers an array of meats, cheese, dairy and packaged convenience foods but I mostly love them for their fresh fruits and vegetables (a decent selection being organic) and I swear by their organic coffee, frozen riced cauliflower and everyday staples like butter, flour, sugar and nuts. They also sell big brand names like Dawn, Tide and Coca-Cola products.
Now when it comes to wine, Aldi plays a much smaller and more limited game than Trader Joe’s with mostly private labels and sweet wines infused with fruit juices but a couple of summers ago their $8 Expedition Rose from France went viral and it was sold-out everywhere. Wine is a much bigger deal in their UK stores, complete with a wine club and wine school, and perhaps inspired by the success of their rose, Aldi will bring a bring a much stronger wine presence to their stores in the US market. After all, Americans drink plenty of wine, too!
My curiosity has always gotten the best of me and I figured if the Aldi rose was pretty decent, what other delicious deals might be lurking on their shelves and hence we have the inspiration to do a taste-off series between Aldi and Trader Joe’s with a benchmark wine as a control. The wines must be a private label not offered anywhere else and within a similar price point. This series will feature on popular grape varieties and styles with Sauvignon Blanc going first. Whose wine will reign supreme? Read on to find out.
From left to right Exquisite Collection (Aldi), Kim Crawford (Control Wine) and The Pass (Trader Joe’s).
THE CANDIDATES
The wines were bagged, numbered and tasted at 36 degrees (refrigerator temperature). I then placed them in the freezer to taste them at a cooler temperature (30 degrees) as well as at room temperature (55 degrees). I first tasted them without food and then with food (a creamy spinach and feta pasta). I also tried them the day after to see how well they held up being opened.
2020 ALDI Exquisite Selection Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand $8.99 — most aromatic and expressive of the 3 wines with notes of grapefruit, green bell pepper, passionfruit, fresh cut grass and lime zest. Clean and citrusy with bright passionfruit notes on the palate. Pairs well with the feta notes in the pasta.
2020 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand $15 (CONTROL WINE) - most muted in the nose of the 3 wines. Not very expressive in aromatics but sweet honeysuckle notes on the palate with crisp sweet green apple, lime zest and firm structured acidity. You don’t get a lot of that expressive grapefruit and passionfruit associated with NZ Sauvignon Blanc. The muted flavors highlight more of the creamy notes of the pasta and no so much the dill and sharp tang from the feta.
2020 Trader Joe’s The PASS Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand $8.99 - also not very expressive on the nose but offering more notes of wet stone, freshly lit match and maybe some sulphur? The palate is much more pleasant with a riper fruit profile of passionfruit, sweet peaches, lime curd and green guava. For food, nice balance between wine number 1 and number 2. Trader Joe’s does offer other Sauvignon Blancs such as Kono and Matua but they are not exclusive brands.
AND THE WINNER IS…..
Aldi’s Exquisite Collection Sauvignon Blanc!
This is a matter of taste here (as really anything when it comes to wine) but my criteria was for what wine fulfilled my textbook example of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and the clear winner was wine number 1 from Aldi. It features all the elements I would use to describe a classic Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough - grapefruit, passionfruit, citrus zest and a hint of herbal green pepper. It held up well after 1 and even 2 days after being opened. Second runner up was Trader Joe’s The PASS with a little more grapefruit and citrus coming in although the nose was more subdued. And in last place, was the Kim Crawford which is shocker since I know many people consider this their benchmark Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. It’s not that it was bad but it wasn’t as expressive in the nose as the one from Aldi and it’s almost twice the price.
So there you have it folks, Round 1 goes to Aldi with their Exquisite Sauvignon Blanc. See you here in a week or so for Round Malbec!
DISCLAIMER: I paid for all the wines and was not compensated for this post. These are my views and any reviews are not meant as an endorsement. It’s also important to note that these are not my favorite Sauvignon Blanc wines ever. The notes and rankings should be taken in reference as a comparison amongst the three.