Aldi Named Five Holiday Food & Drink Pairings, So We Tried Them

For as much as I like food, I am truly bad at pairing things together. I have a terrible natural sense for how things should work together and I’ve never taken the time to learn enough to fill in the gaps. That’s why I’m thankful for endcaps at grocery stores. They love to pair things together for you to grab up and try on your own. I know it’s a technique to get you to buy more but I’ll admit it, I gobble those up every time!

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That’s why I’m glad that Aldi’s taken the time to highlight five festive pairings for the holiday season ahead. They’re doing all the heavy lifting for us! I decided to check out the five drink and dessert combos that they’re showing off in stores now. We’ll be doing things a little bit differently with this review. We’re going to talk about the pairings as they work together, not just the separate components. Let’s get into it.

Oh Me, Oh My Merry Mimosa & Bake Shop Apple Cider Donuts

Pros: Wow. Just truly impressive work here, Aldi. This mimosa, while still based in a layer of citrus, brings a deeper experience through the use of wine as the alcohol. This pairs oh, so nicely with the spice of the apple cider donuts. The inspiration behind this was absolutely one of an easy post-Thanksgiving brunch and it is exactly where it will get used.

Cons: The only thing I’m mad about when it comes to this pairing is that it wasn’t in my life sooner.

Specially Selected Cava & Specially Selected Amarena Cherries

Pros: Bright bubbles and Amarena cherries to go with them―a pleasant pairing for a New Year’s Eve celebration but one I struggle to find room for in day-to-day life. For the actual task at hand, these do a fine enough job but they don’t move the needle very much. The Cava is just fine and the cherries are just finer.

Cons: This pairing just doesn’t do it for me. I’m not personally a “snack on a jar of cherries” kind of guy and honestly, I’m doubtful those people exist. Do some of you really just reach into your fridge and pull out a few cherries to throw back? What do you even use to get the cherries from the jar to your mouth? A spoon? A fork? I just don’t see this pairing getting much mileage.

Specially Selected Maipo Valley Cabernet Sauvignon & Moser Roth Dark Chocolate Mousse Chocolate Bar

Pros: If I were to give bonus Sporks out for the most surprising pair, this would be the one. Looking at a dark red and chocolate bar pairing, you expect it to be a lot. As it turns out, I was wrong on both fronts. The cabernet sauvignon was shockingly on the lighter side. This was only compounded by the use of a chocolate bar with mousse inside. When you’re reaching for the chocolate bar, you’re actually introduced to a 50/50 experience of dark chocolate on the outside and airy mousse inside.

Cons: Looks can be deceiving. Though I wouldn’t take any Sporks away, I think this pairing has a huge hurdle to overcome on that front. Give it a try and see how amazing things can turn out for you!

Grande Alberone Luxurious Red Sparkling Wine & Benton’s Raspberry Jaffa Cakes

Pros: I’m a red kinda guy so I was in from the jump. Pairing the sparkling red wine with chocolate raspberry jaffa cakes makes complete sense here. You’re aiming to combine two light things together for a more sophisticated pair―one that won’t weigh you down, which can really be appreciated when we’re headed into the season of heavy foods.

Cons: Ironically, this pairing loses traction based on the fact that the red isn’t as rich as I would have liked it to be. The raspberry jaffa cakes themselves are on the milder side when it comes to flavor, so I would have loved a rich red to ground things. Instead, we’re left just floating up into the ether!

Bed Head Breakfast Stout & Specially Selected Chocolate Belgium Dessert

Pros: These two products fall victim most to the Spork rating being on the pairing itself. I loved both of these products from Aldi on their own. I was fearful but hopeful for the breakfast stout. I love breakfast foods, but I truly have never found a stout I’ve loved. Until now.

At best, I expected a breakfast beer to taste a little sweet. Not this. You can genuinely taste the maple in it―which is wildly impressive. It wasn’t off-putting and heavy like the usual stout. I’m not a beer drinker in the slightest and I would genuinely buy this again.

The mousse dessert was equally as delightful! Light and airy but it delivered with a rich chocolate flavor. While I would have loved some crunchies to add in some texture, there was little more left to be desired.

Cons: All that being said, I don’t see the thought behind pairing these two. I want to start my day with the breakfast stout and end it off with the chocolate mousse. For as much as I loved the breakfast stout, I just can’t see it being something that I’d want to drink after noon. I’m all for breakfast for dinner, but I can’t get over the hump of using it as fuel to day drink.