We Tried Every Aldi Wine: Here’s Our Ranking

If you’re looking for decent wine without a hefty price tag, Aldi is where you’ll want to head. Sure, you won’t find the fanciest (or priciest) bottles lining the shelves here, but Aldi’s wine selection is small but mighty. 

Videos by Sporked

As a frequent wine drinker and regular Aldi shopper, I’ve gotten to know the exclusive Aldi wine lineup well (perhaps a bit too well, since there are 90-plus options!). And there’s quite a lot of variety—both in price range, brands, and varietals. After many trips to Aldi, I’ve rounded up my favorites and ranked the store’s exclusive wines from worst to best so you know what’s worth adding to your cart or skipping entirely.

Don’t Mind If I Do Pinot Noir Red Wine

If you’re looking for a Pinot Noir that inspires strong feelings, this is a bottle that’ll do that… but in all the wrong ways. I made the mistake of cracking open one of these bottles on vacation once (a long travel day made me desperate, okay?!) and I could barely choke down one glass. The light, fruity spin on a usually-bold red may work in a pinch, but compared with the other bottles on this list, this is one I’ll happily leave on the shelf.

Don’t Mind If I Do Sauvignon Blanc White Wine

Don’t Mind If I Do Sauvignon Blanc is a low-alcohol, lower-calorie bottle with a taste that’s so surprisingly mellow you just might miss it. Supposedly, this Sauvy B is made with Meyer lemon, lime blossom and honeydew melon, but it’s obviously a bargain-level sip. It’s not exactly a flavor bomb and I find its creamy texture to be a bit too chardonnay-leaning than I like my whites.

Winking Owl White Zin

Listen, Aldi’s Winking Owl wine lineup has some solid options for wines priced under $7, but the White Zinfandel isn’t one of them. It’s unabashedly sweet, with strawberry, cherry, cranberry and watermelon flavors that make it more fruit punch-adjacent than serious wine. It’s (kind of) refreshing when served cold, but if you prefer your wine dry, this bottle is going to taste like someone accidentally dumped Simple Syrup into your glass.

Winking Owl Shiraz

Shiraz is a tough wine to love even when you’re springing for a pricey bottle, and Aldi’s Winking Owl version is far more fruity than you’d expect. Each sip brings a lot of blackberry and blueberry fruit to the party, which makes it easy to drink—but be warned: there’s enough tannin and acidity here to keep all that fruit from turning into jam in a glass and you’ll likely notice it.

Winking Owl Chardonnay

Winking Owl Chardonnay keeps things simple with ripe apple and pear flavors, plus toasted oak and a little spice in the background. It’s an inexpensive, uncomplicated Chardonnay, although I wouldn’t call this varietal the Owl’s strongest showing.

Winking Owl Sweet Red

As the name promises, Winking Owl Sweet Red is sweet, fruity and completely uninterested in pretending otherwise, with ripe blackberry, raspberry, and blueberry flavors and a soft, velvety finish. If dry reds make you want to hide under the nearest table, this bottle is a much friendlier place to start. If you’re not a sweet fan? This is a skip.

Winking Owl Merlot

Winking Owl Merlot goes heavy on the jammy dark fruit, with rich mixed berries, a touch of oak, and a little vanilla. The tannins are approachable rather than mouth-puckering, making this the sort of budget-friendly bottle you can pour without asking anyone to contemplate its terroir.

Winking Owl Cab Sauv

Winking Owl Cabernet Sauvignon is smooth and velvety, packing blackberry, plum, and toasted oak into a surprisingly cozy little package. Vanilla spice, cedar, and milk chocolate show up on the finish, making this one of the more convincing members of Aldi’s ultra-cheap Winking Owl lineup.

California Heritage Cabernet Sauvignon Red Wine

For about $5, California Heritage Cabernet Sauvignon is doing considerably more than it has any right to do, with blackberry, cassis, cocoa, and vanilla on a juicy, velvety palate. Those familiar Cab Sauv tannins lean surprisingly silky rather than bitter here and I’m a fan of the dry finish.

Sunshine Bay Sauvignon Blanc

Aldi’s Sunshine Bay Sauvignon Blanc brings the tropical fruit, with guava and stone fruit backed by passionfruit, peach, lemon, and grapefruit. It’s fresh and dry, making this wine a particularly easy choice when you want crisp, zingy white wine without any kind of splurge.

California Heritage Merlot Red Wine

The California Heritage line does red wine surprisingly well for its price point and this merlot offers a bright, jammy berry taste and remarkably smooth finish. It’s fruity without being cloying and easy enough to drink on its own—or if you’re in the mood, you can turn into a fancy-tasting but cheap sangria you’ve ever made.

California Heritage Pinot Noir Red Wine

California Heritage Pinot Noir may be a bolder choice, but this is a red that’s pleasantly light and juicy, with blackberry, strawberry, and cherry flavors and very little tannic drama. It isn’t going to make anyone forget Burgundy exists, but it’s an uncomplicated red that earns its place in the bargain-wine rotation.

Quarter Cut Chardonnay White Wine

If you love an oaky chardonnay, good news: Aldi’s Quarter Cut Bourbon Barrel Chardonnay is full-bodied and unapologetically oaky. It’ll hit you with flavors of ripe peach, vanilla, and wood spice. Basically, if your ideal Chardonnay tastes like it spent some quality time hanging out with a bourbon barrel, this is your $10-ish ticket to that party.

Quarter Cut Bourbon Barrel Red Blend Wine

Quarter Cut Bourbon Barrel Red Blend brings the bourbon-barrel trend to a California red, pairing ripe fruit with chocolate, mocha, cherry, blackberry, and plum flavors. The result is surprisingly smooth, making it a solid pick when you want your wine to taste like it has opinions about charred wood.

William Walker Monterey County Chardonnay White Wine

William Walker Monterey County Chardonnay is creamy and fruit-forward thanks to its flavors of pineapple, mango, pear, apple, and peach—but there’s enough acidity to keep things from getting too heavy. This is a good choice for anyone who likes their whites buttery-ish but not full-on melted-butter territory.

Mark Hill Pinot Noir Red Wine

Spice is the name of the game in each bottle of Aldi’s Mark Hill Pinot Noir. But it’s also smooth and fruit-forward, thanks to touches of ripe black cherry and cranberry. Its tannins do make an appearance, but for a Pinot that costs less than many mediocre grocery store Chardonnays, it’s one I return to when I need a different kind of Pinot on tap.

Peaks & Tides Chardonnay White Wine

Peaks & Tides Chardonnay is for the California Chardonnay lover who thinks there’s no such thing as too much vanilla and oak. Along with these two staples, you’ll taste peach, yellow apple, lemon, and oak spice. Think of it as a solid everyday Chardonnay you can always rely on.

Bear Bros. Sauvignon Blanc White Wine

Don’t overlook Bear Bros. if you prefer your Sauv Blanc dry. Bear Bros. Sauvignon Blanc skips the canned-jalapeño vibes and goes for juicy citrus, peach, honeysuckle instead. It’s refreshing, mostly dry and packed with enough flavor to make it an easy hot-weather winner—especially if you like your Sauvignon Blanc more fruity than grassy.

Bear Bros. Rosé Wine

Like I noted above, Bear Bros. makes some solid mid-range wines for Aldi, and the Bear Bros. Rosé is light, dry and refreshing, with raspberry and strawberry aromas followed by crisp acidity. It could use a little more depth, but that’s hardly a dealbreaker when the goal is an easy-drinking bottle for a hot day, a backyard hang, or aggressively lounging by the pool.

Florility Italian Pinot Grigio White Wine

Florility Organic Pinot Grigio is a light, refreshing white designed for people who want their wine crisp and uncomplicated, not oaky and dramatic. Expect the bright citrus-and-fruit profile you want from a good Pinot Grigio, with the added bonus that each bottle is also organic and part of a no-sugar-added line exclusive to Aldi.

Specially Selected Chianti Riserva Red Wine

Yes, it’s another Specially Selected pick—and the Chianti Riserva is where Aldi’s bargain wine starts tasting suspiciously serious, with fresh black and red fruit, cherry, plum, gentle spice, and a savory finish. It’s a traditional Tuscan Sangiovese-based wine with ripe tannins and enough structure for grilled meat or spaghetti night.

Specially Selected Fluer d’Eau Brut Rose Sparkling Wine

Specially Selected Fleurs d’Eau Brut Rosé is a festive little bottle with bright red-berry character and the crispness you want from a brut sparkling wine. If you need a sparkling pick that’ll work with potato chips, seafood, and weekend celebrations alike, then this is basically your dream bottle of bubbly.

William Walker Monterey County Pinot Noir Red Wine

I often find myself reaching for a bottle of William Walker Monterey County Pinot Noir while browsing Aldi, thanks to the juicy, fruit-forward side of this Pinot. It’s lighter and more approachable than heavier-bodied alternatives, like the sort of bottle you want with dinner when you don’t want something so big and tannic that it hijacks the entire meal.

Specially Selected Pinot Grigio Alto Adige White Wine

Specially Selected Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige has the bright, refreshing personality you expect from a Northern Italian Pinot Grigio, with lemon, orange blossom, and yellow apple. It has considerably more personality than your average anonymous grocery-store Pinot Grigio, making it a smart pick for seafood, salads, or pretending you’re vacationing in Italy on a Tuesday.

Dancing Flame Red Blend Wine

Think an under-$7 red blend might not have a lot to offer? Think again, because Aldi’s Dancing Flame Red Blend will surprise you like it did me. This wine is so easy to sip (like when you’re winding down after a three-hour toddler bedtime routine on weeknights), bringing blackberry, dark fruit, and spice together with vanilla, a touch of green pepper and a little cola on the finish.

Specially Selected Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Specially Selected Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon will hit your tastebuds with blackberry, blackcurrant, red cherry, spice, vanilla, and cedar notes. It’s softer than some of Napa’s more serious Cabs, but the balance, fruit, and French-oak aging make this a genuinely impressive bottle for your money at Aldi.

Florility Organic French Rosé

Dry, crisp, and refreshingly free of the syrupy sweetness that can make some bargain rosés stand out for all the wrong reasons, Florility Organic French Rosé is a standout summertime pick. With strawberry and citrus notes, consider this your official excuse to keep a bottle chilled from Memorial Day through Labor Day every year.

Specially Selected Mid Cotes de Provence Rose Wine

I’m of the (hopefully universal?) opinion that rosé should taste like actual rosé, not vaguely pink fruit juice. And Aldi’s Specially Selected Côtes de Provence Rosé is the Aldi bottle to choose if you want yours crisp, dry, and refreshing. With notes of tart strawberry, white peach, and grapefruit, it’s been a longtime Aldi favorite of mine. Light, bright and priced at under $10 a bottle, this is the kind of Aldi wine you can confidently bring to a cookout, pour by the pool or drink straight from a plastic cup.

Peaks & Tides Pinot Noir Red Wine

I’m a “red wine for every occasion” kind of girl, and this is the best red I’ve ever picked up at Aldi—and yes, it gets bonus points in my book for being my favorite varietal, too. But even if you’re not a huge Pinot Noir fan like me, you’ll like this standout Aldi option. Peaks & Tides Pinot Noir will make you wonder if someone accidentally put a $30 wine on the middle shelf. This Sonoma County red is smooth and medium-bodied, with juicy cherry, raspberry, and strawberry flavors, a hint of spice, and a velvety texture. At $13.49 a bottle, it is a little pricier for Aldi, but this is the bottle to grab when you want your grocery store wine to taste fancy.

Landkastel Mosel Riesling White Wine

Want proof that Aldi’s wine aisle can seriously punch above its weight class? Pour yourself a glass of Landkastel Mosel Riesling, a $7-ish bottle from Germany’s Mosel region that’s a total crowd-pleaser. I keep a bottle of this on hand in my fridge at all times, because its balance of fruity sweetness and bright acidity, with peach, tangerine, and green apple notes make it one of the best grocery store Rieslings around. It’s refreshing, but never syrupy. Oh, and if you love spicy foods, this easy-drinking Aldi MVP deserves a permanent spot in your wine rotation.

Specially Selected Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc White Wine

Rarely is a white wine of any kind my first choice, but when I’m picking up a bottle at Aldi, this Specially Selected Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is always my go-to. It’s the number-one wine here, in my opinion, that you should grab when you want something that tastes way more expensive than its price tag (which is under $10, by the way!). Tart and slightly acidic but bright and crisp, this is a Sauvy B that never leans bitter. Plus, it’s a fantastic warm-weather sip—when chilled, it’s refreshing and zesty, with touches of lime, passionfruit and white grapefruit flavors.