I tested the best supermarket dupes of pricey wine – Aldi winner tastes great and costs £40 less than Bollinger
CAN you really taste the difference in your glass after paying more for a popular name on your wine bottle?
This summer, rosé drinkers have been going wild for a “dupe” of well-known Whispering Angel.
The £8 Bardolino Chiaretto Rosé La Fioritura from M&S is a dead ringer for the spendier French angelic grapes.
And it is not the only similar-to-sip alternative.
Drinks expert Helena Nicklin picks eight of her favourite cost-saving swaps.
Bollinger Champagne
75cl, £58, from Tesco
Veuve Monsigny Brut NV
75cl, £14.99, Aldi
THIS luxury bottle is still famous among many fizz fans for being the Ab Fab bubbles of choice.
A flute of this fine French Champagne is always a treat.
Meanwhile, at over £40 less a bottle Veuve Monsigny stands as a decent dupe for the bubbly.
It is the vino that got even posh shoppers buying their wine at Aldi in the first place.
You could even throw a couple of quid more at their vintage version to get even closer to the real thing – and it would still be more than 50 per cent cheaper.
Whispering Angel
75cl, £17.99, Waitrose
M&S Bardolino Chiaretto Rose La Fioritura
£8, Ocado/M&S
WHILE it has gone viral on social media, this alternative salmon sip is not actually a proper dupe in any way, given that it is Italian rather than from a Provencal vineyard across the Channel.
It uses totally different grape varieties. But it is a really lovely rosé that knocks it out the park for taste to price ratio, with a similar pastel hue to Whispering Angel for posing with in your summer pics.
Seeing as you will be saving so much money, the drinking experience will certainly still be delicious.
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc
75cl, £26.99, Majestic
Yealands Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
£8.75, Iceland
THIS big-name white wine put Kiwi Sauvignon Blancs on the map for drinkers who love a grassy, fresh and crisp glug in their glass.
For an alternative sip, head to Iceland for the dupe that will save you almost £20 a bottle.
Yealands is a classy producer that makes fabulous, crisp and classic Kiwi Savvy B that comes from the same region.
I can say that the cheaper alternative is every bit as good as Cloudy Bay.
Penfolds Shiraz Bin 28
75cl, £36, Harvey Nichols
M&S Classics Barossa Shiraz
M&S, £10
THERE is nothing quite like the bold, velvety and peppery Shiraz that comes out of Australia.
The Bin 28 is matured in American oak and was first made in 1959.
It has a long-standing and well-deserved reputation.
For a pound-saving, just as sipable red vino nip down to M&S instead.
Its classic Barossa Shiraz is a decent dupe and does a good “in the style of” job in the glass.
It gives an incredible, licoricey scented bang for your buck.
Sancerre Domaine Chevreau
75cl, £20, Ocado
Sauvignon Blanc Val de Loire
£7.49, Lidl
WINE lovers know this vino to be delightful and extremely drinkable – but you will pay more for what is in the bottle and on the label.
For a great alternative, this perky little Savvy B from the discount supermarket has a similar, gentle, green nettle and mineral vibe to decent Sancerre – but without the premium price tag.
This is because it comes from a different region of France rather than Sancerre. Serve this up at parties to your savviest white wine-loving mates.
UP Ultimate Rose
75cl, £19.99, Waitrose
Specially Selected Organico Costa Toscana
£8.49, Aldi
WITH its distinctive flashy, glass bottle, this posh Provence pink is all about the packaging.
It wins the award for the prettiest-looking rosé bottle that is perfect for sipping and showing off. And what is inside is dry and decent too.
If you are after a similar, savoury and subtly complex vibe, with a bottle you will want to hang on to, then this little Tuscan treasure from the discount supermarket will be right up your street.
The bottle won’t win any awards but your wallet will thank you for it.