PROVING you should never judge a bottle by its cover, a cheap Spanish red from budget supermarket Aldi has scooped an international award.
Judges at the International Wine and Spirit Competition honoured the own-brand 2011 Toro Loco Tempranillo with a silver medal, describing it as ‘fruity, rounded and appealing’.
It comes despite a price tag of just £3.59.
Indeed the wine, made by Bodegas Covinas in the Utiel-Requena region in Valencia, excelled in blind taste tests alongside reds costing nearly ten times as much and beat several French Grand Crus.
In total Aldi took home an ‘unprecedented’ 18 medals in the competition including a 2010 Shiraz for £3.49, a Cava Brut for £4.48 and a £6.99 Prosecco.
“We work closely with some of the world’s leading wineries so we can deliver high-quality own-label wines to our customers,” said Tony Baines, from Aldi.
“It is fantastic that our commitment to quality has been recognised by as prestigious a group as the International Wine and Spirit Competition tasting panel.
“We’ve always known our wine range has got a lot of bottle and now it looks like the experts agree.”
