{"id":41126,"date":"2025-11-12T18:12:23","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T17:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vinexposium.com\/?p=41126"},"modified":"2026-01-11T18:42:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T17:42:19","slug":"how-aldi-france-keeps-its-wines-affordable-without-sacrificing-quality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vinexposium.com\/en\/actus\/industry\/how-aldi-france-keeps-its-wines-affordable-without-sacrificing-quality\/","title":{"rendered":"How Aldi France keeps its wines affordable without sacrificing quality"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a market defined by rising costs, Aldi\u2019s shelves tell a different story. Between back-to-back tastings, Roger Anthony, the retailer\u2019s senior BWS buyer<\/strong> in France, reveals with disarming clarity the tactics that keep its bottles budget-friendly.<\/p>\n

Aldi France\u2019s wine department<\/strong> has made headlines over the past few months, and it\u2019s not for a shiny new label or tasty new blend. With tensions running high in the country\u2019s wine industry, the discounter has come under fire for its pricing policy. Yet Roger Anthony, the retailer\u2019s senior BWS buyer in France, brushes off the controversy as he reasserts the retailer\u2019s longstanding focus on delivering value.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur prices aren\u2019t the lowest \u2013 other retailers do that \u2013 but we prioritise value for money,\u201d he said.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Aldi prides itself on keeping wine affordable even in the face of inflationary pressure. During its annual autumn in-store wine festival in September, 53% of the wines retailed for under \u20ac4.59<\/strong>, a price point that many feel is not viable for producers. Anthony explains how the discounter\u2019s disciplined sourcing and logistics efficiency allows it to retail good wine for as little as \u20ac1.99 a bottle.<\/p>\n

One of the most striking aspects of Aldi\u2019s wine department \u2013 a trait shared by other discounters \u2013 is its extreme rationalisation. The permanent range features just 70 SKUs marketed across its 1,350 stores nationwide, with an additional 15 or so tailored to regional tastes. \u201cFor example, in Alsace, our national range features a Riesling and a Gewurztraminer but we add a Sylvaner, a Pinot Gris and a Pinot Noir to the regional selection to align with local consumption trends.\u201d<\/p>\n

These are the only \u201cfrills\u201d<\/em> the retailer allows itself: \u201cTake Bordeaux. We\u2019ll have an entry-level Bordeaux, a chateau and one M\u00e9doc, whereas other retailers may carry ten different M\u00e9docs.\u201d Such tight curation delivers economies of scale, but it also puts pressure on the sourcing to be flawless. \u201cAcross its different departments, Aldi only markets 1,800 products compared with 20,000 or 25,000 in other retail stores so we can\u2019t make any mistakes,\u201d notes Anthony.<\/p>\n

\"Portrait Photo : RogerAnthony (c) Aldi France<\/p>\n

Rigorous funnel<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

As a result, the selection process is wide at entry and narrow at exit. Over 6,000 tastings are conducted, but just five to 10 wines earn a place on Aldi shelves every year. Neither will you find any national wine brands in Aldi France stores. \u201cAll of our wines are sold under our own brands. This is our policy across the store, for 90% of our products but 100% of our wines \u2013 though admittedly, there are virtually no true national wine brands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over time, Aldi has honed a rigorous system for developing its own brands, giving it tighter control over costs and sourcing. \u201cI designed the Jean Giner brand 12 years ago,\u201d<\/em> explains Anthony. \u201cThe first SKU was a Chardonnay because at the time Burgundy prices had rocketed and I wanted a nicely presented, oaked Chardonnay in a Burgundy-style bottle.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The award-winning Pays d\u2019Oc-labelled wines now include a Cabernet-Sauvignon that retail for between \u20ac2.49 and \u20ac2.69. A year ago, Aldi introduced a three-year contract for the range: \u201cWe agree to buy the wines for three years from the same supplier, which has been with us since the start. It means that they can plan ahead and we can secure consistent quality. Our Jean Giner supplier was able to invest in facilities and bottling equipment, for Aldi and other customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

I could launch a tender, buy the cheapest wine and make suppliers toe the line. I might benefit for the first year, but you don\u2019t build anything over the long term that way.<\/p>\n

While Jean Giner is the only wine covered by this specific contract, Anthony emphasises the value of long-term supplier relations more broadly: \u201cOur other contracts cover at least one year and set terms for both volumes and durations. Some of our suppliers have been with us for 25 to 30 years. Obviously, I could launch a tender, buy the cheapest wine and make suppliers toe the line. I might benefit for the first year, but you don\u2019t build anything over the long term that way.\u201d Anthony should know \u2013 he not only selects the wines, but also negotiates the contracts from the company\u2019s HQ in France.<\/p>\n

Strict quality control<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Anthony and his team, who only purchase pre-packaged wines and never in bulk, also oversee the quality control process. \u201cWe have specialised laboratories for our wines that test them on arrival so that we have a control sample. Around 2,300 analyses are conducted every year<\/strong>. The wines are regularly tested and tasted to ensure the quality remains consistent throughout. You can have the best wine ever, but if a supplier fails to maintain his standards, we see it immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wines submitted for tenders are blind tasted and the team also benchmarks its wines against competitors while exploring new offerings such as alcohol-free wines. So far, Anthony remains unconvinced: \u201cPersonally, I think they work on the nose but they lack length on the palate, and that is an issue for me. There is obviously a trend for alcohol-free wines, but I think we\u2019ll test them first on an occasional basis and see how our customers react.\u201d<\/p>\n

Market intelligence clearly guides Aldi\u2019s wine selection. Last year, Anthony launched a range of wines specifically targeting a younger audience and is very satisfied with the results, albeit with a few caveats. \u201cThe range is labelled Vin De France and is nicely presented with six different labels per colour. The ros\u00e9 and the white are very successful, but we are struggling more with the red.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Feedback from young consumers have prompted tweaks: \u201cThey wanted slightly sweeter styles, so we have shifted to AOP Ros\u00e9 de Loire and to C\u00f4tes de Gascogne for the whites which are also sweeter and fruitier. Young people don\u2019t want the kind of mature, tannic wines I grew up with. They want easier-drinking, fresh, fruity wines.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aldi France also plans to focus on boxed wines<\/strong>, which account for around 40% of sales in French supermarkets<\/strong> across-the-board, and to extend the Jean Giner range with some premium labels for the festive season. \u201cBut there won\u2019t be any revolutions at Aldi. We move forward one step at a time. Our core range is fairly stable. We adjust it every year based on new market opportunities, gaps in the range and shifting demand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Optimising efficiency<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

After 33 years with Aldi France, Anthony embodies the kind of stability he seeks in his wine range, leveraging a number of techniques to optimise efficiency. \u201cWe capitalise on every opportunity to ensure economies of scale. With the packaging, for example, we cut through the blurb to keep it simple.\u201d<\/p>\n

Logistics are another key area of the supply chain for savings. \u201cA lorry never leaves half full, and all our pallets are fully loaded. We constantly maximise the potential for cutting costs.\u201d While large consignments are central to Aldi\u2019s cost strategy, they are not necessarily of the magnitude you might expect. \u201cOur rationale size-wise is always a pallet and not minimum volumes,\u201d explains Anthony. \u201cDepending on the palletisation plan, that means either 100 or 130 boxes. Aldi\u2019s strength is to be proactive and order large shipments, but we can order smaller amounts for one-off promotions or our in-store wine festival.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rayon Photo : Aldi France wine department (c) Aldi France<\/p>\n

Importantly, he adds, \u201cwe do not exclude any supplier \u2013 they can range from small winegrowers to large co-operatives. There is a place at Aldi for everyone\u201d.<\/p>\n

Anthony offers some context for the company\u2019s sacrosanct criterion: \u201cValue for money is in our DNA. Aldi was established in Germany in 1948 and has operated in France for 35 years, but its policy has remained unchanged. We are proud to champion this model and will remain discounters. Today, you see Porsches and Mercedes in Aldi car parks. Everyone knows how to count.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although the war in Ukraine disrupted some of the retailer\u2019s buying processes, Anthony notes that his team\u2019s agility enabled it to sidestep many issues faced by other chains. \u201cLike everyone else, we experienced an increase in prices at the start of the Ukraine war. All the entry-level bottles were produced in Ukraine and the cost of dry goods surged. When we ran out of transparent bottles, we switched to bag-in-boxes so that our customers continued to have \u2018their\u2019 wines.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Aldi France, wine is considered a crucial consumer category. \u201cPrestige is perhaps a bit strong, but we focus on providing a coherent range with nice packaging and properly defined brands. Wine is synonymous with joyful occasions and even though consumption is declining and young people are drinking less, wine for me is still a great product that we need to look after. We also need to listen to consumers so that it can adapt to shifting trends.\u201d<\/p>\n

About Sharon Nagel:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

British-born Sharon Nagel<\/strong> has been a journalist and translator specialising in wine for 35 years. She writes for leading French online publication Vitisphere and also contributes to corporate communications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a market defined by rising costs, Aldi\u2019s shelves tell a different story. Between back-to-back tastings, Roger Anthony, the retailer\u2019s senior BWS buyer in France, reveals with disarming clarity the tactics that keep its bottles budget-friendly. Aldi (\u2026)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":40950,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry","format-article"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow Aldi France keeps its wines affordable without sacrificing quality – Vinexposium<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Aldi France keeps its wines affordable without sacrificing quality – Vinexposium\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In a market defined by rising costs, Aldi\u2019s shelves tell a different story. 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