After tasting Aldi’s Beaujolais Villages basic Beaujolais, I was curious to what the budget supermarket offered as the next step up. Not only is this Fleurie from Aldi suitable for vegans, it also represents a jump up in quality – again, not just because it is part of the supermarket’s premium Exquisite Collection range of wines, but because Fleurie is an official ‘Cru’ of the Province of Beaujolais wine region. Where a wine bearing Beaujolais Villages can be made from any part of the Eastern French region, Aldi Fleurie wine, on the other hand, carries the label “Cru du Beaujolais’. It guarantees the wine has been made according to stricter rules, including being made from grapes exclusively grown in the commune of Fleurie.
About Beaujolais Crus and Fleurie Wines
Beaujolais wines are not labelled varietally (in fact almost all are made with the Gamay grape) but instead named according to the 10 Beaujolais Crus (areas of the region), Fleurie being one one of them. Each has a distinctive style- Fleurie, for example, are highly perfumed, nicely textured, and considered one of the medium-bodied Beaujolais wines.
Aldi Exquisite Collection Fleurie Vegan Beaujolais
With a striking aroma of strawberry and violets, this is a really rather pleasant Beaujolais from Aldi. On the palate it offers plenty more red fruit, as well as a little dark cherry and floral notes. The tannins are silky and overall, it’s a smooth, elegant wine that does deserve a place in the Aldi Exquisite range. A definite re-buy, especially as I love pairing Beaujolais with vegan wines!
Food Pairings for Beaujolais
In what was probably my most successful food and wine pairing yet for the blog, I paired the Aldi Beaujolais Village wine with green lentil salad, with sweet potato, pomegranate seeds, fresh basil and paprika-orange dressing (you can read more about it here) which was SO incredibly good. On a similar train of thought- Beaujolais wines pair well with earthy vegetables, fragrant herbs, and fruit – this time we served slow-roasted butternut squash stuffed with green lentils, quinoa, and mixed seeds, with more fresh basil. The dish could have done with a little improvement on presentation but overall, another good Beaujolais, and another good wine and food pairing!
Have you tried any of Aldi’s Exquisite Collection range?
Jess
The Uncorked Vegan 