I purchased this wine to answer my critics who say “Why don’t you ever review wines from Lidl or Aldi?” I have purchased some wines from Lidl but haven’t enjoyed them enough to write about them.  Morellino Di Scansano Riserva 2013 is from Aldi.

Morellino Di Scansano Riserva 2013 is made for 85% Sangiovese grapes and 15% from other non-aromatic black grapes. It is classified as DOCG which is an Italian classification and a guarantee that the grapes are all from the village of Scansano in the South West of Tuscany.

I decanted the wine for an hour. In the glass, it was a tawny ruby colour This is a wine with 14.5% alcohol volume and I was expecting good legs but I was disappointed. The legs were weak and wide apart, a real lack of viscosity.  The nose was not fruit driven, but was sour and made my mouth water and there was a tart raspberry smell and a smell of potpourri. This is typical of a wine made from Sangiovese. On the palate, there was a rush of vanilla but then a bitterness as if the stalks and pips had been left in the vat for too long. On the next taste, there was a smoothness that was quite unexpected but very pleasant with an earthiness and pepper. This is a wine with high acidity and high tannin and it needs food. I was finding this wine quite intriguing and unpredictable.

I served Morellino Di Scansano Riserva 2013 with roasted neck of lamb, mixed roasted Mediterranean vegetables, couscous and a bread wrap. As soon as I tasted the wine, I knew that its high acidity would match well with the roasted cherry tomatoes and it did. It also matched well with the mushrooms, the bread wrap and the peppers. The mild chilli pepper on the couscous brought out the pepper in the wine and there was enough back bone in the wine to stand up to the chilli. The high tannin in the wine meant that it was perfect with the roast lamb. After the food, when my palate had been coated with fat from the lamb and acidity from the tomatoes the wine took on a new lease of life as an easy drinking red.

I purchased Morellino Di Scansano Riserva 2013 from Aldi and it cost £9.99.

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Compare with Tesco £9.99 Domador