The world famous winemaker behind ALDI’s $9.99 bottle of red

For wine lovers, few things could be better on a cold winter’s night than a hearty home cooked meal washed down with a juicy glass of red. Enter the Corte Carista Chianti Superiore ($9.99), a rich, medium-bodied Chianti created exclusively for ALDI Australia by acclaimed Italian winemaker, Alberto Antonini. In collaboration with ALDI, the result of Alberto’s wine is a modern yet timeless expression of Chianti Superiore. With its rich dark ruby hue, the wine displays black cherry fruits and concentrated dark chocolate nuances on the bouquet. This is reinforced with a long, sumptuous palate that combines the savoury influences of Tuscany with Sangiovese and another traditional Tuscan grape called Canaiolo.

There was no hesitation in partnering with the Italian winemaker, who shares the same passion for quality, authenticity and simplicity, which guides ALDI’s approach to wine.

“Alberto is like the Marco Pierre White of the wine industry,” explains Jason Bowyer, ALDI’s Wine and Champagne Buying Director.

“He really is at that level in terms of winemaking and wine consulting. For me, there are two qualities that define a truly great winemaker. The first is having an immense passion for wine no matter what price point the product is. The second is remaining humble and not letting success get in the way of making amazing wine. Alberto embodies both those qualities.”

Jason isn’t the only wine enthusiast to praise the Tuscany-based supplier, who was named one of the most influential winemakers in the world by international wine bible Decanter  magazine.

For Alberto, creating a wine for ALDI that would reflect Tuscany at its finest was an exciting prospect.

“ALDI has an amazing wine selection that while compact, expresses the highest quality with great respect to terroir and value,” he says.

Going far beyond creating a quality red for ALDI’s liquor range, Alberto is so invested in the collaboration he even added a personal endorsement on the back of the Corte Carista bottle, something he doesn’t normally do.

“Alberto doesn’t throw his name around lightly so the fact that he decided to partner with us shows that he really believes in what we’re doing within the wine space,” reveals Jason.

“He knows we’re not just about buying affordable wine, putting a label on it and calling it ALDI wine. Alberto told me that it’s quite rare for wine buyers to form a true partnership with their suppliers and to be involved in the whole winemaking process, from label integrity right down to the vineyard. That was why he was excited about getting on board with us.”

The Corte Carista Chianti Superiore is available at selected ALDI stores that sell ALDI Liquor for $9.99.  

While we pride ourselves on sourcing quality wine from around the world, the majority of our suppliers are based in premium wine regions  around Australia, including Margaret River, the Barossa, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, Adelaide Hills, Central Victoria, the Yarra Valley, Geelong and the Riverina.