Looking to spend little on an older, more mature wine? That is normally tricky, but thankfully Aldi have some surprises in their wine selection.

Just £5,99 will give you Baron Amarillo Rioja Reserva 2006

The bottle itself is very ornate and theatrical. It has a traditional gold wire mesh covering which needs to be wrestled with first. This wire was originally conceived to prevent people from pasting fake labels over inferior bottles according to this post. It now just makes getting to the wine without some wire cutters slightly tricky. Simply pulling down the wire leaves the bottle looking awkward and dishevelled. I am not sure if I find this more chintzy than appealing, but it is part of the Riojan wine heritage, so let’s just get into the spirit and enjoy it.

Under the reasonable foil lies a real cork, which feels right, and once pulled a reddish brown wine appears, the colour showing it’s maturity, and hopefully complex flavours from its mandatory three years in oak barrels to attain the 'Reserva' status. I by chance also had another Rioja open in an early flush of youth. This was a vibrant red by comparison.

To drink, Baron Amarillo Rioja Reserva 2006 is rich and like stewed plums. A very smooth wine. It is nicely balanced without too much overpowering alcohol. Not a long finish as the flavour dissipates very quickly and does not linger.

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