Aldi to open pop-up bar where glasses of wine start at 83 cents

Aldi is opening a pop-up wine bar in Sydney where a glass of pinot grigio will set you back just 83 cents, the latest marketing masterstroke from the discount supermarket giant.

It’s called The Trophy Room on Elizabeth Street, and punters can purchase a ticket for $4.41 to head along on two nights only: July 15 and 16.

The entry price will get you a double gold medal-winning Darley’s gin cocktail on arrival and a tasting selection of Aldi wines from acclaimed Australian wine regions like McLaren Vale and Margaret River.

“Our wines have been created by some of the best winemakers in the world and judged by the harshest critics to take home many of the most prestigious awards in the industry,” Aldi wine expert and buying director Jason Bowyer said.

If you’re still thirsty, a pop-up bar will offer a pinot grigio for 83 cents, while a pinot noir from Otago in New Zealand will set you back $2.49.

The drinks will be paired with “a deluxe cheese platter laden with the most legen-dairy and award-winning fromagerie”, the event says, with triple cream brie from just 56 cents for a single serve, and a smooth blue cheese for 62 cents.

Bowyer says the grocer wants Australian customers to associate great wine with reasonable prices.

“The Trophy Room is a first for Aldi Australia, demonstrating that a fine wine and dining experience doesn’t have to dent your wallet,” Bowyer said.

And Aldi has the evidence to back up the claim. In 2017, the International Wine Challenge crowned a £5.99 ($10.28) six-pound bottle of Aldi rosé the best value bottle in the world.

The Exquisite Collection Cotes de Provence Rosé 2016 wasn’t sold in Aldi stores in Australia but the award certainly helped marketing tell the story that prestige didn’t always come with a price tag.

Plus, it’s not only Aldi wine that is winning gongs. In the same year, Aldi won Double Gold prize at the Melbourne International Spirits Competition for its Highland Black Eight-Year-Old Scotch Whiskey, a drop that set shoppers back $35.

It’s not the first time the European-born supermarket giant has thought outside the box to drum up interest among Australians.

Earlier this year, through a partnership with Bondi startup Placer Robotics, Aldi launched ‘Pizzabot’, the first ever pizza vending machine to be entirely designed and manufactured in Australia.

The autonomous takeaway was on offer at the Aldi Corner Store in North Sydney, with prices starting at $8.99.

The Corner Store, which threw open its doors in July last year, was Aldi’s first diversification into smaller stores, self-checkouts and ready-to-go meals, while The Trophy Room is its first bar.

Tickets will be available online from 9am on July 7 by visiting The Trophy Room online.