The £6.49 Lidl rosé that’s the dupe of one that’s 4-times the price

Sun’s out, bottles of rosé out? I’m pretty sure that’s how the saying goes…  

Either way, spring gives us licence to pour pink wine like no other season (aside from summer), and I’ve found the perfect bottle to try.

What makes it even more tasty is that it’s almost a quarter of the price of a very similar tasting tipple.

This latest find is a dry and delicious Italian rosé called Cà del Lago Rosa delle Dame from Lidl that’s smashing the competition at only a smidge over £5…

Spoiler-alert, it looks and tastes uncannily like the celebrated Cà dei Frati Rosa dei Frati, which retails for £25 a bottle.

I’m in no way complaining, I mean, why pay £25 when you can pay £6.49 for something almost the same.

And when I say almost the same… That unique bottle shape, the colour, the logo, the script on the label, the embossing on the glass. For the love of all things pink, even their names are twinning.

Theres no denying that rosé has become our spring/summer go to, so let’s take a little look at how it’s become such a staple.

How is rosé made?

It’s usually produced in the same way as red, from red grapes, but instead of leaving the grape juice on the skins for days, it’s left for a few hours. The colour lies in the skins of the grapes, see, so to reach that salmon-coloured, onion skin, coral or whatever colour descriptor you’re using for that super light shade of pink, you don’t want to leave the juice soaking up pigment for too long.

The longer you leave the juice on the skins, the more colour, texture and tannins the wine takes on, taking it from pale and subtle to deep and brawny. If you don’t want your rosé to hulk-out, keep to the lighter side of the colour spectrum.

Why do we love rosé?

As for why we love it, well, it’s lighter than red and has more oomph than white, simple. In fact, we’re some of the keenest rosé guzzlers in the world, it’s been surveyed that more than 62% of UK rosé drinkers were also more likely to pay more for a premium rosé in a restaurant. Apparently, we’ll pay an average of £126 per month on the liquid, £10 higher than non-rosé drinkers. Goes to show, we want top-end and tasty, not cheap and unpleasant. But what if the budget stuff tasted as good as the bougie stuff?

What’s so special about Lidl’s Rosé?

Well, take a sip of Cà del Lago Rosa delle Dame from Lidl and tell me you don’t think it tastes premium. I dare you. It’s orangey-pink, tick, with punnets of wild strawberries and citrus fruit on the nose and palate, leaving an electric daisy-like tingle on your tongue, in a refreshing way. Sound familiar? It should, you could also describe a high-end rosé like Cà dei Frati Rosa dei Frati in pretty similar terms.

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So, where did this bargain vinous revelation come from? Italy, sure, but where abouts? Well, what we know is that the grapes are grown in the Trevenezie IGT zone of Northern Italy, a large area which includes the winemaking regions of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto, aka Venice.

Aside from that, and that it’s part of Lidl’s core range, they’re playing their cards close to their chest on this one. Well, that only makes me more resourceful and determined to do some digging, so dug I did.

It’s made by Cà del Lago, a producer based around Lake Garda, called Enoitalia. It’s one of the leading family-owned wineries in Italy, established in 1986 by the Pizzolo family. They boast one of the most modern production facilities in Europe.

As for its significantly more expensive twin, Cà dei Frati Rosa dei Frati, it is produced in neighbouring Lombardy, made from a blend of local red grape varieties. The wine is the same orangey-pink colour and it’s also dry, delicate and tastes of summer pudding and wild strawberries with and orange sherbet, lip smacking finish.

Why is one rosé so much cheaper than the other?

A major factor is the size of the region/s you’re using to grow the grapes, which is a lot more extensive in the case of the cheaper bottle. The bigger the economies of scale, the more competitive the prices.

 Trevenezie IGT covers 3 major winemaking zones, whereas the more expensive rosé is from a single region, namely Lugana in Lombardy where the vineyards sit alongside the southern banks of Lake Garda, one of Italy’s prime winemaking areas. It’s soil is rich in mineral salts and the Alpine breeze keeps temperatures optimal for grape ripening.

Grapes used in the more expensive bottle, Cà dei Frati Rosa dei Frati, come from revered sites in the region that are curated for utmost quality. They aren’t looking to produce wines for the mass market.

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