7 Aldi Alcohol Options You Should Avoid Buying, According To Reviews

Aldi seems to be everyone's favorite grocery chain right now, and for good reason. Its prices are super reasonable, it has great name-brand items, and many of its in-house brands get great reviews from customers. It is also probably the most viral grocery store in the world right now, especially on TikTok. And, if you've ever done a price comparison with a big-name grocery chain like Publix or Whole Foods, you know firsthand that Aldi beats them on cost every time. In today's world, budgeting means everything, and younger generations are especially looking for ways to cut costs. That's why Aldi hauls are so incredibly popular on TikTok, and why more and more of them are popping up across the country.

For the alcohol lovers out there, however, you might want to steer clear of Aldi if you're looking for quality booze. That's not to say that all of it is bad, but sometimes the quality does match the price, and Aldi's many in-house beverages are proof of that. If you're not big on drinks, you may not care quite as much about the quality of a cheap bottle of wine or a six pack of beer. But many passionate drinkers out there want quality and reasonable prices, and Aldi doesn't always quite seem to be the place to go if you're looking for that kind of balance. 

Reviews across social media of numerous Aldi brands prove just how hit-or-miss the chain can be in this department. From poor taste to intolerable mouthfeel, avid drinkers pull no punches when it comes to just how bad some of these Aldi drinks can be. Here are seven Aldi alcoholic beverages you should steer clear of the next time you're looking for a cheap drink.

There are lots of great budget wines out there. More than enough, in fact. If you're looking for a good wine that won't break the bank, you'll never run out of options. Pinot Noir is definitely up there on the list of wines that folks love, but can be pricey if you're looking for the good stuff. There's really nothing like a bright, fruity red wine to compliment a meal or take the edge off at a friendly gathering.

One noir you might want to stay away from though, is Aldi's Don't Mind If I Do Pinot Noir, which is probably one of the worst-reviewed noirs that Aldi has produced under its umbrella of spirits brands. Multiple Reddit reviews call it terrible, saying that it was almost undrinkable and subpar in taste. There were even questions about whether they could use it for a cleaning hack, so the bottle didn't go to waste.

A good pinot noir should be light and smooth, easy to drink, and not overwhelming in taste. It should be a calm, flavorful drink that doesn't overwhelm. This one definitely didn't hit the mark. After all, when two different Reddit reviewers use the phrase "choke it down" to describe it, you know you've got a problem. If that doesn't tell all you need to know about this noir, then nothing will.

Wine drinking is, for many people, a coveted experience. Some wines get better with age, and there's nothing quite like opening a good bottle and pouring the first glass. It's an experience that many people covet, especially after a long day at work or an overwhelming evening getting kids to bed. One of the best reds to unwind with is an Australian red blend, which has a full-bodied, bold, and fruity flavor with notes of chocolate, black pepper, and dark fruits like blueberry and black cherry. 

Except, that is, Aldi's The Reprobates. This Australian red blend attempts to stand up as its own version of the popular 19 Crimes Red Blend, which itself gets mixed reviews from wine aficionados. Consensus around The Reprobates from drinkers is that it's bland, weak and unremarkable, as multiple Reddit reviews stated. Another red wine love said it had a vinegar-like taste after the first sip, which doesn't sound too enticing at all. It seems like the wisest thing to do is avoid this very forgettable red wine.

Have you ever had a good glass of pinot grigio? There's really nothing like it. Light, flavorful, and crisp with notes of citrus and green apple. Best served on a summer day with a poultry dish or some light cheese, pinot grigio is meant to refresh and serve as the perfect white wine to compliment a warm, sunny day with friends or a cookout at home with the family.

You'll probably want to avoid the Winking Owl brand pinot grigio from Aldi, however, if you don't want to spoil a good time. Since this list is about taste and value, let's just say that this doesn't really provide either. The Winking Owl brand overall doesn't get a lot of love from Aldi shoppers, but one reviewer called out this pinot specifically, saying that it caused their lips to burn slightly and even swell a bit. Others say the Winking Owl pinot just tastes bad, which is certainly reason enough not to drink it. But if you're paying for a wine that's making your lips swell up, you're definitely not getting any benefit for the price (no matter how cheap it is).

Ahh, merlot. This is the classic red wine for a good Italian meal or a nice filet mignon. Medium-to-full bodied, dark fruits, bold and flavorful. If you've never had a nice merlot with some duck, you're truly missing out on a meal like no other. Foodies should take note that a good merlot can truly make a meal an experience. For many, it's the ultimate compliment.

That is, unless it's the Winking Owl brand. Like the pinot grigio before it, Winking Owl's merlot just doesn't stack up to other budget reds out there. Reviews from wine drinkers across the Internet are largely that this merlot just wasn't very consistent. According to one Redditor, the mistake that Aldi makes with the Winking Owl brand is that it buys random bulk grapes rather than grapes from one single vineyard. This might enable them to make the wine cheaply and sell it at an irresistible price, but it doesn't make for a great drink. All in all, more than one Reddit user said they felt like this merlot tasted "off."

Beer and lime is a classic summer pairing, especially if you're into a Corona with a lime wedge while cooking out with family and friends. There's nothing more refreshing than a lager when it's hot outside, and lime lagers have become all the rage over the past few years for the blend of lightness and refreshment with a citrusy vibe that doesn't overwhelm.

Naturally, Aldi tried to get in the lime lager game but unfortunately, it didn't succeed. Its Limaveza Lime Lager might be one of the most poorly reviewed Aldi spirits on the world wide web, and also one with the most consensus around how bad it really is. Interestingly, one Reddit user compared its taste to edamame with salt and lime. It's hard to imagine how enjoyable a beer with that kind of flavor could be. Other reviewers agreed with that sentiment, while some simply said it tasted like Aldi used the peel of the lime rather than the juice itself.

Overall, the Limaveza brand lager didn't land well at all with Redditors. So if you're looking for a nice citrus lager while the weather's still warm, look elsewhere.

If you don't know much about prosecco, you might not think it's very different from champagne. These sparkling wines come from different countries and have different flavor profiles. Champagne is much more complex than prosecco, and is French in origin. Prosecco also has a different mouthfeel than champagne, with bigger bubbles that come to the surface more quickly. The two can be enjoyed for similar occasions, but a good prosecco is great as a dessert wine or with Italian cheeses and meats.

So if you're just getting into sparkling wine, prosecco is a great way to break into the delicious world of bubbly spirits. With that said, you know exactly where this is going: Don't start your prosecco journey with Aldi's Belletti prosecco. One Redditor said in a review that it had a "smoky" flavor to it, which is, without question, not something you want in any sparkling wine, let alone a prosecco. For the price, you might end up getting a decent batch, but it's most likely not worth the risk if you're looking for a prosecco that tastes as delicious as they're meant to.

Hard seltzers were all the rage for a while there, and though the hype has definitely died down, they're still a great and enjoyable beverage that people love to drink on a hot summer's day. They're definitely a divisive drink, as people seem to love them or hate them, but there are some flavors that are undeniably great, and the right brand can win you over in a heartbeat.

If you are looking to be won over, definitely try and avoid Aldi's Vista Bay line of seltzers. Consensus among Reddit users is that they just don't get the taste right –especially the grapefruit flavor. The black cherry flavor also wasn't well received by Aldi shoppers, with one calling it one of the worst seltzers they'd ever had. And more broadly, another reviewer called the brand undrinkable. So if you're on the hunt for a good hard seltzer, you'd be wise to find another brand and avoid spending your money on the Vista Bay brand, no matter how temptingly inexpensive it might be.

To figure out which Aldi brand spirits were among the worst a drinker could find at the budget grocery store, we combed social media sites like Reddit and Facebook and relied on a consensus among drinkers to determine whether the product in question was worth the low price. Not all Aldi beverages are created equal, of course, and some actually do get good reviews, especially for the price point. But these drinks were determined to be the most avoidable ones, particularly based on taste and value. 

Finding a good, cheap bottle of wine or a pack of beer is tough these days, with so many options out there and so many opinions. But our criteria for this list primarily relied on whether people thought the booze tasted good for the money. Taste really was at the core of our criteria because a good wine or beer comes down to how good it tastes rather than how good the buzz is. The price itself wasn't a major concern, especially because everything Aldi carries is generally going to be cheaper than comparable name-brand items you'd find at a bigger grocery store or liquor store. This was based on taste against value, and the spirits we found really exemplified the worst possible alcohol choices at Aldi.