UK discount retailer Aldi is adding a show-stopping addition to its holiday drinks range with the release of a 4.5-litre bottle of 10-year-old Tawny Port, available for under £100. The jumbo Rehoboam bottle, which holds the equivalent of six standard bottles and serves around 90 50ml portions, is available as an online special buy from today.

The supersized Port is part of Aldi’s broader festive strategy to offer value-driven, high-impact sharing bottles that bring both visual appeal and strong pricing to seasonal gatherings. Aldi says the bottle provides a premium experience at a fraction of the price compared to similar offerings—referencing a Harvey Nichols bottle of the same size retailing for £265.

Aldi describes the Tawny Port as boasting aromas of fruit, a hint of nuttiness, and subtle notes of chocolate, oak, and butterscotch—a decadent mix for holiday celebrations.

Building on past festive formats

This latest release builds on Aldi’s tradition of launching oversized bottles for the Christmas period. In 2018, it introduced its first Prosecco Methuselah, followed by a 6-litre version in 2019, which returned last year with a £20 price increase. Aldi has also had success with magnums and larger-format rosé, including a Provence rosé magnum priced at £11.99 released in July 2020.

Former Aldi BWS head Mike James noted that despite their higher price points, these large-format bottles are popular for adding “theatre” to parties and special occasions—a trend Aldi continues to capitalise on, even amid changing social conditions.

While uncertainty remains around whether large-scale festive gatherings will be permitted due to the UK’s COVID-19 restrictions, Aldi’s latest launch suggests consumers are still planning for celebratory moments at home.

Growing and diversifying the wine offer

Earlier in the year, Aldi unveiled 20 new wines as part of its ongoing strategy to appeal to premium customers and offer diverse wine styles. The update included a refresh of the discounter’s wine labels and an expansion of premium-tier bottles, following the quiet discontinuation of the Lot Series—its former line of one-off wine parcels.

At the time, wine buyer Josh Heley revealed that 170 new lines had already launched in 2020, with a further 50 planned by year’s end, underscoring Aldi’s commitment to wine innovation and consumer choice.

Click and collect ramps up for Christmas

In addition to product launches, Aldi is rapidly scaling its click and collect service, initially trialled at a single Midlands store in September. It expanded to 18 stores in October, and Aldi now plans to roll out the service to 200 stores by Christmas—representing over 20% of its 900-store UK estate.

The click and collect option allows shoppers to pre-order groceries and collect them curbside, in line with ongoing social distancing guidelines. While Aldi has not disclosed which locations will offer the service, the move marks a major step in the company’s digital growth.

Aldi first entered online wine sales in 2016, and during the first lockdown of 2020, it introduced online grocery parcels (excluding alcohol) in response to heightened demand and safety concerns.

With the supersized Aldi Port bottle and a growing range of click and collect locations, the discounter is positioning itself as a go-to destination for both festive indulgence and pandemic-conscious convenience this Christmas season.