Michael David Freakshow Zinfandel 2019-Freaking Good There is an effort in California to elevate Zinfandel wines to be equal to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir. I always loved Zinfandel, I never thought they weren't equal. But elegant, sophisticated is the new normal. I have nothing against elegant and sophisticated, but I always loved rustic…
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The Michael David Freakshow Zinfandel 2019 is 86% Zinfandel, 8% Petite Sirah, and 6% Petit Verdot sourced from vineyards in the Lodi AVA. Petite Sirah is often found blended with ZInfandel, it is almost a surprise if no Petite Sirah is added. Petit Verdot is one of the Red grapes approved for wines in Bordeaux….
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Caretaker Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2020- A Long-Time Trader Joe's Favorite Brand We first reviewed a Caretaker branded wine for the 2009 vintage, it was a Pinot Noir. This is my first time trying the Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon and what took us so long! This is one of those bargain wines Trader Joe's is…
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The Caretaker Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive produced for them by Miller Family Wine Company. The Caretaker brand has been available at Trader Joe’s since at least the 2009 vintage when CWF reviewed their Pinot Noir. In the past, the Caretaker wines had the Central Coast Wine Warehouse as the…
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Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay 2020- My Favorite Chardonnay Let Me Tell U Why I could tell you why, again. But you should check out the review on www.cheapwinefinder.com and listen to the awesome podcast!!! Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com or email us at podcast@cheapwinefinder.com
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The Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay 2020 is the “entry-level” Chardonnay from Wente Vineyards, the oldest continuously operated family-owned winery in America (founded in 1883). They survived World Wars, the Depression, and Prohibition, and their story is of great significance to the entire wine industry. In 1912 Ernest Wente started working on grapevine cutting from a…
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Cupcake Prosecco DOC- Shouldn't It Be Tiramisu Prosecco? Cupcake Vineyards is a curated wine brand, Cava from Spain, Sauv Blanc from New Zealand, etc. They use the same head winemaker on all the wines so there is a certain sensibility behind the whole line of wines. If you enjoy one wine you should enjoy others….
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The Cupcake Prosecco DOC is part of a curated line of wines from Cupcake Vineyards which is one of The Wine Groups‘ families of brands. They have Cava from Spain, Pinot Grigio from the foothills of the mountains in far north Italy, a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, you get the idea, all under the…
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Emma Reichart Gewürztraminer 2020-Hard To Spell, Easy To Drink A $6.99 Trader Joe's wine, but $11.99 in retail wine shops. Just pointed that out for all of those folks who think $6.99 wine is beneath them. Never had a Gewürztraminer wine you say? Well, there is no time like today to remedy that. Get out…
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The Emma Reichart Gewürztraminer 2020 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive. This wine is produced by the Schåffer-Reichart Winery located in the Mosel region of Germany. As a point of reference, in New York where grocery stores are not allowed to sell wine, this wine is $11.99 in retail wine shops. Trader Joe’s is…
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Trader Joe's Reserve Paso Robles Syrah 2019-It Sure Don't Taste Like A $10 Wine I like a wine bargain. You like a wine bargain. We like a wine bargain. I think this is a wine bargain! Check out www.cheapwinefinder.com and listen to the PODCAST for all the details. Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com or email…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Paso Robles Syrah 2019 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. Most of these Trader Joe’s Reserve wines are one-offs. Wines that disappear after the run sells out, but this wine, Lot 100, has been offered since the 2013 vintage. The back label says this Syrah was produced by Familia Neuva Vineyards,…
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J Lohr Riverstone Chardonnay 2019-A Wine Well Worth Drinking!! We at CheapWineFinder.com sometimes focus too much on store brands. Yes, they do provide excellent value, but they can not be counted on vintage after vintage. There are family-owned wineries that make excellent value=priced wine and they should be applauded. The J Lohr Riverstone Chardonnay is…
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The J Lohr Riverstone Chardonnay 2019 is a sustainably farmed wine from J Lohr Estate, family-owned vineyards, and winery in operation since the 1970s. This Chardonnay is sourced from their estate Arroyo Seco vineyards. They have been making the Riverstone Chardonnay for over 30 years. The Arroyo Seco AVA is located in the foothills of…
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CheapWineFinder Makes a Hurricane Cocktail For Mardi Gras Chateau Quake and Domaine Dave make Pat O'Brien's Hurricane Cocktail using the official bottle of mix and some rum we hand on hand. We came pretty close to the real Bourbon Street cocktail but found something was missing. What was missing? New Orleans and the French Quarter,…
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Chateau Quake and Domaine Dave love New Orleans, the French Quarter, Bourbon Street, and Frenchman Street, so in honor of Mardi gras we decided to do CheapWineFinder Makes a Hurricane Cocktail For Mardi Gras. Pat O’Brien’s Bar on Bourbon Street has been on Bourbon since 1933 and is one of the most iconic bars in…
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William Wright Monterey Chardonnay 2019-Aldi's $6.99 Total Bargain Chardonnay!!! If you don't know, now you know. Store brands are fair less expensive than retail wine shop brands. Are retail wine shop brands better than store brands ? Not when you factor in competing costs, Store brands usually wine. Check out www.cheapwinefinder.com and listen to the…
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The William Wright Monterey Chardonnay 2019 is a $6.99 Aldi exclusive, produced for them by Scheid Vineyards located in Greenfield, Monterey County in the California Central Coast AVA. Scheid is a large family-owned winery and this wine does show up in their portfolio on their website. The back label says “This classic Chardonnay was sourced…
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Trader Joe's Grower's Reserve Paso Robles Organic Zinfandel 2020-TJ's $5.99 Organic Zin At 12.5% alcohol, it is too light-bodied to be my kind of Zinfandel, I like them bold, but balanced. But an organic Paso Robles Zinfandel for $5.99 is crazy. If you love wine you need to give t a try. I do not…
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The Trader Joe’s Grower’s Reserve Paso Robles Organic Zinfandel 2020 is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. This is a wine that seems to be available every year, most Trader Joe’s Reserve wines are one-off wines. TJ’s does not offer information concerning the vineyard selection or the production techniques but there are details that we can…
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Fancy Flock Sauvignon Blanc 2020-Aldi $4 Sauv Blanc From Spain-Any Good? Contrary to popular belief, people in places in Europe who traditionally drink wine with every meal drink cheap local wine. Wine marketing wants you to think that no wine under $20 could belong on the dinner table. In practice that is far from the…
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The Fancy Flock Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is a 3.99 Aldi exclusive wine imported from Spain. Aldi is THE value wine destination in Europe. In the US, Trader Joe’s has the bargain wine reputation, with American Aldi’s having a much smaller wine selection. The Fancy Flock Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is produced by Felix Solas, a family-owned…
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Trader Joe's Reserve Chalone Pinot Noir 2020- The Best Ten Dollar Pinot Noir #2 Chalone is a 300-acre AVA 1,300 to 2,300 feet up in the Monterey coastal mountains. The soil is closer to Burgundy, France than California and the climate is all it's own. Pinot Noir from the Chalone AVA sells from $25 to…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Chalone Pinot Noir 2020 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. The interesting part of the last sentence was the reference to the Chalone AVA. The Chalone AVA is perched about 1,200 to 2,300 upon a plateau in the Monterey coastal mountains. There are only 300 acres of vines planted with only…
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Trader Joe's Reserve Sonoma Valley Merlot 2020-Don't Look Sideways At This $9.99 Merlot Ok, Merlot is awesome. Just because some guy in a movie about screwed up drunk people said otherwise is no excuse for you not drinking merlot. (see the movie Sideways) Merlot is one of the Great grapes of Bordeaux. It should be…
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