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Don’t tell anyone, but there is absolutely no correlation between the cost of wine and the quality of wine.

Grifone Primitivo – Trader Joe’s 5 Buck Fun Italian

 Grifone Primitivo – Trader Joe's 5 Buck Fun Italian $5 wine should not be drinkable. Especially when a part of that five dollars is used to ship the wine to America and then to a Trader Joe's near you. But the Grifone Primitivo 2020 drinks just fine; it is an enjoyable red wine. Primitivo and…

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Grifone Primitivo 2020

The Grifone Primitivo 2020 is a $4.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive sourced from vineyards in Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot. The Primitivo grape and the Zinfandel grape are two separate clones of a grape from Croatia named Crljenak Kasteljanski. That grape is extremely obscure, so, amazingly, it found its way to Italy and California,…

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Gruet Sauvage Rosé- Excellent “No Dosage” Bubbly

Gruet Sauvage Rosé- Excellent “No Dosage” Bubbly Bubbly Season is between Halloween and New Year's Eve. I think Bubbly is appropriate year-round, but the fact remains most Sparkling wine is purchased in the last 3 months of the year. This is a No Dosage Bubbly, meaning they did not add sweet wine when the 2nd…

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Gruet Sauvage Rosé Bubbly

The Gruet Sauvage Rosé Bubbly is 100% Pinot Noir produced from grapes grown in New Mexico, Washington, and California. The Sauvage is a French word meaning wild and free, outside of modern society, something in its natural state. This Bubbly is a no dosage Sparkling wine. The dosage is typically the last production detail performed…

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Louis Jadot Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay- Drink Like The French

Louis Jadot Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay- Drink Like The French This is a Burgundian Chardonnay from Louis Jadot, a producer in the wine business since the 1850s. The wine sells for around $13, less on sale, and they make enough to find this wine in grocery stores and wine shops. Even California Chardonnay producers look to Burgundy…

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Louis Jadot 2020 Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay

The Louis Jadot 2020 Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay is sourced from vineyards in the Mâconnais region of Burgundy in France. Chardonnay is THE grape of this area in southern Burgundy. For reference, Beaujolais is the southernmost region of Burgundy and Champagne in the north. Loius Jadot has been in the wine business since the 1850s. They traditionally purchased…

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Trader Joe’s Reserve Dry Creek Zinfandel 2020-A Tale Of Fire & Smoke?

Trader Joe's Reserve Dry Creek Zinfandel 2020-A Tale Of Fire & Smoke? There seem to be fires in California wine country every year. In 2020, Dry Creek AVA had its fire and smoke issues. So is this Trader Joe's Reserve Dry Creek Zinfandel 2020-A Tale Of Fire & Smoke? and smoke casualty? Or is this…

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Trader Joe’s Reserve Dry Creek Zinfandel 2020

The Trader Joe’s Reserve Dry Creek Zinfandel 2020 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. TJ’s sells many versions of these Reserve wines every year. They are wines sourced from vineyards in high-end AVAs that sell at a bargain price. You never get much information on the wine, so just how exclusive these vineyards are never…

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TJ’s Reserve Central Coast Rosé- A Negociant Rosé

TJ's Reserve Central Coast Rosé- A Negociant Rosé Trader Joe's says this is a $14 Rosé selling for $7.99, and I believe them. It is well-balanced, dry, and full of interesting flavors. The podcast talks about just what are Trader Joe's wines and how we can all drink bargain wine! Check out www.cheapwinefinder.com for all…

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Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Central Coast Rosé 2020

The Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Central Coast Rosé 2020 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. The Petit Reserve designation indicates that this is a one-time deal with limited quantities. These Trader Joe’s Reserve wines are California versions of French Negociant wines. A Negociant buys leftover or excess wine from wineries and sells them under their…

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Estancia Monterey Pinot Noir 2018- A Special Bargain Wine

Estancia Monterey Pinot Noir 2018- A Special Bargain Wine The Estancia is part of the huge wine brand sale between Constellation Brands and E & J Gallo. The sale was finalized in early 2021, and these 2018 vintage by the brands that were sold are sort of orphan wines. They will not fully be Gallo…

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Estancia Monterey Pinot Noir 2018

The Estancia Monterey Pinot Noir 2018 is another wine brand that was a part of Constellation Brands sale of its value-priced wines to E and J Gallo. The sale was finalized in early 2021, so these brands will not be fully Gallo wines until the 2021 vintage. These are brands that are currently caught in…

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Chateau Ste Michelle Chardonnay 2019- A Tasty Chard For Fall

Chateau Ste Michelle Chardonnay 2019- A Tasty Chard For Fall Chateau Ste Michelle is by far the largest winery in Washington State. They make half of the wine produced there. But, even though they are best known for value-priced wine, they make top-quality wine. Check out the review on www.cheapwinefinder.com and the podcast and get…

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Chateau Ste Michelle Chardonnay 2019

The Chateau Ste Michelle Chardonnay 2019 is sourced from various vineyards in the Columbia Valley of Washington State. This is a wine that you should find for around ten bucks; I purchased a bottle for $8.99 on sale. The Columbia Valley comprises the vast majority of Washington’s vineyards, and there are 11 different sub-AVAs inside…

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Tailslide Pinot Noir 2019-$7 ALDI Pinot-Any Good?

Tailslide Pinot Noir 2019-$7 ALDI Pinot-Any Good? We are jaded. CWF is so used to Bang-For-Buck value-priced wines that a wine that delivers at its price point and no higher seems like a failure. But that is stinking thinking. I forgot where I got that from. A $6.99 Pinot Noir that rocks as a $6.99…

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Tailslide Pinot Noir 2019

The Tailslide Pinot Noir 2019 is a $6.99 ALDI wine, and that is all I know about this wine. If you go to this link and search by Tailslide, you will find out which winery produced the wine. Since the winery name is not on the bottle, I do not like to say that this…

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Franciscan Monterey Cabernet Sauvignon-How To Find Wine Bargains

Franciscan Monterey Cabernet Sauvignon-How To Find Wine Bargains This wine was part of the $800,000,000 deal between Constellation Brands and E & J Gallo. Constellation decided to part with its value-priced wine portfolio. Franciscan is not value-priced; the Monterey County AVA Cabernet Sauvignon lists for $22.99. We have a link on www.Cheapwinefinder.com that sells this…

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Franciscan Monterey Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

The Franciscan Monterey Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is a wine with a very particular story. The Franciscan winery was founded in the 1970s, started with humble beginnings, and rose to become a well-respected winery. Over the years, ownership has changed hands several times, and the last change is the subject of this story. Franciscan Estates is…

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Brancott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020-1st Marlborough Sauv Blanc

Brancott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020-1st Marlborough Sauv Blanc In 1973, Brancott, then known as Montana Wines, planted the first Marlborough South Island New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc vineyard. It took them a few years to get it right, but in 1979 they bottled the first Marlborough Sauv Blanc! The Brancott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020-1st Marlborough Sauv…

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Brancott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020

The Brancott Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is the first winery to plant Sauvignon Blanc grapes in the Marlborough Region of New Zealand’s South Island. In 1973 the Montana Winery (now Brancott Estates) planted the first Sauv Blanc vineyard, and by 1979 they had their first wine. The rest, as they say, is history. Brancott Estates…

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Prophecy Pinot Noir 2019 – Everyday Pinot With A Fancy Label

Prophecy Pinot Noir 2019 – Everyday Pinot With A Fancy Label Can you choose a book by the cover? No, because all that came before the age of marketing and focus groups and the rise of social media. Can you choose a wine by its label? It seems you can. Check out Domaine Dave's thinking…

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Prophecy Pinot Noir 2019

The Prophecy Pinot Noir 2019 is an $11 or $12 wine available at supermarkets and wine shops. The Prophecy brand is one of E and J Gallo’s large family of wines. The first thing of interest you notice about these wines is the labels designed by Victo Ngai, a talented illustrator from Hong Kong. She…

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Pichilemu Sauvignon Blanc 2020 – Bang For The Buck TJ’s Chilean White

Pichilemu Sauvignon Blanc 2020 – Bang For The Buck TJ’s Chilean White Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com or email us at [email protected] Pichilemu Sauvignon Blanc 2020 – Bang For The Buck TJ’s Chilean White A $6.99 Trader Joe’s Sauvignon Blanc. You expect a nice juicy White wine, but the Pichilemu Sauvignon Blanc 2020 – Bang…

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Pichilemu Sauvignon Blanc 2020

The Pichilemu Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s import wine. The wine is made by Viña Marchigue, a family-owned winery located in the Colchagua Valley in Chile. The winery also owns vineyards in the Curico Valley, located near the middle of the Central Valley in Chile. The Curico Valley is in between the…

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Elementalist Pinot Grigio – $7 ALDI Summer Cooler

Elementalist Pinot Grigio – $7 ALDI Summer Cooler I drink a lot of wine. Ok, don't judge me. Just kidding, I don't care. But the wine reality is that when you drink expensive wine, and it gives you exactly what you expect, it is nice! When you drink an inexpensive wine and it over-delivers, then…

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