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

Zagarrón Velada Crianza Tempranillo 2011

The Zagarrón Velada Crianza Tempranillo 2011 is sourced from Bodegas Zagarrón vineyards in the La Mancha DO of Central Spain. Bodegas Zagarrón, founded in 1948,  is a co-op of 780 grape growers with vineyards covering over 12,250 acres of land. La Mancha is the largest grape growing region in the world in terms of acreage. …

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La Vidaubanaise Vin de Pays Maures Rose’ 2014

The La Vidaubanaise Vin de Pays Maures Rose’ 2014 is a blend of Carignan, Grenache, Cinsault and Mourvedre sourced from vineyards north of Cannes and near the foothills of the Alps in Provence in southeast France. La Vidaubanaise is a wine co-op founded in 1912, they are a group of independent vineyards (about 130 in…

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Domaine Dozon Chinon Rose’ 2014

The Domaine Dozon Chinon Rose’ 2014 is 100% Cabernet Franc sourced from a sustainably farmed vineyard on the hillside above the Vienne River in the Chinon AOC of the Loire Valley in France. Cabernet Franc is one of the grapes approved for Bordeaux Red blends. But, in the Chinon AOC, Cabernet Franc is not only…

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Poker D Tempranillos 2010

The Poker D Tempranillos 2010 is a blend of 4 different Tempranillo clones farmed in vineyards in the Campo de Calatrava region of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain. This is a Vinas de la Tierra de Castilla wine, which is the Spanish equivalent to the IGT wines from Italy and the Vin de Pays wines from…

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Principe de Viana Garnacha 2012

The Principe de Viana Garnacha 2012 is sourced from 3 vineyards located in the Navarra DO in Northern Spain near the border with France. The vines are at least 60 years old and Bodegas Principe de Viana was founded in 1983, though wine has been produced in the area since the 200 AD. This Garnacha…

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Bedell Cellars Taste White 2013

The Bedell Cellars Taste White 2013 is a blend of 50% Albariño, 30% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Viognier and 5% Chardonnay sourced from sustainably farmed estate vineyards near the town of North Fork in Long Island, New York. Long Island has a maritime climate that cools the vineyards during the heat of summer and protects the…

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Coppola Director’s Cut Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2012

The Coppola Director’s Cut Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2012 is 80% Zinfandel and 20% Petite Sirah sourced from vineyards with 40 to 80 year vines located in the Dry Creek Valley AVA inside Sonoma County in Northern California. Dry Creek Valley is 20 miles from the Pacific Ocean which gives the region cool evenings and…

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Avalon CAB California Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

The Avalon CAB California Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Syrah, 7% Zinfandel and 4% Merlot sourced from vineyards located in Napa Valley (the largest % of the grapes come from Napa), Lodi, Paso Robles and Monterey County in Northern California. This Cab was aged for 8 months in French and American oak…

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Cavalchina Bianco di Custoza DOC 2013

The Cavalchina Bianco di Custoza DOC 2013 is a blend of 40% Garganega, 30% Fernanda, 15% Trebbianello and 15% Trebbiano grown in the Custoza district, southeast of Lake Garda in Veneto, Italy. Bianco di Custoza is a traditional blend of 9 approved grapes, the blend must contain specified percentages of 3 grapes and the other 6…

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Sainte Croix La Bergerie Syrah Merlot 2012

The Sainte Croix La Bergerie Syrah Merlot 2012 is a blend of 50% Syrah and 50% Merlot sourced from vineyards (probably from purchased grapes or juice) in southern France on the Languedoc and Roussillon border. Domaine Sainte-Croix is owned and operated by an English husband and wife wine-making team, they are in the process of…

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Lazy Bones Paso Robles Cabernet Franc 2013

The Lazy Bones Paso Robles Cabernet Franc 2013 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive, vinted for them by the Central Coast Wine Warehouse. They are a custom label facility and own or control some of the finest vineyards in the Central Coast AVA. Central Coast Wine Warehouse has a long history of producing wines for…

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Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Monterey Merlot 2012

The Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Monterey Merlot 2012 is a $5.99 TJ’s exclusive and believe it or not, it is estate grown, produced and bottled by someone. The back of the bottle says Blue Canyon Wine Company, Greenfield, Ca., they are a front company and not an actual winery. There are 175 vineyards in Monterey,…

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Cooper’s Hawk Romance Red

The Cooper’s Hawk Romance Red is a sweet, non-vintage wine. The bottle shows American as the place of origin for the grapes, they source grapes from California, Washington, Oregon and Michigan. When you see American on the label that means that grapes grown in more than one state were used. Cooper’s Hawk is a winery and restaurant…

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Astoria Valdobbiadene DOCG Extra Dry Prosecco Millesimato 2012

The Astoria Valdobbiadene DOCG Extra Dry Prosecco Millesimato 2012 is sourced from Glera grapes grown on estate vineyards on the hillsides overlooking the Crevada river near the towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene in the Treviso province of Veneto, Italy. This is the heart of the Prosecco district and the wines grown here are rated DOCG,…

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Villabella Vigna Morlongo Bardolino Classico DOC 2013

The Villabella Vigna Morlongo Bardolino Classico DOC 2013 is a blend of 55% Corvina, 30% Rondinella and 15% Corvinone grown in an estate vineyard on a hillside near Lake Garda in Verona, Italy. Those are local grapes, traditionally used in the production of Bardolino, it seems every Italian town has indigenous local grapes that are only…

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Blind Leading The Blind Wine Tasting

I was never much of a fan of blind wine tasting, I figured it was simply an easy way to make a complete fool out of myself. I just knew that at some point I would mistake a Malbec for a Riesling and anyway I want to enjoy a glass of wine, not turn it…

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Villa Sandi Il Fresco Brut Prosecco

The Villa Sandi Il Fresco Brut Prosecco is produced from Glera grapes grown in estate vineyards near the town of Treviso in Veneto, Italy. The Villa Sandi estate was built in 1622 and the family has produced wine for generations. Il Fresco Brut Prosecco is Villa Sandi’s everyday Bubbly and is produced in the Charmat…

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CheapwineFinder’s Bubbly Basics

CheapwineFinder’s Bubbly Basics 1) All Bubbly, whether it is from the Champagne region of France, the Prosecco region of Italy, Cava from Catalonia in Spain or just plain old Bubbly from anywhere, is Sparkling wine. Sparkling wine is called different things in different countries, Spumante in Italy, Cremant in France or Sekt in Germany, but…

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Parxet Cuvée 21 Cava Brut

The Parxet Cuvée 21 Cava Brut is 33% Macabeo, 33% Parellada and 33% Pansa Blanca (a cousin and similar to the Xarello grape traditionally used in Cava) grapes grown in certified organic vineyards near the town of Alella, just outside Barcelona, Spain. The Parxet winery was built in 1920 and the parent company had been…

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Bodega Dehesa de Luna 2012

The Bodegas Dehesa de Luna 2012 is a blend of mainly Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah with additional indigenous grapes sourced from 2 Estate vineyards (sustainably farmed) in the Castilla-LaMancha region (near Madrid), in the middle of Spain. This is classified a Vinos de la Tierra de Castilla wine, which is roughly equivalent to the Vin de Pays…

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Barone Fini Valdadige Pinot Grigio 2013

The Barone Fini Valdadige Pinot Grigio 2013 is a DOC wine sourced from the Valdadige district of the Trentno-Alto Adige region of northern Italy. A rough translation of Valdadige is the valley of Adige and Alto Adige is the heights of Adige, The Barone and the Fini families founded the winery in 1497 and their…

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Josh Cellars Legacy Red 2012

The Josh Cellars Legacy Red 2012 is a blend of Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah and Petite Sirah sourced from vineyards thru-out California, but mainly in the Central Coast, Lodi, Sonoma and Napa.  Josh Cellars is the second line of wines from Joseph Carr Wines and is named in tribute to Joseph Carr’s dad, also a Joseph,…

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OZV Lodi Zinfandel 2012

The OZV Lodi ZInfandel 2012, OZV stands for Old ZInfandel Vines, is 96% Zinfandel and 4% Petite Sirah sourced from 50 to 120 year old ZInfandel vines located in the Lodi AVA, east and a little south of Napa. The OZV Zinfandel is produced by Oak Ridge Winery, started in 1934 as a wine co-op and…

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Hob Nob Pinot Noir 2012

The Hob Nob Pinot Noir 2012 is sourced from vineyards in the Languedoc region of southwest France. This is a Vin de Pays d”Oc wine also known as an IGP wine, that rating shows that the wine has the characteristics of the wines of the region, but do not follow the rules and standards of the…

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Ca’ di Rajo Raboso Del Piave 2007

The Ca’ di Rajo Raboso Del Piave 2007  Notti di Luna Piena (translates to Full Moon, is 100% Raboso Del Piave grown in an estate vineyard by the Piave River near the city of Treviso in Veneto, Italy. Raboso Del Piave is indigenous to the eastern Veneto region and is a grape that exhibits strong tannins and acidity….

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