(cheap wine articles & info)
The Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Sonoma County Syrah 2022 is a $12.99 Trader exclusive made for them by Bozzano and Co. a custom wine producer headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California. This Syrah was produced and bottled by Bozzano and Co., indicating that they made the wine. The name on the back label often shows…
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The Evolution Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2022 is a brand of Sokol Blosser Winery (family-owned and operated) that began growing grapes and producing wine in the Willamette Valley of Oregon in 1971. This Pinot Noir is comprised of grapes from various locations in the valley. Willamette Valley Pinot Noir can get pricey, especially with estate…
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The Seaglass Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a wine I found selling for $9.99. This wine has been sourced from the Santa Barbara County AVA, but lately, the vineyard selection has expanded to other parts of the Central Coast. The Los Alamos Vineyard (20 miles from the Pacific) remains a constant through the vintages….
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The Castellore DOCG Chianti 2023 is a $5.99 Aldi wine from Italy’s Chianti region of Tuscany. This is DOCG designated wine which is Italy’s top category. A DOCG wine has the strictest standards in the vineyards and wine production. The G stands for Guaranteed origin. meaning that this is a verified Chianti that has met…
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The Motif Red Hills Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 is a $4.99 Trader Joe’s USA exclusive, it seems to be available for export for between $10 and $15. CWF reviewed the 2020 vintage and was impressed. The Red Hills AVA is located in the southern section of Lake County which is just north of Napa…
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The Kirkland Friuli Grave Pinot Grigio 2023 is a $4.99 Costco import wine. This is a new vintage, we found out about this wine with the 2022 vintage back in March of this year. We were impressed by how they could sell this drinkable wine, ship it from Italy, and still only charge $4.99. The…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Yountville Chardonnay 2023 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. As the name says this is a Chardonnay sourced from grapes in the Yountville AVA of Napa Valley. Yountville has had vineyards since the 1830s and is a north-south-oriented AVA south of Napa. The southern portion is close to San Pablo Bay…
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The Liberte San Luis Obispo Pinot Noir 2021 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. This wine has been available at Trader Joe’s since at least 2017, here is a link to the 2017 vintage. The name of the producing winery was obscured in the past, but today this wine has its own website, and Ancient…
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The Canoe Ridge Expedition Chardonnay 2022 is 10.49 at Costco (.49 indicates a Costco special deal), it sells for between $15 and $19 elsewhere. This Chardonnay is sourced from the Canoe Ridge Vineyard (75%) and the Wallula Vineyard (25%) inside the Horse Heaven Hills AVA inside the Columbia Valley AVA in Washington. Both Canoe Ridge…
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The Piper Sonoma Brut Revisited is a wine I found for $18, it lists for $23. We did a full reviewing December of 2023, it was my favorite Sparkling wine we reviewed for the Holiday season. Here is a link to that post with all the wine details. This Bubbly showed well in the Christmas…
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The Ruta 49 Rias Baixas Albariño 2023 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s import wine, it seems to be an exclusive since I did not see it available at other US retailers. Bogedas Vina Cartin produced this wine in the Rias Baixas DO of Galicia in northwest Spain. This is along the Atlantic Ocean north of…
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The Peaks & Tides Sonoma County Pinot Noir 2022 is a $12.99 Aldi exclusive. This is a brand that Aldi has every year. Here is a link to a review for the 2021 vintage. In the 2021 review, we identified the producer, but Aldi hid its tracks this time. Aldi owns the Brand name, that…
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The La Galope Gascogne Rosé 2023 is a wine I found selling for $9.99 at a local supermarket, a web check showed this wine selling for an average of $13. Cascogne is located between the Pyrenees and the Atlantic Ocean in southwest France. This is designated a Comté Tolsan IGP wine which is one of…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Sonoma County Blanc de Blancs 2021 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. This wine is not to be confused with the Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve and Platinum Reserve Sonoma and North Coast Sparkling wines from the last two years. Blanc de Blancs translates to white from white meaning a Champagne or…
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The Acacia Carneros Pinot Noir 2020 sells for $12.99 at Costco and I have seen it at $35 but is more likely found for around $20. Acacia Vineyards was founded in the Carneros AVA in 1979 and was one of the first Pinot Noir wineries in the region. Acacia has changed ownership several times over…
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The Claude Manciat Bourgogne Chardonnay 2022 is $12.69 at Costco and $17 to $23 elsewhere. Bourgogne is what we call Burgundy, the home of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Claude Manciat is a family-owned winery founded in the 1890s, and today has 55 acres of vineyards around the region. This small winery does not have a…
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The Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Santa Barbara GSM 2022 is a Trader Joe’s $12.99 exclusive. A GSM wine is the main blend from the Southern Rhone Valley in France. This blend is 42% Grenache, 395 Syrah, and 19% Mourvedre. The back label says this wine was produced and bottled, which means they made it, by…
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The Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Moulis-En-Modec Bordeaux 2022 is a $12.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive. The Moulis-En-Modec is an AOC on the Left Bank in Bordeaux. The Left Bank is primarily, though not exclusively, a Cabernet Sauvignon growing region. Since Trader Joe’s does not provide details does not provide details on the making of this…
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The Raimat Organic Albarino 2022 is a wine produced by organic Estate vineyards in the Costers del Segre DO in Catalonia in eastern Spain. For some interesting facts about the Albarino grape check out Wine Folly. This is a wine I found at Trader Joe’s selling for $8.49 and a check on the Web showed…
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The Claire Patelin Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive produced from grapes grown in the Cote De Gascogne in southwest France. It was made for Trader Joe’s by LGI Wines a custom wine brand producer from France. Gascony is south of Bordeaux in the foothills of the Pyrenean mountains to the…
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The Scarlet Path Lodi Old Vines Zinfandel 2021 is a $7.99 exclusive wine at Aldi. It is produced by some segment of a large sustainably farmed family-owned vineyards and winery from Monterey California. They have a branch that makes contracted brands and several Aldi wines. Lodi is located in the Central Valley of California, and…
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The Field Recordings Freddo Paso Robles Sangiovese 2022 is a wine that lists $25, but I found it on sale for $16 (Binny’s). It is a blend of 79% Sangiovese, 16% Dolcetto, and 5% Valdiguié. Dolcetto is a grape from the Piedmont in Italy used to make sweet wines. Valdiguié is a grape from the…
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The Mark West Pinot Noir 2021 is the largest selling under $15 Pinot Noir for 15 years straight. It is a wine I found with a rebate for $4.99 but typically is priced for about ten bucks. Mark West Winery was founded in 1978 as a Pinot Noir-based company. They are now owned by E…
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The Starpointe Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2022 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s wine produced for them by DNA Cellars from grapes grown in the Yakima Valley of Washington. DNA Cellars is located in the Russian River AVA of Sonoma County, they produce their labels and an extensive list of private labels, such as Trader Joe’s or…
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The Kate Arnold Columbia Valley Riesling 2022 is a wine I found in Chicago selling for $11.99, a quick check of the web saw prices from $10 to $15. Kate Arnold Wines is a family-owned winery located in Kelseyville, Ca. in Lake County. Kate and Jean Arnold are co-owners, they feature a Sauvignon from the…
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