(cheap wine articles & info)
The Dearly Beloved I Thee Red 2023 is a $7.99 exclusive at Trader Joe’s. This wine has been produced since at least the 2009 vintage, with several different producers involved. It was a Central Coast AVA for most of its existence, but the last few vintages have been from the Lodi AVA. The Story Over…
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The Wente Morning Fog Central Coast Chardonnay 2023 is a wine I found at a local grocery store, selling for $11.99. This is the entry Chardonnay for Wente Family Vineyards, who have a unique history with the Chardonnay grape. The Story Wente was founded in 1883 and is the oldest continuously operated family-owned vineyard and…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir 2023 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. This is a repeat wine for Trader Joe’s. We reviewed the 2021 vintage here. The Story This wine is produced and bottled by Bozzano & Company, who also made the 2021 vintage. They are a bulk and custom wine…
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The Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Oak Knoll Chardonnay 2024 is available for $12.99. The back label tells that it was “Cellared and Bottled by” DNA Vineyards. The Story DNA stands for Dennis Patton and Andrea Silverstein, who together have more than 40 years of experience in the wine industry. They have made multiple wines for…
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The Aldi Specially Selected Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2024 is an exclusive Aldi offering at $12.99. The Willamette Valley is one of the premier Pinot Noir regions in the world. The Story Aldi’s Specially Selected series of wines is a collection of affordable wines from some of the best wine-growing regions—quality at a value price….
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The Twin Suns Lodi Mevushal Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is a wine I discovered at Trader Joe’s, although it is not an exclusive wine to Trader Joe’s. I paid around $10 for it, but prices on the web are all over the place. The Story This is a Kosher wine from Gabriel and Shimon Weiss, who…
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The Bonflor California Organic Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is a $7.99 wine found at Aldi stores. The name Bonflor translates to “Good Flower, which is “likely a reference to the type of plants grown in the organic vineyard to attract the kinds of insects and birds that feed on the insects detrimental to the vines. The…
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The Aldi Castellore Gavi DOCG 2024 is an Aldi wine, priced at $9.99. We previously reviewed the 2022 vintage and were impressed, so we sampled a newer vintage to see if the quality is maintained. The Story Castellore is the brand name Aldi uses for value Italian wines. The brand is used for Chianti, Pinot…
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The Aldi Specially Selected Napa Valley Brut is $17.99 in-store, but the Aldi website lists it at $19.99. The Story The back label shows that this Bubbly was produced and bottled by Rack and Riddle. Rack and Riddle is a custom Sparkling wine producer. They have many Sparkling wines in the value-price category, including Peaks…
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The Seek to Find Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is sold at Trader Joe’s for $7.99. It was made for Trader Joe’s by a branch of Treana wines, which is a brand owned by Hope Family Wines from Paso Robles in California’s Central Coast. The Story Hope Family Wines is an excellent family-owned winery that…
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The Aldi’s Peaks & Tides Sonoma Brut is a Sparkling wine sold at Aldi stores for $13.99. This Bubbly was produced by Rack and Riddle. The Story Rack and Riddle (these are terms used in making Bubbly) is a custom Sparkling wine producer located in several locations in Sonoma and Lodi. If you have tasted…
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The Emile Cheysson Cremant De Bourgogne Brut is a Sparkling wine I found for $9.99 at a local wine shop. The average price on he internet is $17 and up. Wine sales have been down for the last years, and shops have been having sales to get folks in the door, so keep an eye…
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The Seaglass Central Coast Pinot Grigio 2024 is a wine that should be found for around $10. It was one of the 50+ brands of wines and spirits from Trinchero Family Vineyards. The Story Trinchero Family Vineyards is the 4th family-owned winery. They were founded in Napa Valley in 1948 and are still going strong….
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The Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is a $12.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. The back label indicates that it was “vintage and bottled” by Ashford Court from American Canyon, located in the southern part of Napa Valley. The Story Ashford Court is a part of Plata Wine Partners, which is a versatile…
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The Delicious Monster White 2024 is a wine available at Trader Joe’s, selling for $5.99. CWF reviewed the 2023 vintage of this wine and was impressed. How do they create a worthwhile wine at the southern tip of Africa and ship it all over the US for less than six bucks? The Story The Delicious…
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The Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir 2023 is a $12.99 exclusive to Trader Joe’s. This is the 15th vintage of this wine, and they seem to offer a Platinum Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir during the Holiday months. The Story The back label says Carneros Cellars bottled this wine. I looked up who owns…
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The Giardino Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie Vivace 2024 is a $5.99 exclusive import available at Trader Joe’s. The Vivace in the name translates to lively and refers to this wine as having light bubbles. The Story Giardino is a brand produced especially for Trader Joe’s by 8 Vini Wine merchants. They produce multiple wines from…
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The Substance Cs Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 is a wine I found selling for $13.99 on sale. Charles Smith produced this wine under the Wines of Substance brand. The Story Charles Smith has a history of establishing a wine brand and then selling it for a tidy sum. The Wines of Substance brand was sold to…
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The Velvet Devil Merlot 2022 is a wine I found selling for $9.99 at a local wine shop. This wine was vinted and bottled by Charles Smith Wines, but Charles Smith has not owned this brand for years. The Story Charles Smith Wines were massive hits in the 2010s. He made 100-point $100 wines and…
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The Compass Bridge Sonoma Pinot Noir 2023 is a limited-edition wine available at Trader Joe’s for $9.99. The Compass Bridge brand is from a entity of Delicato Family Vineyards. The Story Delicato Family Vineyards, from the Lodi AVA, purchased Coppola Wines (Sonoma) a few years ago and formed a large wine company that produces wine…
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The Compass Bridge Sonoma Chardonnay 2023 is a Trader Joe’s exclusive, selling for $8.99. The back label indicates it was vinted and bottled by Compass Bridge of Manteca & Geyserville, California. The Story Manteca is the corporate home of Delicato Family Vineyards (100 years old this year), and Geyserville was the home of Coppola Wines,…
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The Justin Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a wine I found selling for $12.99; the list price is $18. This is a wine that is widely available from supermarkets to wine shops. The Story There was a Justin (Justin Baldwin), but he sold the winery to The Wonderful Company in 2010. The Wonderful Company…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Paso Robles Grenache 2023 is a $9.99 wine available exclusively at Trader Joe’s stores. This wine was produced and bottled by the Beckett Family of Paso Robles. ” Produced and bottled” indicates that the listed producer fermented and aged a minimum of 75% of the wine. The Story The Beckett Family…
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The Decoy Chardonnay 2023 is a wine I found selling for $14.99; Duckhorn has it listed for $20. Decoy is the entry-level wine brand (if a $20 wine can be called entry-level) for Duckhorn Winery. The Story Duckhorn Winery was founded in 1976 and was known for its Merlot. They had ten wine brands, which…
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The Aldi Specially Selected Côte de Provence Rosé 2024 is an exclusive offering from Aldi, priced at $9.99. The Côte de Provence is the largest growing region or AOP in Provence. The Story The Côte de Provence covers 195,000 acres and produces 107 million bottles per year. There are 337 wineries and 35 Co-Ops. Aldi…
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