(the cheap REDS we’re diggin’ on lately)
The Originals Washington Syrah 2022 is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. The Originals currently produce it from Walla Walla, Washington, a part of Precept Wine & Spirits. But this wine has a longer history. The Story The Originals Washington Syrah 2022 was at one time part of the Charles Smith Wines House Brand of wine….
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The Octavian Cellars McKinley Springs Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 is a $15.69 Costco wine (.69 could mean a winery special). It is a single-vineyard wine from the Horse Heaven Hills AVA of the Columbia Valley in Washington State. The Story The producer of the Cabernet Sauvignon is N W Wine Company from Oregon, which make…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Adelaida District Paso Robles Zinfandel 2023 is an exclusive $9.99 wine from the Beckett Family, Paso Robles, California. The back label says that the Beckett Family produced and bottled this Zinfandel, which means they made the wine. Typically, these Trader Joe’s Reserve wines will say “bottled and cellared by,” which usually…
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The Mark Hill California Pinot Noir 2022 is a wine I found at Aldi selling for $7.99; it looks like an Aldi exclusive. This is a wine wine produced for Aldi by Trinchero Family Wine Estates. The Story The Mark Hill California Pinot Noir 2022 has a label very similar in color and shape to…
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The Doña Paula Single Vineyard Malbec 2023 is a wine available at Costco for $11.99 and around that price elsewhere. The single vineyard mentioned on the label is the estate Alto vineyard in the Lujan de Cuyo region inside the Mendoza Valley of Argentina. The Story Santa Rita Estates of Chile owns Doña Paula winery….
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The Domaine de la Croix 2021 Irresistible Rosé 2023 is a wine selling for $9.99 at Costco and for as much as $20 elsewhere. The Domaine de la Croix winery and vineyards are located in Provence near San Trope. The Story There are 18 wineries in Provence designated as Cru Classé, a title given to…
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The L’Authentigue Compagnie Beaujolais Villages 2023 is a $8.99 Trader Joe’s French import wine. L’Authentigue Is a French wine company that includes wineries from 12 different French growing regions. The Story The Beaujolais region has 12 appellations and 10 Crus; the main grape is Gamay, with a small amount of Chardonnay also farmed. Beaujolais is…
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The Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Russian River Pinot Noir 2023 is a $12.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. This is a wine that TJ’s has offered in other vintages. Here is a link to the 2020 vintage. The 2020 was produced for Trader Joe’s by MWK Wine Consultants, the 2023 is from DNA Vineyards. The Story DNA…
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The Chandon California Brut Rosé is a Sparkling Wine I found selling for $18.99 at Target. Chandon is the first French Champagne House to start a California outpost (1973). The Story Chandon, California, is the California winery of Moet & Chandon, founded 281 years ago. Both are now part of LVMH, a luxury brand company…
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The Henri Laffard Grande Reserve Brut Champagne is a $24.99 Bubbly found at Trader Joe’s. It looks to be a Trader Joe’s US exclusive. This is a Grower Champagne, which is a Bubbly from one of the vineyard owners in the Champagne region. Less than 5% of the Champagne wines in the US are Grower…
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The Hidden Hill Estate McLaren Vale Shiraz 2021 looks to be a Trader Joe’s $5.99 exclusive wine. Tate Wines of Cowaramup in SouthEast Australia produced this Shirax. The Story The Hidden Hill Estate Mc Laren Vale Shiraz 2021 uses Mc Laren Vale grapes, which, along with Barossa Valley, produce the finest Shiraz in Australia. A…
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The William Walker Monterey Pinot Noir is an $8.99 Aldi exclusive. If the name sounds familiar, Aldi has/had a different Monterey Pinot Noir with the brand name of William Wright. The Story The William Wright Monterey Pinot Noir was produced for Aldi by Scheid Family Vineyards, a large family-owned winery based in the Monterey AVA….
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The 19 Crimes Snoop Dogg Cali Smooth Red 2022 is a limited edition wine I found selling for $13.99. The 19 Crimes brand usually features wines from Australia, but Snoop Dogg (and Martha Stewart) wines are produced from grapes farmed in California. The Story The 19 Crimes Snoop Dogg Cali Smooth Red 2022 bottle does…
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The Korbel California Brut Rosé Champagne is a Sparkling wine I found selling for $11.99. The Champagne in the name is legit. In 2006, when California and Champagne, France, agreed to use of the term “Champagne”. Certain wineries were grandfathered in, so Andre’s, Cook’s, and Korbel retained the right to call their Method Traditional (Like…
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The LaCheteau Chinon 2023 is a $8.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. If you see Chinon on the label, that means this is a Cabernet Franc wine sourced from vineyards surrounding the town of Chinon in France‘s Loire Valley. The Story Vignobles (means vineyards) LaCheteau is the negotiant brand of GCF Group, the leading exporter of French…
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The La Burgondie Cremant de Bourgogne Brut Rosé (2024) is an $11.99 Trader Joe’s wine in cities with a Trader Joe’s wine department. I found this wine selling for $16 to $19 in places not served by Trader Joe’s. La Burgandie makes this French Bubbly. They are a Co-op with over 700 growers and produce…
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The Kirkland Signature Brut Champagne (2024) is a $19.99 Costco exclusive made for them by Manuel Janisson, a third-generation Champagne winemaker. His Grandfather established their winery in 1923. The Story Janisson et Fil was a Champagne House in the LVHM group. They specialize in the most elite brands. Companies under their umbrella include Dior, Givenchy,…
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The Corvelia Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 22 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive produced for them by Bozzano & Company. The Story The Bozzano website for the Corvelia brand (a Red Blend, a Zinfandel, and this Cab) is a collaboration between Bozzano and an un-named top Paso Robles winery. This is not a vintage-dated…
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I found the G H Mumm Brut Grand Cordon Rosé Champagne on sale for $25. The regular price is $50, and in some places, more. Be on the lookout for Holiday specials in November and December to attract customers to the shops. Wine sales are down 8% for the year so look for bargains. The…
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The Kirkland Signature Russian River Pinot Noir 2023 is a $11.99 Costco exclusive. This wine is released every year, and Costco has a new winemaker producing it about every year. CWF reviewed the 2021 vintage of this wine, and then Nancy Walker was the winemaker; this year, it is Alison Crowe. Alison Crowe is the…
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The Upper Eden Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2022 is a $12.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive wine bottled by Upper Eden Wines, a Bozzano & Company custom wine producer located in San Luis Obispo, California. They have produced some of the more interesting recent Trader Joe’s wine. The name Upper Eden comes from Steinbeck’s book East…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah 2023 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. The blend is 74% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Syrah. The Horse Heaven Hills AVA is located in the south-central portion of the Columbia Valley of Washington. It got its name because the first settlers to the area found…
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.The Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Napa Meritage 2022 is a $17.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. The back label says this wine was “vinted and Bottles by” JBA Cellars in Rutherford, California. Vinted and bottled legally means they bottled the wine and possibly did some aging, so JBA Cellars is a company set up to keep us…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve North Coast Brut (2024) is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. The North Coast AVA is Sonoma, Mendocino, Napa, and Lake County, which are the best known but also Marin County and Solano County. This Bubbly is made for TJ’s by Rack and Riddle of Healdsburg California. Rack and Riddle is a…
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The Scarlet Path Old Vine Lodi Zinfandel 2022 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It was made for Aldi by a branch of a large, family-owned, organic winery located in the Monterey AVA of California’s Central Coast. Since this isn’t an organic wine, it seems they purchased the grapes from local Lodu growers. The Scarley…
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