(the cheap REDS we’re diggin’ on lately)
The VINTJS Paso Robles Syrah 2013 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. Trader Joe’s uses the VINTJS label when they are offered a one time only deal on a limited amount of wine. Here, they indicate this Syrah came from a family owned winery in Paso Robles and if they told you which vineyard the…
Read More
The Seadrift Pinot Noir 2014 is a $7.99 ALDI exclusive sourced from more than one grape growing AVA in California. ALDI never gives out much information about their wines, a quick check of the internet showed that the Seadrift is produced by a custom winery located in the Central Coast AVA, but anything more than…
Read More
The Saved Red Wine 2013 is a project between Scott Campbell, an artist and founder of Saved Tattoo, Brooklyn, New York and Clay Brock, a wine-maker whose resume includes Edna Valley Vineyards, Byron Vineyards, Zaca Mesa and currently Wild Horse Winery. The name Saved does not necessarily have religious overtones, Scott Campbell (his designs have…
Read More
The Sterling Vintner’s Collection Meritage 2013 is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot sourced from Sterling’s Paris Valley Ranch Vineyard near Monterey Bay along with other vineyards in California’s Central Coast AVA. A Meritage wine (rhythms with heritage) is a Red Blend wine based on the wine-making tradition of…
Read More
The Septima Malbec 2014 is 100% Malbec sourced from Bodega Septima (founded 1999) vineyards in the Lujan de Cuyo district and particularly near the town of Agrelo in the Mendoza region of Argentina. The Lujan de Cuyo district is located in western Mendoza, high up in the foothills of the Andes and Agrelo is one…
Read More
The Chateau La Paws Cabernet Sauvignon is a non-vintage wine (grapes come from more than on vintage) sourced from vineyards in more than one California grape growing AVA. Chateau La Paws is made by, or more accurately vinted and bottled by Rosenberg Cellars, who are owned by Diego Chateau & Estate Wines. Who in turn…
Read More
The Smoking Loon Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 is sourced from vineyards located in the Central Valley of Chile. Smoking Loon is one of Don Sebastiani and Sons ( a family owned wine company since 1909) wine labels. Smoking Loon is a negociant wine company, meaning that they have no vineyards or winery, they purchase grapes (mostly…
Read More
The Onx Moon Dark Red Blend (the label reads MOONX) is a non-vintage $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It is a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot and Syrah sourced from more than one California grape growing AVA and made for Trader Joe’s by one of the larger wineries in Lodi, California. The Onx Moon is one of…
Read More
The Rabbit Ridge Allure de Robles 2013 is a Rhone inspired wine blend, available for $6.99 at Trader Joe’s, but it does not seem to be an exclusive wine, sourced from vineyards in Paso Robles inside the Central Coast AVA of California. Northern Rhone wines are Syrah based wines and Southern Rhone Reds are Syrah…
Read More
The Skeleton Malbec 2014 is sourced from grapes grown in the Mendoza region of Argentina. Mendoza is located in the middle section of Argentina on the eastern side of the Andes and Mendoza produces the majority of Argentinean wine. Skeleton Malbec is part of Skeleton Wine Co. who also import a Austrian Red and White…
Read More
The Woop Woop Shiraz 2013 is sourced mainly from vineyards in McLaren Vale and Wrattonbully (inside the Limestone Coast), both in the South Australia wine region. Back when we started the CWF website, back when it wasn’t so easy to find a real good wine in the $10 range, Woop Woop was one of our…
Read More
The Pampa Estate Malbec 2014 is a $4.99 ALDI import exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Mendoza region of Argentina. Mendoza is the largest grape producing region in Argentina and is located on the eastern side of the Andes Mountains (the wine regions of Chile are on the western side). ALDI doesn’t give much information…
Read More
The Marvelous Red 2013 (yes, this is a Red wine, but Marvelous Wines are named by color, the White Blend is Marvelous Yellow and the Bordeaux Blend is Marvelous Blue) is a blend of 42% Syrah, 41% Cinsault, 7% Mourvedre, 6% Grenache and 4% Viognier sourced from carefully chosen vineyards in the Western Cape Region…
Read More
The Sargent Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 is a $6.99 ALDI’s wine sourced from vineyards in the Central Coast AVA of California. The Sargent Canyon Cabernet is Estate grown and sustainably farmed. So who or what is Sargent Canyon? A quick check with Google shows that Sargent Canyon is a trademark owned by Scheid Vineyards, vineyards and winery…
Read More
The Jargon Pinot Noir 2012 is 76% Pinot Noir, 18% Syrah and 6% Petite Sirah, the Syrah is sourced from the Monterey AVA, the Pinot and the Petite Sirah are sourced from more than one California grape growing AVA. Jargon is one of Trinchero Family Estates (founded in 1974) line of wines, other brands include…
Read More
The Roccafiore Prova D’Autore 2012 is 40% Sagrantino, 30% Montepulciano and 30% Sangiovese sourced from Cantina Roccafiore certified organic vineyards near the town of Todi in the Umbria region of Italy. Sagrantino is a grape that is indigenous to Umbria. Umbria is a landlocked area south of Tuscany and about 90 miles north of Rome….
Read More
The Emma Pearl Pinot Noir 2013 is a $3.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from vineyards in more than one California grape growing AVA. The Emma Pearl Pinot is 85% Pinot Noir and 15% Petite Sirah. Now, California Pinot Noir does not usually sell for under 4 bucks, there is a story to tell here. Treasury…
Read More
The Green Fin Grenache Rose’ 2013 is 76% Grenache, 20% mixed Red grapes and 4% mixed White grapes sourced from certified organic (the Green Fin is Vegan friendly, too) vineyards located in more than one California grape growing AVA. Green Fin is a $4.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive, produced by Bronco Wines (the makers of Two…
Read More
The 2013 Oak Ridge Winery OZV Red Blend is Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Merlot sourced from vineyards in more than one California grape growing AVA. Oak Ridge Winery is the oldest winery in the Lodi AVA, started as part of a Co-op (a wine Co-op is where a group of vineyard owners band…
Read More
The 2013 Woodwork Pinot Noir is sourced from vineyards in coastal regions of the Central Coast AVA of California. Woodwork is one of The Wine Bars brands of wine that include Snap Dragon, Ensemble, Uppercut and many others. The key to the Woodwork line of wines is their use of oak staves, instead of oak…
Read More
The 2011 Viña Fuerte Tempranillo Crianza is a $4.99 ALDI’s import exclusive, bottled by Bodegas Isidro Milagro using grapes grown in the La Mancha DO (a DO is similar to an AVA in California, it delineates the boundaries of a wine region and provides rules and regulations) of central Spain. La Mancha is a huge…
Read More
The La Finca Oak Aged Malbec 2014 is a $4.49 Trader Joe’s wine exclusive, produced by Finca La Celia (Finca translates to farm or estate), founded in 1890, from grapes grown in the Uco Valley region, in the southwest corner of Mendoza, in the foothills of the Andes in Argentina. This Malbec was aged for…
Read More
The 2013 Black Ink Red is a blend of Syrah, Merlot, Malbec and Zinfandel sourced from more than one California grape growing Ava. When 85% of the grapes in the bottle come from one AVA (such as Napa, Lodi, Paso Robles, etc..), then you will see that AVA shown on the front label. If none…
Read More
How about this for an endorsement: the 2014 “After Hours” Rosé by Herman Story is one of the best Rosés we’ve ever had. Period. And it’s only one fun-ass wine from a portfolio of many – from a very fun-ass winemaker: first name Russell, last name From. They are so much fun over there at…
Read More
JOYA Sangria Red is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha and Bobal sourced from vineyards around the town of La Puebla De Almoradiel in the province of Toledo, inside the Castilla-LaMancha region of Spain. You are probably familiar with Tempranillo and Garnacha, Bobal is a grape native to Spain that traditionally has been used for producing…
Read More