(the cheap REDS we’re diggin’ on lately)
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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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….
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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The Segura Viudas Gran Cuvée Reserva Brut is a blend of 85% Macebeo and Parellada (these, along with Xarel.lo, are the grapes traditionally used in the production of Cava), plus 15% of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grown in the Penedès region of Spain. The Segura Viudas property has been an estate since the 1000’s and…
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The Old Soul Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 is Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Merlot sourced from Oak Ridge estate vineyards in the Lodi AVA of California’s Central Valley. To be a single varietal wine, the grape shown on the label must make up a minimum of 75% of the wine. Old Soul is one of Oak Ridge…
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The Old Soul Pure Red 2013 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah sourced from Oak Ridge Winery vineyards in Lodi, California. Oak Ridge is the oldest winery in Lodi, they started in the 1930s as a co-op and is currently run by the Maggio and Reynolds family who have 5 generations…
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The Old Soul Pinot Noir 2014 is Pinot Noir with Zinfandel and Merlot blended in, sourced from vineyards in the Lodi AVA at the northern end of the Central Valley Region of Northern California. Lodi is located east of the San Francisco Bay, south and east of Napa. The temperature can be very warm during…
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The Tin Roof Merlot 2012 is a taste of California Merlot with grapes sourced from the Central Coast, the North Coast and Lodi AVA’s. Tin Roof’s website has not been updated in a while (the last Merlot vintage shown is 2009), but they have made wine for over 30 years and have a pretty good…
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The Torres Altos Ibericos Crianza 2011 is 100% Tempranillo sourced from Torres estate vineyards (they own 1,000s of acres of vines) on the Iberian Peninsula in the Rioja region of Spain. Torres is a large family owned winery and vineyards, founded in 1870. Spanish wine is classified by the length of time the wine is…
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The Domaine de Marquiliana Rose de Pauline 2013 is a blend of 50% Syrah, 40% Sciaccarellu and 10% Vermentino sourced from an estate vineyard near the village of Aghione on the eastern coast of Corsica. Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean, a territory of France, but closer to Italy. It may be best known…
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