Cheap wines that hover right around twenty bucks
The Ferrari-Carano North Coast Fume Blanc 2023 is a wine I found for $10.99, and it received 92 points from a major wine critic. The Story Ferrari-Carano was founded in 1981 by Don and Rhonda Carano. It is a beautiful estate in Northern Sonoma, and they produced consistently excellent wines. After Don Carano passed away…
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The Sunshine Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023 is a $14.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. The back label says it was “Produced and Bottled by” Northwest Collective from Dundee, Oregon. The Story The Northwest Collective is a part of Precept Brands, a large wine and spirits business in the Northwest part of the US. They have a…
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The Mount Fishtail Sur Lie Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is a wine I found for $12.69 at Costco. A price with a decimal point of 0.69 indicates that the manufacturer is offering this product at a special price. A quick check of the web found this wine selling in a range of $13 to $15….
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The Bonanza Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 7 is a wine I found for $11.98; it usually sells for between $17 and $25. Bonanza is a brand from the Wagner Family of wines, of Caymus fame, along with many other popular brands. The Story The Wagner family has roots in the wine world going back to the…
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The Stoller Estate Willamette Valley Chardonnay 2023 is a wine I found at a local shop selling for $14.99; the list price is $25. The Stoller Family Estate started as a turkey farm and transitioned to wine production in the late 1980s—the current winery and vineyards were established in 2001. The Story The Stoller Winery…
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The Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2023 is a $14.99 wine available exclusively at Trader Joe’s. The Dundee Hills AVA is a sub-AVA within the Willamette Valley AVA. The Story The back label indicates that this wine was “vinted and bottled by Cultavin Cellars.” Vinted and bottled by means that they bottled…
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The Markham Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2022 is a wine I found on sale, priced at $13.99; it is typically priced above $20. Markham Vineyards is a historic wine property dating back to the 1800s. The Story Bruce Markham founded the current winery in 1977, and it quickly became known as a premier producer of…
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The Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve Rutherford Meritage 2022 is an exclusive, $19.99 offering available only at Trader Joe’s. This wine was produced and bottled by (that means they made it) 1542 ACE, which is a label from Miura Vineyards, a project from a Master Sommelier, Emmanuel Kemiji. The Story Miura and 1542 ACE typically deal…
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The Bacchus Ginger’s Cuvee Pinot Noir 2023 is a wine I found at a local wine retailer selling for $12.99. It is a wine label from David Gordon, the Sommelier at Tribeca Grill (owned by Robert De Niro) since 1990. The Story David Gordon has had an outstanding career, he is one of 3 Americans…
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The Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is a $19.99 TJ’s exclusive. This edition is Lot #09; they have previously used this brand name for a completely different wine. The Story This is a single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon; the label only says Napa Valley, but this wine comes from one vineyard in a…
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The Cune Cava Brut is a non-vintage traditional-method sparkling wine from the Penedès region of northeastern Spain. Cune is a label from the CVNE winery, which was founded in 1879. The Story CVNE is an acronym for Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España, which translates to Wine Company of Northern Spain. A mixup caused their…
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The Devil’s Corner Tasmania Chardonnay 2023 is a wine I found selling for $16.99 at a local wine shop. The grapes were farmed in vineyards in the Tamar Valley of Tasmania. The Story Tasmania is an Australian state located south of Melbourne, an island in its own right. The Tamar Valley is a river valley…
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The Tarongino Frizzante with Valencia Oranges is priced at $12.99 at Trader Joe’s. This is a wine produced in Spain, and a quick internet search reveals that Trader Joe’s may hold the US distribution rights. The Story The Tarongino Frizzante with Valencia Oranges is a Bubbly infused with 100% Valencia orange juice from an orchard…
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The Lapis Luna Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 is a wine I found selling at Trader Joe’s for $10.99. It isn’t a Trader Joe’s exclusive; it is available elsewhere for $10 to $16. Lapis Luna is a brand from a joint venture of WarrRoom Ventures and Total Beverages Solutions. The Story Other brands under WarRoom Ventures…
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The Story The Elouan Oregon Pinot Noir 2022 Tasting Notes The Summary Look for the link to the entertaining companion podcast! The Elouan Oregon Pinot Noir 2022 is a wine I found on sale at a local wine shop, selling for $12.99. This brand is from Joe Wagner, the family behind the Caymus brand of…
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The Story The Specially Selected Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2024 Tasting Notes The Summary Look For The Link To The Companion Podcast The Specially Selected Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is a $11.99 Aldi exclusive. The Story The Specially Selected line of wines is an Aldi brand that offers affordable wines from the best wine…
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The Duvergey Taboureau Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2023 is a Trader Joe’s $11.99 exclusive, sourced from grapes farmed in the Burgundy region of France. The Story Maison Duvergey Taboureau was a wine estate founded in 1868 in Burgundy. When the founders passed away, Jaques Prieur acquired the estate in 1925. This estate continues to this day….
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The Raimund Prüm Essence Mosel Riesling 2023, which costs around $15 at Costco, is widely available elsewhere for a few dollars in either direction. The Story The Prüm family has owned vineyards in the Mosel region (Germany) since the 100s. Sebastian Alois Prüm founded a winery in the 1800s. Raimund Prüm became director in 1971,…
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The La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2023 is a wine I found selling for 14.99 at Costco, a quick check of the web saw prices ranging from a low of $11 to $23. La Crema’s original name was La Crema Viñera, which translates to “best of the vine.” The Story La Crema’s estate vineyard is…
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The Pinot Project 2022 is a wine I found at a local wine shop selling for $11.89. This is a project from famed wine importer Michael Skurnik. They focus exclusively on Pinot wine, Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio (one from Italy and one from Washington, and a Rosé of Pinot Noir). The Story The Pinot Project…
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The Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is a $17.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. Like the title says the vineyards for this wine are located in the Yountville AVA of Napa Valley. The Story In 1835, George Yount planted grapes here, making Yountville the first wine region in Napa. Yountville is part of the…
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I found the Locations NZ Sauvignon Blanc Release #12 selling for $16.99. Dave Phinney created the Locations line of wines; if anyone is a “Rock Star” winemaker, it’s Dave. The Story Dave Phinney is the man behind the massively successful The Prisoner line of wines. The Prisoner sold for about $50, and those wines flew…
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The Field Recordings Chenin 2024 is a wine I found at a local wine shop selling for $14.99. This Chenin land was sourced from three vineyards in the Central Coast AVA that were planted in the 1970s. The Story Field Recordings is a project by winemaker Andrew Jones. He was a Feldman who traveled the…
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Call me Domaine Dave. The Folly Of The Beast Pinot Noir 2022 is a Herman Melville/Moby Dick inspired wine sourced from fruit grown in California’s Central Coast AVA. I found it at a local wine store selling for $14.99. The Story Ryan Zotovich is the head winemaker for ABG Wines. He has worked for Palmina,…
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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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