The Trader Joe’s Brut California Sparkling Wine is an $8.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It is produced by Rack and Riddle who make most of TJ’s California Bubbly. The Story The Trader Joe’s Brut California Sparkling Wine is not a Reserve or Grand Reserve wine, but a plain old Trader Joe’s wine. We already have North…
Read More
The Bear Bros California Chardonnay 2024 is a $7.55 Aldi exclusive. Aldi owns the Trademark on the name and has had different wineries make each Bear Bros vintage. The Story The Bear Bros California Chardonnay 2024 looks like it was produced by a division of Trinchero Family Wines and Sutter Home. Trinchero Family is a…
Read More
The Thesis Russian River Chardonnay 2024 is selling for $9.99 at Costco, but $35 to $50 on the internet. This wine is produced by Fior di Sole, a family-owned Napa winery, though the Russian River is located in Sonoma. The Story The Thesis Russian River Chardonnay 2024 was a surprise. A ten-dollar Chardonnay from Costco…
Read More
The Bread & Butter Chardonnay 2024 is a wine I found on sale at a local wine store for $7, but is more likely to be found selling between $12 and $15. The Story Bread & Butter Chardonnay is a brand from WX Brands whose wines include Chronic Cellars and Trapiche (Argentina). Bread & Butter…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Big Churn Chardonnay 2024 is a Trader Joe’s exclusive, available for $6.99. It is produced for Trader Joe’s by Fior di Sole, a Napa-based wine company. The Story Fior di Sole has been producing the Big Churn Chardonnay since at least the 2015 vintage, and it has kept the $6.99 price tag the whole…
Read More
The Shortbread Buttery Chardonnay 2023 is a wine I discovered at a local wine shop, priced at $11.99. This was a brand from Wine Hooligans, which would sell the controlling interest in their company to Bronco Wines. The Story This Chardonnay is sourced from coastal vineyards in both the Central and North Coast AVAs. The…
Read More
The Harken Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2024 is a wine I found at Trader Joe’s for $12.99, which may be slightly higher than other wine sellers. Harken is a brand from O’Neill Wines. The Story The main point of interest for the Harken Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2024 is the barrel fermentation. Both the initial fermentation and…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Korbel California Champagne Brut is a Sparkling wine that should be found for under $14. Korbel has the legal right to call itself a Champagne since it was grandfathered in after the French enforced their trademark a few decades ago. The Story Korbel was founded by three Korbel brothers in the Russian River region…
Read More
The Kirkland Signature Brut Champagne (2025) is available for $22.99, up from $19.99 in past years. This Champagne is produced by Manuel Janisson, a fifth-generation winemaker in Champagne, France. The Story Manuel Janisson had his own Champagne House in Verzenay, with multiple vineyards and many designated Crus. He sold his holdings to LVMH, a high-end…
Read More
The Mumm Sparkling Brut Prestige (2025) is a wine I found on sale, selling for $8.99. GH Mumm has been a French Champagne House since 1827 and has had a California outpost since the 1970s. The Story Mumm has been in Napa and Sonoma for 50 years. Their Estate vineyard is located in Carneros, where…
Read More
The Trader Joe’s Reserve North Coast Brut Rosé (2025) is a $9.99 wine available year-round. It is produced by Rack and Riddle for Trader Joe’s. The Story The Trader Joe’s Reserve North Coast Brut Rosé (2025) is a Sparkling wine that has been available at Trader Joe’s for the last couple of years. We reviewed…
Read More
The Peaks & Tides Sonoma County Chardonnay 2023 is a $10.99 Aldi exclusive. This wine was previously sourced from the Sonoma Coast. The Story Aldi typically owns the brand names of their wines and then contracts with a winery to make the wine. The Sonoma Coast version of this wine was made by Delicato (Gnarly…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Sonoma-Cutrer Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2023 is a wine I found on sale for $15.99; it typically sells for $20 or more. The Sonoma-Cutrer winery is part of the Duckhorn family of wines. The Story The Sonoma-Cutrer Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2023 is their “entry-level” Chardonnay. It is 100% Chardonnay sourced from 4 sustainably farmed estate…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Napa Valley Blanc De Blancs is a $14.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It was produced and bottled by Rack and Riddle of Healdsburg, California. The Story Rack and Riddle is a large custom Sparkling wine producer serving California. They produce both the Traditional Method (think Champagne) and the Charmat Method (Prosecco)….
Read More
The Elliot Cooper California Chardonnay is a non-vintage $10 Aldi exclusive. Aldi owns the brand name, but a subsidiary of Trinchero Family Wine and Spirits produced the wine. The Story Aldi tends to own the brand names in case the need to change the producer arises. A popular product can continue and have several producers…
Read More
The Freakshow Lodi Chardonnay 2021 is a wine I found at a local grocery store for $15. This wine is from Michael David Winery of Lodi, California. The Story Michael and David are brothers, and Phillips is the family name. They are fifth-generation grape growers. The family has farmed the land since the 1860s and…
Read More
The Willia Creek Willamette Chardonnay 2023 is a $12.99 Trader Joe’s wine. The Willia Creek Cellars trademark is held by Precept Wine & Spirits. The Story The back label shows this Chardonnay was ” produced and bottled by” Willia Creek Cellars of Dundee, Oregon. Produced and bottled by indicates the aforementioned winery may not have…
Read More
The 19 Crimes The Mummy Hard Chard is a limited edition wine I found at Target, priced at $11.99. 19 Crimes is a brand owned by Treasury Wine Estates, an Australian company. In 2021, they reached sales of 5,000,000 cases globally, equivalent to 60,000,000 bottles sold annually. The Story The 19 Crimes The Mummy Hard…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
The Maison Barboulot Chardonnay Viognier 2024 is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive. This is an IGP or Vin de Pays designated wine from the Languedoc growing region of southwest France. The Story The Languedoc-Roussillon wine region is a place where French wine drinkers can find value-priced wines. IGP (also known as Vin de Pays)…
Read More
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,…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
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…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
