(and the cheap WHITES we’re diggin’ on lately)
The Cambria Katherine’s Vineyard Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay 2022 is a wine I found selling at Costco for $15.99. A check of the web saw average internet prices of around $20. Cambria Vineyards is part of the Jackson Family Wines portfolio (think Kendall-Jacjson), and this is Katherine (Katie) Jackson’s winery. This is a single vineyard…
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The J Lohr Riverstone Arroyo Seco Chardonnay 2023 is a wine that I found for $12.99, and with a quick check of the internet and wine shops, it is the going rate. This is an estate wine from J Lohr a family owned and operated winery and vineyards located in the Monterey AVA since 1974….
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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 Rock Station Napa Chardonnay 2022 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. This Chardonnay is produced for Trader Joe’s by Fior di Sole, Napa Valley, California. The Story Fior di Sole (translates to “flower of the sun”) is a family-owned and operated Napa winery with 35 years of experience. Its production capacity is equivalent to…
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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 Fess Parker Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2023 sells for $14.49 at Costco which is about two bucks cheaper than most internet wine shops. Santa Barbara is at the southern end of the Central Coast AVA, about 100 miles north of Los Angeles. The Fess Parker winery was founded in 1988. In the late 1950s and…
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The Slice Skin Contact White Wine 2023 is a $12 Trader Joe’s wine produced for them by Bozzano & Co. headquartered in the San Luis Obispo AVA of California’s Central Coast. This is a White wine blend with 24% Chenin Blanc, 18% Pinot Gris, 12% Colombard, 9% Xarel.lo, 8% Verdelho, 6% Vermentino, 3% Gewurztraminer, 3%…
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The William Walker Monterey Chardonnay 2023 is a $7.99 Aldi exclusive, if the name sounds familiar, the previous Aldi value Chardonnay was the William Wright Chardonnay ($6.99). This Chardonnay is produced for Aldi by Plata Wine Partners, which has over 60 vineyards totaling 18,000+ acres and a talented winemaking team. They have also produced several…
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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 Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Carneros Chardonnay 2023 is a $12.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. The Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer indicates that the 2023 vintage returns after a six-year absence. Carneros is a high-end wine district, and the California wine business has been booming in the last few years. However, the boom is turning into something…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Willamette Pinot Gris 2022 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. This wine was “produced and bottled by” D W Hinman Cellars. Produced and bottled by means they made the wine, vinted and bottled by (often seen on Trader Joe’s Reserve wine) does not mean much. D W Hinman Cellars is Doyle…
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I found the Oyster Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023 selling for $11.99. This is the first wine of the year for which the most current vintage is actually 2024. New Zealand’s growing season is the opposite of ours since it is south of the equator. Delegat (founded in 1947)is a family-owned wine company that owns…
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The Gruet Brut Sparkling Wine NV is a wine I found in Chicago selling for on sale for $11.99, it typically sells for closer to $18 but should be well-priced for the coming Holidays. Gruet Winery is located in New Mexico—Gilbert Gruet established Gruet et Fils in Bethon in Champagne, France in 1967. Before that,…
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The Le Grand Noir Chardonnay 2022 is 85% Chardonnay and 15% Viognier sourced from several areas of the Languedoc wine region in southwest France. This wine is available at Costco for $9.99 and elsewhere for $10 to $14. The Le Grand Noir brand has an entire range of French wines as well as Sparkling and…
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The Aldi Specially Selected Cremant D’Alsace Brut is an Aldi $14.99 import exclusive. The cork showed the initials AM and a Google check of the address listed on the back label shows Maison Arthur Metz as the producer. They are part of the GCF Wine Group, including JP Chenet, Calvet, and Grand Sud. A Cremant…
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The Salty Blonde Sauvignon Blanc is a non-vintage wine from the West Cape region of South Africa that I found on sale for $11.99though a check on the web showed the average price to be closer to $15. While a non-vintage White wine may not sound too exciting this Sauvignon Blanc has a few tricks…
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The Dashwood Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a wine I found on sale for $9.99 at a local shop. Dashwood is a label that is part of the Foley Wine Family and has an impressive portfolio, that includes wines from California, New Zealand, the Pacific Northwest, Argentina, and France. The Dashwood Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023…
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The Jawbreaker California Chardonnay is a wine I found for $12.59, the producer is Chateau Diana from Sonoma, California. This is a non-vintage wine, but the tasting notes say “sourced from some prized California vineyards, almost exclusively from the warm Central Valley”. The Central Valley includes Clarksburg, Lodi AVA, and many smaller, boutique locations. Where…
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The Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Chardonnay 2023 is a $7.99 Costco exclusive. This wine was made for Costco by Grape and Grain Imports, a Precept WInes division. Precept sells 31 different labels plus is a major player in store and restaurant brands, making wine for Trader Joe’s Costco, Albertson’s, P.F. Changs, and many more. As…
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The Seven Hills Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a wine that sells for $12.99 at Costco and between $15 to $20 elsewhere. This is not a brand wine, typical in the value-price range, but a wine from a winery. The Seven Hills Winery was founded in the 1980s and was one of the first…
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The Belletti DOC Prosecco is a $9.99 Non-Vintage Sparkling wine from Aldi. The Belletti is a brand name owned by Aldi the actual producer is Mack & Schuhle, a German wine company that imports, distributes, and produces wine. Germany is one of the largest consumers of Sparkling wine. The Belletti DOC Prosecco is an Extra…
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The Pas de Probleme Sauvignon Blanc 2022 is a wine that should be found for between $15 and $20. Pas de Probleme translates to No Problem. This wine is sourced from grapes grown around the village of Béziers in the Languedoc region of southeastern France. Beziers is located in the region’s center, not far from…
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The Kenwood Sonoma Monterey Chardonnay 2019 is a wine that should be found selling for between $10 and $15. This brand from Pernod Ricard recently sold off their value-priced portfolio but kept Kenwood Vineyards. Kenwood Vineyards is a 160-year-old winery located in Sonoma that seems to be well worth visiting when tasting Sonoma. It has…
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The Seaglass Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a wine I found selling for $9.99. This wine has been sourced from the Santa Barbara County AVA, but lately, the vineyard selection has expanded to other parts of the Central Coast. The Los Alamos Vineyard (20 miles from the Pacific) remains a constant through the vintages….
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