(and the cheap WHITES we’re diggin’ on lately)
The Decoy Brut Cuvée is a blend of 49% Pinot Noir, 47% Chardonnay, and 4% Pinot Meunier sourced from vineyards in several locations in California. Decoy is one of Duckhorn Vineyards’ wines; they are a high-end winery founded by Dan and Margret Duckhorn in 1976. The Decoy line of wines started as Duckhorn’s second line…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The High Guard Chardonnay 2019 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from vineyards located in several California AVA’s. This is a wine produced for Trader Joe’s by a custom wine company making wine for TJ’s for several years. I read that half of the wineries in California are faux-wineries, meaning that they do not…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The African Hills Cape Town Sauvignon Rosé 2020 is a $6.99 ALDI import wine from the Cape Town growing region of South Africa. The Rosé is a blend of 93% Sauvignon Blanc and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon. Fun Wine Fact: Sauvignon Blanc is the genetic parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. Ok, here is a Rosé refresher. Rosé…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Villa Borghetti Grigio Luna Pinot Grigio 2020 is a $5.99 import Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Delle Venzie DOC of Northeast Italy. The Delle Venzie region specializes in White wine grapes and grows German grape varietals and Italian, but is best known for Pinot Grigio. The Villa Borghetti Grigio Luna Pinot…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Domaine Jean Bousquet Brut Rose is a non-vintage Sparkling wine, 95% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay sourced from Estate vineyards in the foothills of the Tupungato Mountain in the Uco Valley of Mendoza in Argentina. Tupungato is one of the tallest mountains in the Americas, and the vineyards are situated at 4,000 feet. Domaine…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Vin Seven Unoaked Chardonnay 2019 is a $4.99 wine that I found at Trader Joe’s, but the 7 in the Vin Seven name stands for 7/Eleven. At one time, the Vin Seven Unoaked Chardonnay 2019 was a 7/Eleven exclusive wine. Sonoma Bespoke makes custom private-label wines for Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Aldi, grocery store chains,…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Espiral Vinho Verde – Trader Joe’s is a $4.45 Trader Joe’s exclusive. Vinho Verde is a region in Northern Portugal and not a particular grape. These wines are typically inexpensive wines with bright acidity and bracing citrus flavors. They are also a little fizzy. Vinho Verde wines were originally slightly carbonated because the winemakers…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Poppy Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay 2017 is sourced from Poppy’s Highland vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands sub-AVA inside the Monterey AVA, which is inside the Central Coast AVA of California. The Santa Lucia Highlands is exactly what the name suggests; it is located in the foothills of the Santa Lucia coastal mountains. This…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Blue Shell Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s import wine sourced from vineyards in the Languedoc region of southeast France. The label says the location is the “Southern French Coast,” which makes sense since the Languedoc runs along the Mediterranean Ocean. This is an IGP (Indication Geographique Protégée) classified wine; it is…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Trader Joe’s Blanc de Blancs Brut is a $5.99 Sparkling wine from France. Trader Joe’s has been selling Bubbly for years; Cheapwinefinder first reviewed this wine in October of 2013. Blanc de Blanc translates to White wine from white grapes. In Champagne, it means the Bubbly was made with Chardonnay. But here, they could…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Don’t Mind If I Do Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is a $7.99 ALDI low-calorie wine. This is a wine with 85 calories, sugar-free, 3.4g of carbohydrates, .4g of protein, and 0% fat. One of the reasons for the low calories is this Sauvignon Blanc has only 9% alcohol content. The brand name Don’t Mind If…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Los Vascos Chardonnay 2020 is sourced from the estate vineyards of Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) property in the Colchagua Valley of Chile. This is a wine that is often available for under ten dollars, and the 2020 vintage received 90 points from a leading wine critic. You would think that Domaines Barons de Rothschild…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Honey Moon Viognier 2019 is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It is part of the Moon series of wines produced for Trader Joe’s by a large family-owned winery from Lodi, California. Their Moon X Black Pinot Noir was our most popular review in 2019 and 2020. The honey in Honey Moon Viognier 2019 does…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Conte Priuli Prosecco Rosé 2020 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s Sparkling wine, but it is available at other retailers in different parts of the world. It sells at the Marks and Spencer store in London for the equivalent of 16 dollars US and at a similar price in wine shops in Ireland. A wine…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Blackbird Vineyards Dissonance Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is 87% Sauvignon Blanc and 13% Semillon. The Sauv Blanc is sourced from the Hudson Vineyard, located on the Napa side of the Carneros AVA. The Semillion was taken from the Bavarian Lion Vineyard in the Knights Valley AVA of northeast Sonoma County. The Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
Riddle Edna Valley Chardonnay 2018 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s wine sourced from vineyards in the Edna Valley AVA inside San Luis Obispo County, inside the Central Coast AVA of California. Edna Valley is to the east of the Santa Lucia Mountains, and the Pacific Ocean provides a cool climate ideal for Chardonnay vines. As…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The McBride Sisters Hawke’s Bay Brut Rose is a non-vintage blend of 64% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, and 6% Merlot vineyards located in Hawke’s Bay growing region on the North Island in New Zealand. The Pinot Noir and the Chardonnay are iconic grapes used in Champagne wines, so the uncommon addition of Merlot is an…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Angeline Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is sourced from vineyards in Sonoma County, primarily the Russian River Valley AVA and the Dry Creek AVA. The Angeline brand is one of the Martin Ray Vineyards and Winery family of wines. Martin Ray Vineyards was one of the pioneers of the single varietal Burgundian style of wine…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Ashokawna Russian River Chardonnay 2018 is an $8.99 Aldi exclusive. The Russian River Valley AVA is in western Coastal Sonoma County. The Sonoma Coast AVA is west of the Russian River Valley AVA. The Russian River Valley runs north/south parallel to the coast. The river originally flowed east/ west until a cataclysmic event thousands…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Exquisite Collection Chardonnay 2019 is a $7.99 ALDI exclusive sourced from vineyards in California and that is the extent of what I know about this wine. The Exquisite Collection line of wine is basically the ALDI equivalent to Trader Joe’s Reserve wines. Special wine deals happened upon that year, and they pass the savings…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Painted Wolf The Den Chenin Blanc 2019 is part of The Den line of wines from the family-owned Painted Wolf Winery of Swartland, South Africa. The Den is their line of every day easy to drink wines. The name Painted Wolf is a reference to the endangered indigenous wild dogs that once roamed freely….
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Bortolomiol Bandarossa Prosecco 2019 is an extra dry, DOCG-designated, vintage-dated Prosecco from a family-owns winery with roots dating back to the mid-1800s. The central Prosecco region in Veneto is rated a DOC, but a section in the middle of Prosecco called Valdobbiadene is where the DOCG wines are located. The Italian wine authority ranks…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
Lakeville Napa Valley Brut Róse 2019 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive, a Sparkling wine made from the Pinot Noir grape sourced from vineyards in Napa Valley. There are a couple of odd details concerning the Lakeville Napa Valley Brut Róse. First, if you look at the title, the “o” in Rose has the punctuation,…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Vintjs Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from grapes farmed in Napa County in Northern California. The Vintjs brand and the Vintjs Napa Sauvignon Blanc have been around for over a decade, which is good staying power for a store brand. It seems the same Napa winery has been…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS
The Burgans Albariño 2019 is sourced from vineyards in the Rias-Baixas DO in northwest Spain’s upper corner. This White wine is made by Bodegas Martín Códax, a wine collective formed in 1986. Collectives or communes are common in Spain. Bodegas Martín Códax has 600 members, all small farmers with relatively small vineyards. One of the…
Read MorePodcast: Play in new window | Download () | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Podcast Index | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS