(and the cheap WHITES we’re diggin’ on lately)
The Vinas Chilenas Sauvignon Blanc 2015 is a $4.49 Trader Joe’s exclusive brand sourced from grapes grown in Chile’s Central Valley. The Central Valley lies in between the Chilean Coastal Mountain Range and the Andes Mountains, it is a warm area with intense sunlight and a long growing season. This is a young wine, meaning…
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The Chiare Blanc de Blancs 2014 is a $6.99 ALDI exclusive (this is a seasonal Sparkling wine that sold for $9.99 during the holidays) made from Pinot Blanc, Riesling and Muscat grapes grown in Monterey County, California. This is a Sparkling wine produced with the Charmat Method, the same technique used to make Prosecco. The…
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The Poderi dal Nespoli Pagadebit 2014 is 90% Bombino Bianco and 10% Sauvignon Blanc sourced from Poderi dal Nespoli 1929 (the winery, which was founded in 1929) DOC vineyards, located in the Hills of Forli area of Romagna, Italy. There are hundreds of different White grape varietals in Italy, each region and almost every town…
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The Crystal Creek Cellars Chardonnay 2014 is a $7.99 ALDI exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Columbia Valley AVA of Washington State. In checking around the internet, it seems that Crystal Creek is produced for ALDI by a reputable wine company located in the Northwest. For years, I have read that ALDI wines routinely win awards…
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The Leer Vineyards Valiant White is a non-vintage Moscato sourced from more than one California grape growing AVA. The Valiant White and the Heroic Red Blend were created to support the Military Warriors Support Foundation provide mortgage free and tax-free homes for combat wounded veterans. A portion of the proceeds from each bottle sold go…
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The Blue Nun Winemaker’s Passion Riesling 2014 is sourced from Qualitätswein (translate to quality wine, the top German quality category) vineyards in the Rheinhessen region of Germany. The Blue Nun brand started in 1923 with the 1921 vintage. It was created to simplify German wine for wine drinkers outside of Germany who couldn’t read the…
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The Casillero del Diablo Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2015 is sourced from the Casablanca Valley, Rapel Valley and the Limari Valley, each in a different growing region of Chile. This is a young wine, the grapes were picked in 2015 and it is still December 2015. Sauvignon Blanc does well as a young wine, meaning a…
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The Rodney Strong Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2013 is sourced from both estate and contracted vineyards in the Sonoma Coast AVA, Russian River AVA and the Dry Creek AVA, all inside Sonoma County in northern California. Rodney Strong Vineyards (Rodney Strong was a professional dancer, he danced ballet and on Broadway. He said he didn’t think…
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The Côté Mas Blanquette de Limoux St Hilaire Methode Ancestrale is a Sparkling wine produced by Domaine Paul Mas using the Mauzac grape grown near the abbey of St Hilaire in the Blanquette de Limoux AOC region of the Languedoc in southern France. St Hilaire is the abbey where in 1531 the first Sparkling wine…
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The Segura Viudas Brut Cava is a blend of 50% Macabeo, 35% Parellada, and 15% Xarello (these are the grapes traditionally used in making Cava) sourced from vineyards in the Penedes district of the Catalonia region of Spain (near Barcelona). There has been an estate on the Segura Viudas property since the 1000s and grapes…
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The Artesa Carneros Chardonnay 2013 is sourced 80% from Artesa estate vineyards and 20% purchased from neighboring vineyards. The Carneros AVA is half in Sonoma and half in Napa (Artesa is located in southern Carneros on the Napa side) and is a cool climate growing region that specializes in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Artesa (means…
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The Bouchaine Estate Vineyard Carneros Chardonnay 2013 is a $12.99 Trader Joe’s special buy. Bouchaine Vineyards is the oldest continuously operating winery in Carneros (the Carneros AVA is partly in Sonoma and partly in Napa, Bouchaine is on the Napa side) and this bottling sells on their website for $30 and can be found on…
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The Cycles Gladiator Chardonnay 2013 is sourced from vineyards in the Arroyo Seco AVA (inside the Monterey AVA) and the Livermore Valley AVA (near the San Francisco Bay), both inside the Central Coast AVA of California. The Cycles Gladiator brand was started in 2005 by Hahn Family Wines, Hahn recently decided to overhaul their wine…
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The Avant Garde Blanc 2012 is 100% Sauvignon Blanc sourced from AOC vineyards in Bordeaux, France. There three White grapes permitted in Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc is the main grape along with Semillion and Muscadelle ( a local grape not related to the sweet Moscato grape). The Avant Garde is a young wine (no oak conditioning…
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The La Granja 360 Cava Brut is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive, 70% Xarel-lo and 30% Parellada (these, along with Macabeo, are the grapes traditionally used in Cava) sourced from vineyards in the Penedes district of Catalonia (near Barcelona) in northeast Spain. The La Granja 360 Cava is made by Parxet, who have produced…
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The 2012 Lander Jenkins Chardonnay is one of Rutherford Wine Companies brands of wine, they also produce Rutherford Ranch, Predator and Round Hill wines, among others. The grapes are sourced the Central Coast, the Central Valley and the North Coast, as well as Rutherford Wine Company estate vineyards (and long-term grower vineyards) in Napa, Monterey…
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The 2012 Maryhill Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from 2 vineyards in the Columbia Valley AVA of Washington. Maryhill Winery is family owned and was founded in 1999, by 2009 they were named Washington Winery of the Year and in 2015 were named Pacific Northwest Winery of the year. This Sauv Blanc was fermented and aged…
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The 2014 La Granja 360 Verdejo Viura is a $4.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive, 70% Verdejo and 30% Viura grown in the vineyards of Bodegas Avelino Vegas around the town of Santiuste in the Castilla y Leon region in northeast Spain. Verdejo is a grape that has been farmed in Spain for over a thousand…
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The 2013 Earthstone Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc is $4.99 Trader Joe’s wine, produced by a family owned, sustainably farmed, carbon neutral winery located in Healdsburg, California. Trader Joe’s does not say who produces this Sauv Blanc, but if you Google carbon neutral, solar powered, family owned wineries in Healdsburg, it’s easy to figure out. Single…
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The JOYA Sangria White is 100% Airén grape with “all natural essences of fresh Mediterranean fruit” sourced from vineyards in the Castilla-LaMancha region of Spain. Airén is a grape that is almost exclusively grown in Spain and not too long ago was the most planted grape in world, today it is the 3rd most planted…
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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 Underwood Pinot Gris 2014 Can is sourced from grapes grown in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are the same grape, Gris is the French word for gray and Grigio is the Italian word (the grapes can have a blue/grey color, but they do vary). Underwood is one of the…
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The Old Soul Chardonnay 2013 is sourced from Oak Ridge Winery estate vineyards located in the Lodi AVA of northern California. Oak Ridge is the oldest winery in Lodi (founded in the 1930s) and is currently owned by the Maggio and Reynolds families who have 5 generations of vineyard and wine making experience. Lodi is…
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The Bogle Vineyards Chardonnay 2013 is sourced from grapes farmed in the Clarksburg, Monterey and Lodi AVA’s of northern California. Bogle Vineyards is a 6th generation, family owned vineyard (they have 1500 acres of grape vines) and winery located in the Clarksburg AVA, which is in the Sacramento River Delta. This Chardonnay is fermented “on…
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The Bel Lago Auxerrois 2013 is an estate grown White wine sourced from grapes grown on the Leelanau Peninsula surrounded by Lake Michigan in upstate western Michigan. The Auxerrois grape is common to the Alsace region of France near the border with Germany. It is a close relative of the Chardonnay grape and does well…
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