(and the cheap WHITES we’re diggin’ on lately)
The Broken Clouds Chardonnay 2014 is an $8.99 ALDI exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Sonoma Coast AVA north of San Francisco. Normally when checking the internet for information about an ALDI wine there is virtually nothing to be found, maybe a bottle shot and a vague sentence. But with the Broken Cloud wine, ALDI has vineyard photos…
Read More
The DeLoach California Chardonnay 2014 is sourced from vineyards in the delta region of California. Which include Clarksburg and Lodi, they a warm weather growing region, but they are in line with the San Francisco Bay and receive cooling winds in the morning and evening. DeLoach is one of the labels for the Boisset Collection, a family owned business that has properties…
Read More
The Sterling Vintner’s Central Coast Chardonnay 2014 is sourced from multiple vineyards in the Central Coast AVA of California. The Central Coast AVA is large, it includes 6 Counties, 27 sub-AVA’s and over 90,000 acres of planted grape vines. The Sterling Vintner’s Chardonnay underwent malolactic fermentation and was at least partially aged in oak barrels. Malolactic changes…
Read More
The Prophecy Sauvignon Blanc 2015 is sourced from vineyards in the Marlborough region on the northeast corner of New Zealand’s South Island. Prophecy Wines feature varietals from different locations, a Pinot Noir from California, a Pinot Grigio from Veneto, Italy and a Red blend from both California and Washington. All value priced, within a few bucks of…
Read More
The Springwood Chardonnay 2015 is a $4.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive, sourced from vineyards in the Murray Darling region of Australia. The Murray River and the Darling River are the 2 main rivers in the area, which is located east of Adelaide and north of Melbourne. It is a hot, dry growing region that depends on…
Read More
The Chateau Ste Michelle Chardonnay 2014 is 100% Chardonnay sourced from multiple vineyards throughout the Columbia Valley in Washington State. Chateau Ste Michelle is the largest winery in Washington, their 2nd label Columbia Crest won the Wine Spectator Wine of the Year for a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (sold for $40), another label, 14 Hands makes one…
Read More
The Floriana Grüner Veltliner 2014 is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive, produced from vineyards in the Pannon region of Hungary. Hungary has a wine tradition that dates back to when the Romans planted vines in the 400s and more recently the Hungarians and the Austrians had empire where they were a military and economic powerhouse…
Read More
The Indaba Chenin Blanc 2015 is sourced from several vineyards in the Swartland, Paarl and Stellenbosch growing regions in the Western Cape area of South Africa. Chenin Blanc is the most planted grape in South Africa and has become “the wine of South Africa.” Originally, Chenin Blanc was a well known grape from the Loire Valley in…
Read More
The Santa Monica Brut Cava produced from vineyards in the Penedes DO of the Catalonia region (near Barcelona) in Spain. This Sparkling wine uses the traditional Cava grapes, Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel.lo. Cava is produced with the same methods as used in Champagne, which is where the grape juice is fermented twice. The first time fermentation…
Read More
The Poppy Chardonnay 2013 is sourced from the Poppy estate Highland Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA inside the Monterey AVA, which is part of the larger Central Coast AVA. The Santa Lucia Highlands AVA is located in the foothills east of the coastal Santa Lucia Range and on the western side of the Salinas…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More