(and the cheap WHITES we’re diggin’ on lately)
The Villa Maria Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is a “taste of Marlborough” wine sourced from vineyards in the cooler Awatere Valley and the warmer Wairau Valley. They purposely selected vineyards in diverse locations to get a selection of grapes that are indicative of the region. This is Villa Maria’s Private Bin line of wines and…
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The Ca’Belli Prosecco Extra Dry is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s US exclusive though it is available in other countries under this label. This is a DOC Prosecco from an Italian custom wine producer. To start with the basics, Prosecco is produced from the Glera grape grown in the Prosecco region of Veneto in Northern Italy….
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The Sunny With A Chance Of Flowers Chardonnay 2019 is one of the new “fitness” wines with zero sugar, 85 calories, 9% alcohol content, gluten-free, and sustainably farmed. This is one of the brands from Scheid Family Vineyards from the Monterey AVA on the Central Coast of California. This Chardonnay is sourced from Scheid’s sustainably…
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The Rodney Strong Charlotte’s Home Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is sourced from vineyards in 38% Alexander County, 31% Dry Creek, 11% Russian River, 10% Arroyo Seco, and 2% Monterey County. For a wine to show Sonoma on the label as the place of origin for the grapes 85% of the grapes must be from Sonoma,…
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The Castleridge Carneros Chardonnay 2021 is a $12.99 Aldi wine exclusive. The Carneros AVA is located inside both Sonoma County and Napa Valley. It is located at the northern edge of San Pablo Bay, so it is well inland between San Francisco and Oakland. Carneros is a premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay growing region. Chardonnay…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay 2020 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. The Santa Lucia Highlands is situated in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains, a coastal range located near Big Sur and the Monterey Bay inside the Monterey AVA of California’s Central Coast AVA. The Santa Lucia Highlands is a…
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The Substance Sb Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is sourced from four vineyards, 43% Caliche Lake Vineyard, 26% Holmason Vineyard, 19% Frenchman Hills Vineyard, and 12% Roza Hills Vineyard all located in the Columbia Valley of Washington. The Substance line of wines is from The House of Smith one of the top producers in the Columbia Valley,…
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The Rebuttel Chardonnay 2021 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive made for them by a winery from Lodi, California, though this wine is a California wine and not AVA designated. You may notice that Rebuttel is misspelled (Rebuttal). The name is a sort of a pun, a butt is an old measurement for wine and…
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The Kendall Jackson Vintners Reserve Chardonnay 2020 is 100% Chardonnay and has been the best-selling Chardonnay in the US for 29 years in a row. Kendall Jackson is a family-owned winery founded in 1982 and was instrumental in popularizing Chardonnay in America. The Kendall Jackson Vintners Reserve Chardonnay 2020 is sourced from several California AVAs,…
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The Sunshine Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is a $7.95 wine that is exclusive to Aldi in the US. This is a wine that is sourced from estate vineyards in the Wairau Valley of the Marlborough region in the northern section of New Zealand’s South Island. They do not mention which estate produced this wine….
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The Segura Viudas Brut Cava is a blend of three local grapes, 50% Macabeo, 30% Parellada, and 20% Xarel-lo sourced from vineyards in the Catalunya region of the Penedes DO in eastern Spain. This is their entry-level Cava but does not have entry-level production specifications. Cava is a Sparkling wine made in the Champagne style….
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The Beauty In Chaos Pinot Grigio 2019 is a $12.99 wine made exclusively for Target by Chateau Ste. Michelle in the Columbia Valley of Wahington. Chateau Ste Michelle is the largest winery in Washington and at one time accounted for half of the wine produced. There is not any technical information for the Beauty In…
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The Josh Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is a wine from the negotiant branch of Joesph Carr Wines from Napa, California. Joseph Carr was a sommelier in New York City who decided to make his own wines. He named his wine company after himself and the negociant branch after his dad, Josh. Here is a wine…
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The Coppola Diamond Collection Chardonnay 2019 is sourced from grapes grown in coastal vineyards. It may be confusing but there seem to be three Diamond Collection Chardonnays, a black-label Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, a Monterey Chardonnay, and a California Chardonnay. The last two both have an orange label. This Chardonnay lists for $16 on the Coppola…
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The Pleiades White Blend 2019 is a wine from a recently formed wine company that is an extension of Sean Thackery Wines. Who is or sadly was Sean Thackery (he passed away in May 2022)? Well, that is a long and exciting story. Sean Thackery was an art dealer and curator (he collected ancient books)…
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The Trader Joe’s French Brut Rosé is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from vineyards on the French coast near the Mediterranean Sea. This bottle is simply a French wine and does not have an AOC or IGP designation, making this a Vin de France or the lowest classification of French wine. Trader Joe’s does…
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The Ava Grace California Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is one of the many brands from The Wine Group, the second-largest US wine company and the third in the world in terms of volume. Ava Grace has a full line of wines and the winemaker is Andrea Brambila. The Ava Grace California Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is a…
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The Lindeman’s Bin 65 Chardonnay 2021 just may be the best cheap retail wine available. I found it at a major Chicago wine and spirits shop for $3.99. Cheapwinefinder has reviewed every vintage since 2015 except 2020. I keep expecting the quality to fall off, to be disappointed, but it never happens. And this is…
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The Stormchaser Charging Chardonnay 2020 is a wine I found for $6.69 at Aldi. This is a wine made for Aldi by Precept Wine, the largest privately held wine company in the Northwest. Their brands include Gruet, House Wine, Canoe Ridge, and many more. Aldi’s wine selection has been stagnant for months, to transportation issues,…
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The Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2020 is sourced from a single vineyard (Milbrandt) in the Ancient Lakes AVA of the Columbia Valley in Washington. Kung Fu Girl is one of the wines in the Charles Smith Wines brand. Charles Smith sold the wine company to Constellation Brands, but the production details of this Riesling have…
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The La Granja 360 Cava (The Farm 360) is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive in the US, I believe this brand of wine is available in other counties. La Granja 360 has a line of affordable Spanish bang for the buck wines. The winery preaches social responsibility and they strive to reduce their footprint…
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The Hook or Crook Cellars Lodi Chardonnay 2020 is currently available at Costco for under $12, but will soon be available across the country at wine retail outlets. This Chardonnay is produced by Thomas Allen Wine Estates of the Lodi AVA. They produce 12,000,000 bottles of wine a year all for other major wine brands….
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The Starborough Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is sourced from vineyards in the Marlborough region of New Zealand’s South Island. Marlborough is on the northern part of the South Island. Starborough is an E & J Gallo wine brand, the largest family-owned wine company in the world. The Starborough Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is produced by…
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The Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay 2020 is the “entry-level” Chardonnay from Wente Vineyards, the oldest continuously operated family-owned winery in America (founded in 1883). They survived World Wars, the Depression, and Prohibition, and their story is of great significance to the entire wine industry. In 1912 Ernest Wente started working on grapevine cutting from a…
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The Cupcake Prosecco DOC is part of a curated line of wines from Cupcake Vineyards which is one of The Wine Groups‘ families of brands. They have Cava from Spain, Pinot Grigio from the foothills of the mountains in far north Italy, a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, you get the idea, all under the…
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