The Story The Plus and Plus Brut (or +&+ on the label) is a non-vintage blend of 3 indigenous Catalonian grapes, 30% Xarello, 50% Macabeo, and 20% Parellada has grown on the Penedes region of eastern Spain, near Barcelona. The +&+ is produced by Bodegas Pinord a family-run winery that was founded over 150 years ago….
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The Story The Riondo Prosecco Spago Nero is 100% Glera grape from the DOC portion of the Prosecco region of Veneto in Northern Italy. The Spago Nero differs from the usual Prosecco in that this is Frizzante which refers to the pressure (atmospheres) inside the bottle. A typical Prosecco will have about 3 atmospheres of…
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The Story The M.Chevallier Brut Cava is a Trader Joe’s $5.99 exclusive sourced from vineyards near Barcelona in northeast Spain. The trademark for this Cava is owned by the oldest and 2nd largest Cava producer in Spain. It is also imported by their own wine importation company, so they are not hiding anything. Trader Joe’s does…
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The Villa Sandi ilFresco Brut Prosecco is a DOC classified non-vintage Bubbly, 85% Glera, 15% Chardonnay & Pinot Blanc sourced from the Treviso region of Veneto (Venice) in Northeast Italy. Villa Sandi has been a wine estate since 1622, though Prosecco, as we know it today, has only been around for a little over 100 years. The…
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The Barons De Rothschild Légende Bordeaux Blanc 2017 is 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sémillon sourced from Rothschild vineyards in the Entre-Deux-Mers AOC region, a mostly White grape growing area of Bordeaux. If you are new to White Bordeaux wine, the main grape is Sauvignon Blanc that is often blended with Sémillon and occasionally other White grapes….
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The Chiare’ Blanc de Blanc Sparkling Wine (Chiare’ is Italian for clear) is a $7.99 ALDI’s vintage dated Bubbly sourced from vineyards in Monterey, California. CWF reviewed the 2014 vintage (it was $6.99 then) and thought it was worth twice the price. ALDI must have showcased the 2014 in its advertisements, because we learned that vintage…
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The Paluzzi Moscato D’Asti 2017 is a $6.99 ALDI’s Sparkling wine from the DOCG Asti region inside of Piedmont in northwest Italy. The entire Asti growing region is designated DOCG (that is Italy highest designation concerning location and the rules and regulation of growing grapes and producing wine, followed by DOC, IGP, and Table Wine. Gancia…
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Quake and Dave start off talking about the Sparkling Wines of the Asti Region in Italy, and the discussion heads off to points unknown
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In this podcast episode, we enjoy a beautiful Trader Joe’s Grüner Veltliner – from Hungary! A Grüner that’s not from Austria? Waaaaa? Listen in to see what we think of the Floriana Grüner Veltliner 2017 G’day mate! (just kidding that’s Australia)
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In this episode, we pop the top on some Mionetto Prosecco DOC made with organically grown grapes! Listen carefully – you can hear the cork POP!
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The Casteller Cava Brut is 40% Macabeo, 40% Xarel-lo, and 20% Parellada (the 3 traditional indigenous Catalonian grapes used in producing Cava) sourced from the Celler Vilafranca vineyards and winery, the largest vineyard owner in the Penedes area of the Catalunya region of Spain (near Barcelona). Brut indicates that this is a dry or not sweet Sparkling…
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The Luzada Albarino 2017 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive (though it seems to available in other countries), it is estate grown and bottled in the Val do Saines DO (a DO in Spain is the same as an AVA in California, a specific boundary) located in Rias Baixas in the northwest corner of Spain,…
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The Mionetto Prosecco Brut DOC is made rom the Glera grape sourced from vineyards near the town of Valdobbiadene inside the Treviso appellation in the Veneto region (near Venice) of Italy. Mionetto has been producing wine since 1887 and all Prosecco is made from one grape varietal, the Glera grape. There are 2 main growing areas in…
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The Maison Barboulot Marsanne-Viognier 2017 is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive sourced from vineyards near the Black Mountains in the Languedoc region of Southeast France (along the Mediterranean Ocean). Maison Barboulot is a brand name, there is no Maison Barboulot estate and the label is faux French. It is actual French writing, but none of…
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The Bervini 1955 Spumante Rose’ Extra Dry is a blend of Glera (the grape used in making Prosecco) and Roboso (a local Red grape, this is where the Rose’ color comes from) sourced from vineyards of the family owned estate in the Friuli Venezia Giulia in the northern most eastern part of Italy. The Prosecco DOC…
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The Caves Naveran Brut Cava 2015 is an estate grown, vintage dated Bubbly, farmed organic, but not certified organic in vineyards around the town of Torrelavit in the Alt Penedes DO of Catalonia (near Barcelona) In northeast Spain. Cava is produced in the same way as Champagne, the Traditional Method, where the wine is fermented 2x, the…
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The Terras Gauda O Rosal 2015 is a blend of 70% Albariño, 20% Caiño, and 10% Loureiro grown in Bodegas Terras Gauda vineyards located in the O Rosal sub-district of Rias Baixas in northwest Spain.Virtually all the wine produced in Rias Baixas is White wine with Albariño comprising 96% of the vines planted.grapes. Loureiro and Caiño are…
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The Atlantis Albariño 2016 is 100% Albariño sourced from vineyards in the Condado de Tea district of the Rias Baixas DO in northwest Spain. Rias Baixas is just north of Portugal and along the Atlantic Coast, the Condado de Tea sub-region is the southernmost district in Rias Baixas and the furthest from the coast. The climate is heavily influenced…
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The Hacienda López de Haro Blanco 2016 is 100% Viura sourced from vineyards near the town of San Vincente de la Sonsierra in the Rioja Alta region (Rioja has 3 regions, this is the region with the highest altitude vineyards) in the Rioja DO of northwest Spain. The Viura grape is also known as Macabeo which…
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The Veiga Naum Albariño 2016 is 100% Albariño grown in the Salnés Valley of the Rias Baixas DO located in the Galicia region of northwest Spain. The Rias Baixas DO is just over Spain’s northern border with Portugal and along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Veiga Naum is produced by Bodegas Riojanas, founded in 1890, though the…
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The Mbali Chenin Blanc Viognier 2016 is a $4.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive, 79% Chenin Blanc and 21% Viognier sourced from the Western Cape growing district of South Africa. Mbali is the Zulu word for flower. The flower on the label is a Protea, the national flower of South Africa. The Western Cape is by far the…
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The Pontificis VRM 2015 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive, White wine blend, 45% Viognier, 45% Roussanne, and 10% Marsanne sourced from the Hérault and Aude Valleys in the Languedoc wine region of southern France. TJ’s also sold the Pontificis GSM Red Blend (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre) which is one of the wine worlds great blends that…
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The Taranatas Sparkling White is certified organic and vegan-friendly, produced from 50% Macabeo and 50% Airén grapes in the Utiel-Requena region of Valencia in eastern Spain, just west of the Mediterranean Ocean. The Macabeo grape is one of the 3 grapes (Xarel-lo and Parellada are the other 2) traditionally used in the making of Cava Sparkling wine…
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The La Burgondie Brut Reserve is a Trader Joe’s $9.99 import exclusive, a non-vintage blend of 50% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, 20% Gamay (this is the grape used in Beaujolais), and 5% Aligote (the #2 White grape grown in Burgundy, Chardonnay is #1 and used primarily in the production of Cremant, which is French for Sparkling…
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The Les Hauts De Lagarde Bordeaux Blanc 2016 is a blend of 60% Sauvignon Blanc and 40% Semillon sourced from Certified Organic AOC vineyards in the Saint-Laurent-du-Bois district of the Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux in France (where the grapes are grown is very important in French wine, maybe even more important than which grape varietals are used)….
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