(and the cheap WHITES we’re diggin’ on lately)
The High Guard Chardonnay 2021 Trader Joe’s is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It is produced for them by a family-owned winery located in Napa Valley, though the grapes are from California. A wine produced from grapes grown in California must show California as the place of origin f the grapes are not from one…
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The Purple Moon Chardonnay 2020 Trader Joe’s is a $3.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. This wine is one of TJ’s perennial wines we first reviewed the 2011 vintage, it was $3.99 9 years ago. How they keep the price the same after all these years is a small miracle. This wine along with other wines in…
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The Josh Cellars Pinot Grigio 2021 is $11.99 (Target) from the negociant side of Joseph Carr Wines. Joseph Carr’s winery is located in Napa, a negociant (Josh Cellars) owns no winery and no vineyards. They lease winery space from existing wineries and buy grapes or juice from wineries. The bottle says this wine was blended…
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The Kirkland Champagne Brut-2022 is a $19.99 Costco exclusive produced for them by Manuel Janisson of the Verzenay region in Champagne, France. This Champagne House has roots dating back to the 1920s. This is real Champagne do not let the low price fool you. There are over 2,100 Champagne Houses making Bubbly in the Champagne…
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The Lustre American Sparkling Wine-Aldi is $13.99 Aldi Bubbly I can’t say that this Sparkling wine is exclusive to Aldi since it seems to be produced by Gruet, headquarter in New Mexico. In checking the California COLA registry database, they approve wine labels, I found that Precept-Wine/Gruet made the Lustre American Sparkling Wine-Aldi. Precept is…
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Trader Joe’s French Blanc de Blanc and Brut Rosé both Trader Joe’s exclusive $6.99 import Sparkling wines. The Fearless Flyer indicates that these are proprietary blends from the South of France near the Mediterranean Sea. These French Sparkling wines probably do not include Chardonnay or Pinot Noir the mainstays of Champagne Sparkling wines. It is…
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The Lindquist Family Bien Nacido Chardonnay 2020 is sourced from a single block (Block L) of the famed Bien Nacido Vineyard located inside the Santa Maria AVA which is part of the Santa Barbara AVA in California’s Central Coast AVA. Bien Nacido Vineyard has been called one of the best 5 vineyards in California, the…
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The Monsigny Brut Champagne Aldi 2022 is a $24.99 Aldi exclusive produced for them by Champagne Philzot et Fils. The price in past years has been $19.99, but Champagne prices are up this year. They have been making this Bubbly for Aldi in the UK since 2012 and in the US since 2019. The grapes…
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The Dancing Flame Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is a $7.99 Aldi wine made for them by Vina Luis Felipe Edwards the largest family-owned winery in Chile. The grapes are sourced from vineyards in the Leyda Valley, situated between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. The Leyda Valley vineyards are located between 3,300 ft…
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The Mionetto Prosecco Treviso Brut is a Sparkling wine from a winery founded in 1887 in the Valdobbiadene region of Veneto which is now located inside the Prosecco DOC region of northern Italy. The winery changed to the Charmat Method in 1982. The Charmat Method is by far the main production technique used in Prosecco….
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The Sea Sun California Chardonnay 2021 is sourced from three AVAs, 52% Monterey, 3% San Benito County (inside the Central Coast AVA), and 45% Soldano County, (southeast of Napa inside the North Coast AVA). Sea Sun is one of the brands from the Wagner Family (Caymus) with a history in California dating back to the…
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The Big Churn Chardonnay 2021 is $6.99 at Trader Joe’s. I do not think it is a Trader Joe’s exclusive it looks like it is available at internet wine sellers for between $8 and $12. This Chardonnay is produced by Fior di Sole, a family-owned winery headquartered in Napa. They are the 10th largest winery…
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The Chateau Ste Michelle Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is sourced from multiple vineyards throughout the Columbia Valley AVA, using both estate and contracted vineyards. Chateau Ste Michelle (founded in 1954) is the largest winery in Washington. Eight of the top ten best-selling labels of Washington wine are owned by them and almost 2/3rds of the grapes…
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The Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Sonoma County Brut Rosé is a $14.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive produced for them by Rack and Riddle from Sonoma, California. Rack and Riddle is a custom Sparkling wine producer making Bubbly in the Traditional Method (Champagne-style). The Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Sonoma County Brut Rosé is mostly Pinot Noir and…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve North Coast Brut is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive non-vintage Sparkling wine produced for them by Rack and Riddle out of Healdsburg, California. Rack and Riddle is a large operation specializing in Traditional Method (Champagne-style) Sparkling wines. They make plenty of Bubbly that shows other wineries’ labels, you may not be…
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