Most Argentinean Malbecs you see the wine shop shelves these days come from the Mendoza Province in Eastern Argentina in the foothills of the Andes. I went to a Wines of Argentina Trade Show a couple of years ago and out of the 25 wineries represented 23 had been founded in the last 14 years….
Read MoreWe loved Airfield Estates’ The Bombshell Red – she was truly luscious. And their winery sounds like a blast to visit – it used to be a WWII airfield, and they built the winery to resemble the hangars that used to be there – complete with faux hangar doors and an airfield tower which houses…
Read MoreThe 2010 Feudo Principi di Butera Insolia is sourced from Estate vineyards in the Butera district of the Caltanissetta Province in the heart of Sicily. Insolia is an indigenous grape grown in Sicily (also in a small area of Tuscany) that in the past was one of the grapes used in making Marsala fortified wine…
Read MoreThe Zibibbo Sparkling Pink Moscato is made from the Muscat of Alexandria grape grown in the Riverland growing area of South Australia. This wine is produced by Angove Family Winery, which in the US is part of Trinchero Family Estates wines. This Moscato has very light bubbles, produced in the Charmat Method– where second fermentation…
Read MoreThe 2010 Hacienda Del Plata Zagal Malbec is sourced from a single Estate vineyard, Las Marias Vineyard, located near the town of Chacras de Coria in the Lujan de Cuyo district of Mendoza, Argentina. Hacienda Del Playa is a small, family owned and operated winery and the New York Times named their 2004 Malbec as…
Read MoreThe Rex-Goliath Cabernet Sauvignon is a non vintage wine sourced from more than one California grape growing AVA. About ten years ago Rex-Goliath was a pretty reliable supermarket wine, back then it was Hahn Estates entry level wine sourced from grapes grown in Monterey and the Central Coast. The brand has since been sold off…
Read MoreThe 2011 Thiery-Weber Animo Gruner Veltliner is sourced from several vineyards in the Kremstal grape growing area in northeast Austria. Gruner Veltliner is THE White grape of Austria totaling 1/3 of all the grapes planted and the wines come in many different styles from age worthy Gruner to Sparkling Gruner Veltliner, the Animo Gruner is a…
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If you’re like me, you’ve probably wondered what is the difference between Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris – if there is any at all? Some say the difference is in how the wine is aged – oak barrels indicated by Pinot Gris and stainless steel by Pinot Grigio. Some say it’s just how the Italians…
Read MoreThe 2010 P.K.N.T. Pinot Noir is 100% Pinot Noir sourced from multiple vineyards in Chile’s Itata Valley. Most wines you see imported from Chile are produced in the Central Valley, but the Itata Valley is the northern most of 3 valleys that make up Chile’s Southern Region. This is a young wine, no oak barrel…
Read MoreThe 2011 Fisheye Chardonnay is sourced from vineyards in Southeastern Australia. Fisheye is one of Underdog Wine Merchants labels, they also produce Cupcake, Flipflop and Big House wines. They don’t give a great deal of information on the making of the wine, one hint they do give is that the wine tastes of “fresh picked…
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The 2010 Uppercut North Coast Sauvignon Blanc is 100% Sauvignon Blanc sourced from vineyards in the Mendocino and Lake County grape growing AVA’s of Northern California. This wine was vinted and bottled by Uppercut Wines of Sonoma, California, “vinted and bottled” legally indicates that the listed winery made less than 25% of the wine and…
Read MoreThe 2009 Maryhill Winemaker’s White is a blend of 35% Chardonnay, 27% Viognier, 25% Sauvignon Blanc and 13% Semillon sourced from vineyards in the Columbia Valley of Washington State. Maryhill Winery is family owned, was founded in 1999 and was recently named “2009 Washington State Winery of the Year”. This is a fairly small production…
Read MoreThe 2007 Plantagenet Hazard Hill Shiraz is 100% Shiraz sourced mainly from the Great Southern, Blackwood and Geographe growing areas of Western Australia (most of the Australian Shiraz you see on the shelves is sourced from Southeastern Australia). The 2007 vintage was one of the warmest growing seasons ever in Western Australia and the grapes ripened…
Read MoreThe Long Arm Lot 81 Paso Robles Red Blend is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. The wine is made by Familia Nueva, which is a label owned by Ancient Peaks Winery and used for their Trader Joe’s wines, which tend to be some of the better TJ’s California wines. This is a non vintage wine…
Read MoreThe 2009 Clifford Bay Pinot Noir is 100% Pinot Noir sourced from vineyards (both Estate vines and contract growers) in the Awatere Valley and Wairau Valley in the Marlborough growing region on the South Island of New Zealand. All the vineyards practice sustainable farming . The vineyards are located near Clifford Bay, Cloudy Bay is…
Read MoreThe Domaine Lafond Cotes du Rhone Rouge is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah sourced from two vineyards in the Southern Rhone Valley. Since French wines are all about “terroir” (the effects the weather and the soil have on the wine), one vineyard was rocky with clay soil and the other was sandy…
Read MoreThe 2010 Green Barn Mendocino County Organic Chardonnay is produced by Mendocino Wine Company for Trader Joe’s ($7.99). Mendocino Wine Company also produce Parducci Wine Cellars (the oldest winery in Mendocino) and Paul Dolan Vineyards (a leader in sustainable and organic wines since 1987). The Chardonnay grapes are grown to certified organic standards. The wine…
Read MoreThe 2010 Darien Rioja Tempranillo is available (not a TJ’s exclusive) at Trader Joe’s for $5.99. 100% Tempranillo and sourced from Darien’s estate vineyards in Rioja, Spain. This is a young wine, produced with just a little manipulation, the grapes are harvested in fall, crushed and then fermented in stainless steel tanks, left in the…
Read MoreThe Schloss Biebrich Sekt, a Trader Joe’s ($4.99) exclusive, is a non vintage Sparkling wine produced in Germany. Sekt is to Germany, what Cava is to Spain and Prosecco and Spumante is to Italy, their national version of Sparkling wine. This Sekt is made by Henkell & Co., the second largest producer of Sekt in…
Read MoreThe Barefoot Bubbly Extra Dry is a non-vintage Sparkling wine sourced from Chardonnay grapes grown in several California grape growing AVA’s. Extra Dry is not actually dry, Brut means dry and Sec indicates sweet, Extra Dry is in the middle. The word “Champagne” is on the label (only Sparkling wine grown and produced in Champagne,…
Read MoreThe 2009 Mouton Cadet Bordeaux Rouge is sourced from multiple vineyards (Rothschild has contracts with 450 different grape growers throughout Bordeaux), all Bordeaux Red wines are blends, this one consists of 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. The wine is aged in large stainless steel vats (no oak) for 6 to 10 months….
Read MoreThe 2010 La Croix de Bila-Haut is a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignane sourced from vineyards in the Roussillon area of the Languedoc-Roussillon growing region. This is an IGT designated wine (the new term for Vin de Pays wines) which indicates that the wine does not conform to the rules of the Languedoc-Roussillon. The…
Read MoreThe Stonehedge Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon seems to be a Trader Joe’s ($7.99) exclusive bottling produced by Stonehedge Winery of Napa Valley. Stonehedge is a family owned winery that has been making wine for 30 years, this Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon is not listed on their website. Paso Robles is located roughy half way between…
Read MoreThe 2008 Firesteed Oregon Pinot Noir is 100% Pinot Noir sourced from multiple vineyards located in Willamette, Rouge, Umpqua and Walla Walla Valleys, a decent cross section of Oregon Pinot Noir growing regions. The wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks and 20% of the Pinot Noir was aged in oak barrels, the rest aged…
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