The Jane Ventura Brut Nature Reserva Cava de La Musica is a non-vintage Sparkling wine consisting of 30% Macabeo, 30% Xarel.lo and 40% Parellada (those are the traditional, indigenous grapes that are usually used in making Cava) grown in the Penedes DO of Catalan, Spain (near Barcelona). This Cava is made with the same method used to…
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The Gerard Bertrand Cremant de Limoux is a French Sparkling wine consisting of 70% Chardonnay, 20% Chenin Blanc and 10% Mauzac (Mauzac is the local white grape that goes into all Limoux Bubbly) sourced from vineyards located in the Limoux AOC of the Languedoc in southern France. Limoux is where Sparkling wine was first produced…
Read MoreThe 2008 Spanish Quarter (55%) Cabernet Sauvignon (45%) Tempranillo is sourced from Estate vineyards in the Costers del Segre area of the Catalan region in Northeast Spain. This area is primarily known for producing Cava and the vineyards are subject to wide temperature extremes, below freezing in the winter and the high 90’s in summer. A…
Read MoreThe 2010 Chateau Pesquie Terrasses is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah from vineyards in the Cotes du Ventoux region of the Rhone Valley in France. The Cotes du Ventoux is where the Alps meet the Mediterranean. The wine is unfiltered and unfined, which means all the dead yeast and grape residue are…
Read MoreLovers! In the words of Jim Gaffigan, “Without Valentine’s Day, February would be… well, January!” What should we be drinking with our hotties? Wine, of course – A.K.A. “the ultimate aphrodisiac“. How about Champagne? For Valentines Day it’s a no-brainer. They go hand-in-hand like wine and cheese. Like wine and chocolate. After all, Champagne’s for…
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 2010 Tussock Jumper Tempranillo is sourced from grapes grown in the Vino de La Tierra de Castilla y Leon region of northern Spain. Vino de La Tierra is the Spanish equivalent to Vin de Pays (translates to “country wines”) wines from France and that designation indicates the wine does not conform to the rules of…
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 2008 Kila Cava Brut is sourced from several communes (a group of independent grape growers) in the Penedes area (that is where 95% of all Cava’s are produced) in the Catalonia region in northeast Spain. It is a blend of the three traditional grapes used for producing Cava, 35% Macabeo, 40% Xarel.lo and 25% Parellada….
Read MoreThe 2009 Beso de Vino Old Vine Garnacha is sourced from 40 year old vines grown near the village of Aguaron in the Carinena D.O., in northeastern Spain. The grapes are hand picked and the Garnacha is aged in new French oak barrels. Wine has been produced in the Carinena region since at least the…
Read MoreThe Senda 66 Tempranillo is 100% Tempranillo sourced from a single vineyard near the town of Casas de Los Pinos in the La Mancha growing region of Spain. The wine is aged in new French oak barrels for 8 months then stored in the bottle for another 5 months before being released. Robert Parker gave…
Read MoreVolver Tempranillo from La Mancha – Spain’s largest wine region – is a single-vineyard voluptuous woman of a wine that’s aged 14 months in new french oak. Her amazing full body does not quit and will coat your glass in dark purples and blacks while her perfume tantalizes you with black cherry, spice, plum and…
Read MoreThe Lost Vineyards of Argentina Malbec is a non vintage wine sourced from several growing areas in Argentina, the back label says it is produced by little known (lost) wineries. The Lost Vineyard of the World Wines seem to be direct competition to Trader Joe’s wines, they have inexpensive wines from Portugal, Argentina, Spain and…
Read MoreThe Jaume Serra Cristalino Extra Dry Cava is sourced from Estate vineyards in the Alt Penedes growing region in Spain. This Sparkling wine uses the traditional Cava grapes, 50% Macabeo, 35% Parellada and 15% Xarel.lo. Cava uses the same second fermentation method (that is where the bubbles are added) as Champagne and this Cava is aged for…
Read MoreThe 2010 Comoloco (translates to “like mad”) Monastrell is 100% Monastrell sourced from a single vineyard from Jumilla in Southeastern Spain. Comoloco is made by Bodegas Juan Gil, a noted maker of Monastrell and Monastrell is the main grape of the Jumilla DO. Monastrell is also know as Mourvedre and Mataro and is the M…
Read MoreWe reviewed the 2009 LaGranja 360 Tempranillo and thought that this was the REAL bargain wine at Trader Joe’s, pass up those stacks of cases of Charles Shaw wines and grab the LaGranja 360. When folks talk about 2 Buck Chuck, they say things like, “ It was more drinkable than I thought” or “it was…
Read MoreThe 2010 Paso A Paso (translates to step by step) Organic White wine is a mystery wine, it is a White blend, but the bottle does not list the grapes or a Winery. The grapes are certified organic from vineyards in La Mancha, Spain and the wine is a Jorge Ordonez Selection. Jorge Ordonez is an Importer,…
Read MoreThe Albero Cava Brut is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive, sourced from certified organic grapes (CCPAE SPAIN) grown on the Estate vineyards of Bogedas Iranzo (Spain’s oldest Estate vineyards, founded 1335) which is located in the Penedes DO near Barcelona by the Mediterranean Sea. The grapes used, Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo are the traditional grapes…
Read MoreThe 2009 Antano Viura is 100% Viura (also called Macabeo, which along with Xarel-lo and Parellada is the 3 grapes that go into Spanish Cava) sourced from old vine vineyards grown near the town of Labastida in Rioja, Spain. The alcohol content is 12.5%. The color is pale sunshine yellow. The nose is apricot and…
Read MoreThe 2009 Proyecto Garnachas de Espanas is part of a special project featuring 5 different Garnachas/Grenache sourced from single vineyards located in 5 different growing areas in Spain. The Moncayo Garnacha Savage is sourced from a single 55 year old vineyard near the town of Santa Cruz de Moncayo in the Ribera Del Queiles in Aragon, Spain. The…
Read MoreThe 2007 Vino Zaco is 100% Tempranillo made by Bodegas Bilbainas (one of the oldest wineries in Rioja) grown in Rioja, Spain. The wines of the Rioja DOC are classified by the aging process, so much time in the barrel and so much time in the bottle makes the wine a Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva….
Read MoreThe Spanish White Guerrilla Verdejo is 100% Verdejo grown in a single vineyard located in the Valles de Sadacia growing area, which is a white wine only DO (Denominacion de Origen) located inside the Rioja district, in Spain. The Verdejo grape has been grown mainly in the Rueda region for 1,000 years and is a very hearty,…
Read MoreRene Barbier Mediterranean Red is a non-vintage blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Tempranillo sourced from the Catalunya D.O. located in Northeastern Spain (near Barcelona). It is available at World Market and several other retailer and sells at Trader Joe’s for $4.99. The alcohol content is 12.5%. The color is clear, shiny cherry red. The…
Read MoreThe 2009 Penelope Sanchez Tinto Joven (means Young Red wine) is 85% Garnacha and 15% Syrah sourced from vineyards in the Campo de Borja region of Spain. Tinto Joven indicates this a “drink it now” wine and does not go thru much aging, no oak barrels only a short time in large open vats. This…
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