What if a $7.99 French bubbly could challenge your perception of affordable wines? Join us as we uncork the mysteries and charms of the Opaline Pinot Noir Brut Rosé from Trader Joe’s, a non-vintage sparkling delight from the south of France. This episode promises to tantalize your taste buds while offering insights into the fascinating world of Vin de France classification. We explore how small vineyard communes in France defy traditional wine conventions to bring such value-priced gems to the table. Listen in to discover the nuances of its flavor profile, with hints of black cherry, plum, and a touch of creaminess, all wrapped up in a beautifully presented bottle.
CheapWineFighter.com takes you beyond the label as we uncover the secrets behind this pink-hued rosé’s production, shrouded in mystery much like American wine labels. We discuss how it compares with the more prestigious vineyard-focused culture in France and the intriguing parallels with how wines are marketed in the United States. Whether you’re a seasoned wine aficionado or a curious newbie, this episode offers a delightful exploration into a budget-friendly bubbly that boasts simplicity and satisfaction, perfect for any occasion. Grab a glass and join the conversation—your palate won’t regret it!
Check us out at http://www.cheapwinefinder.com
or email us at [email protected]
Speaker 1
0:02
welcome
.
It's
a
domain
dave
.
Again
,
cheapwinefightercom
.
We're
still
doing
our
uh
,
valentine's
day
extravaganzas
as
it
is
,
and
this
is
a
$7.99
french
bubbly
from
trader
joe's
.
It's
been
around
a
while
.
It's
the
opaline
.
Uh
,
let's
grab
the
bottle
,
I
can
get
it
all
right
.
It's
the
opaline
pinot
noir
brut
rosé
sparkling
wine
.
Speaker 1
0:27
It's
a
non
vintage
wine
from
france
.
It's
also
a
non-location
.
Uh
,
trader
joe's
fearless
flyer
says
,
uh
,
south
of
france
,
which
is
weird
for
french
wine
,
because
they
don't
do
that
.
They're
very
location
based
.
They
want
to
know
if
it's
languid
,
like
it's
the
rhonebased
.
They
want
to
know
if
it's
Languedoc
,
it's
the
Rhone
Valley
.
They
even
want
to
know
what
town
it's
near
.
So
when
you
get
a
wine
that
doesn't
say
anything
and
it's
actually
a
Vin
de
France
wine
,
which
is
the
bottom
classification
,
they
do
classify
their
wines
in
Europe
.
In
America
,
it's
all
table
wine
,
from
Screaming
Eagle
to
Two
Buck
Chuck
.
In
America
,
it's
all
table
wine
,
from
Screaming
Eagle
to
Two
Buck
Chuck
.
Speaker 1
1:07
In
France
,
they
designate
things
and
this
is
the
bottom
one
,
but
that's
okay
if
it
tastes
good
.
It's
from
a
large
wine
company
in
France
.
At
one
point
I
think
they
were
the
largest
exporter
of
French
wines
.
They're
big
.
I've
got
links
to
all
this
on
the
cheapwinefattercom
website
and
I
believe
it's
hard
to
get
information
that
this
is
a
wine
from
a
commune
which
a
commune
is
a
group
of
smaller
vineyards
of
farmers
and
they
band
together
to
get
enough
resources
and
grapes
to
grow
not
grow
produce
wine
.
You
know
,
if
they
were
doing
it
on
their
own
they'd
have
very
small
productions
and
here
they
can
make
because
they're
a
commune
.
They're
not
really
getting
the
top
dollar
.
In
France
it's
everything
is
the
vineyard
and
the
owner
and
the
estate
.
So
these
communes
are
kind
of
well
table
wine
for
them
In
the
United
States
it's
kind
of
common
,
not
communes
so
much
,
but
wine
just
to
be
from
a
big
company
that
uses
a
lot
of
different
vineyards
.
Speaker 1
2:19
I'm
going
to
take
a
sip
.
It
doesn't
have
a
good
resume
but
it
tastes
good
.
It
tastes
real
good
and
for
$7.99
fora
bubbly
it's
really
nice
.
It's
got
a
great
bottle
.
It's
a
prism
cup
bottle
and
the
label
looks
nice
and
in
the
bottle
the
wine
looks
kind
of
amber
because
it's
got
that
actually
nice
texture
on
the
bottle
,
but
in
your
glass
it's
really
pink
.
This
is
a
pink
rosé
bubbly
.
Speaker 1
3:00
It's
not
the
most
complex
bubbly
in
the
world
.
It's
not
the
most
complex
bubbly
in
the
world
.
It
doesn't
have
the
acidity
.
It's
well-balanced
,
well-controlled
.
It
doesn't
really
zap
you
in
any
way
it
can
.
Speaker 1
3:11
Sometimes
an
expensive
bubbly
can
get
a
little
bit
too
spiky
.
Here
it's
not
,
and
the
flavors
are
like
black
cherry
plums
,
maybe
a
little
spice
.
I'm
getting
a
touch
of
cream
.
I'm
not
sure
where
that's
coming
from
.
It
could
be
from
the
first
fermentation
.
There's
two
fermentations
on
these
things
that
they
stir
the
leaves
,
get
some
creaminess
going
there
.
I
doubt
if
there's
any
oak
or
anything
involved
.
Speaker 1
3:54
Yeah
,
it
tastes
great
.
I
mean
it's
a
nice
tasting
wine
.
It's
easy
to
drink
,
simple
,
um
,
enough
acidity
that
it
makes
you
want
to
grab
another
a
sip
.
You
know
before
too
long
.
It's
not
something
,
not
a
wine
you'll
forget
about
.
Your
palate
will
be
.
We'll
keep
reminding
you
that
it's
in
your
hand
and
,
like
I
said
,
it
doesn't
have
any
.
Speaker 1
4:08
It's
a
commune
,
it's
from
a
large
wine
company
that
specializes
in
value-priced
wine
.
It's
not
something
that's
,
and
they
don't
even
tell
you
if
it's
traditional
method
or
it's
a
Charmat
.
Traditional
method
is
how
they
make
champagne
,
charmat's
how
they
make
Prosecco
.
They
don't
tell
you
anything
.
It's
like
an
American
bottle
of
wine
where
the
label
American
labels
barely
tell
you
the
thing
.
French
labels
tell
you
stuff
,
but
I
guess
the
labeling
laws
here
were
for
the
United
States
.
So
it's
a
pretty
package
and
it
tastes
pretty
good
and
it's
$7.99
,
and
it's
pretty
in
pink
in
the
glass
.
Speaker 1
4:56
We
did
a
review
five
years
ago
of
this
wine
,
liked
it
then
too
.
It's
still
.
It's
non-vintage
,
you
never
know
.
That's
why
I
got
on
the
label
or
on
the
title
in
2025
.
Because
these
non-vintage
wines
,
you
never
know
if
they
released
it
six
months
ago
or
six
years
ago
.
There's
some
wines
on
Trader
Joe's
Fairless
Flyer
that
have
been
there
for
three
years
.
So
it
doesn't
give
you
much
reason
to
believe
it's
going
to
be
a
good
wine
until
you
pop
the
top
on
it
and
take
a
sip
and
then
you're
going
to
go
.
Speaker 1
5:32
I
like
this
,
and
this
is
one
of
those
wines
that
after
you
have
one
you
might
go
back
to
Trader
Joe's
and
buy
a
couple
more
just
to
stick
in
the
refrigerator
.
I
mean
it's
just
this
nice
little
Brut
Rose
,
pinot
Noir
bubbly
.
I
mean
it's
just
,
that's
all
it
is
.
It's
not
trying
to
be
champagne
,
it's
not
trying
to
out
Prosecco
Prosecco
.
It's
not
doing
anything
other
than
tasting
great
and
looking
pretty
.
So
that's
it
for
me
.
Domain
Dave
,
cheapwinefightercom
.
It
from
me
,
uh
.
Domain
dave
,
cheap
wine
fightercom
.
It's
opaline
.
Pito
noir
brute
rosé
in
2025
,
because
that's
when
we
had
it
one
and
one
that
was
actually
released
.
I
don't
know
tastes
good
,
so
,
adios
,
keep
it
cheap
,
and
I'll
be
talking
to
everybody
later
.
I've
got
a
uh
chardonnay
coming
up
,
so
I'll
see
you
then
.
Bye
,
bye
.
