Cheap Wine Reviews

Send us a text Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir 2023 Carneros is the Pinot Noir growing region of Napa. Carneros is also famous for Chardonnay; multiple AVAs in Napa grow killer Chardonnay. It is not typical for quality Carneros Pinot Noir to sell for $14.99. But then again, Trader Joe's is not your…

Send us a text This is a Pinot Noir Bubbly from Napa, probably Carneros grapes. At $14.99, it is a reasonably priced Sparkling wine that can hold its own against Bubbly selling for much more. It is well-made, tastes great, and is affordable. What more do you want from an excellent Sparkling wine? Champagne prices…

Send us a text This Chardonnay started as a restaurant-only wine, but its popularity caused the winery to offer it to retail wine shops. It quickly became the #1 wine in its price point. The reason is that it is an excellent half-California, half-Burgundian Chardonnay. Balance with flavor. Not that French Chardonnay does not taste…

Send us a text This is a $9.99 Cabernet Sauvignon from a single vineyard in the Yakima Valley of the Columbia Valley. The vineyard is under the control of the wine company that is responsible for this wine. Not exactly an estate wine, but close. It tastes like a legit West Coast Cabernet Sauvignon, not…

Send us a text I don't need to beat around the bush; this Bubbly hits well above its price range. Trader Joe's also has a Napa Valley Rosé, which is mostly Pinot Noir instead of Chardonnay, and I do like Pinot Noir Bubbly. Until I try that Bubbly, this is the reigning KING of 2025…

Send us a text Elliot Cooper sounds like the guy who was in your gym class. It is a non-vintage wine that does not sound too promising. But it is actually a very good California Chardonnay. It drinks well, is versatile, and did I say it drinks well? Non-vintage wine from Aldi, and you expect…

Send us a text Bought a bottle of Chardonnay from a local grocer. It was 5 years old and not stored properly. It should never have been on a store shelf. This does not happen often, but it has occurred often enough that you must always check, never assume it is a current vintage. Check…

Send us a text Doamine Dave was first drawn to ths wine by the label. It's a copper engraving from 1624 that has been colorized,  Lapis Luna translates in Latin to the Stone and Moon. The label is an angel tether to a rock reaching for the moon. Not you typical wine label. As for…

Send us a text A $12.99 Chardonnay from Willamette Valley that actually overdelivers? We pop the cork on Willa Creek 2023 and trace the bigger story behind Oregon’s quiet Chardonnay comeback. For years the region leaned on California clones that struggled to ripen in cooler sites, yielding lean, austere wines. The switch to Dijon clones—and…

Send us a text A $7.99 French Pinot Noir that’s organic, carbon neutral, and made by a B-Corp shouldn’t be this easy to drink—and yet here we are. We pull the cork on Florility French Organic Pinot Noir 2024 from Aldi and get honest about what’s in the glass, what’s on the label, and what…

Send us a text Expecting a brooding beast from a “dark red blend”? We pop Intermingle California Dark Red 2023 from Aldi and find something better: a calm, balanced, mid-weight red that drinks clean, pairs easily, and costs just $6.99. We walk through the blend—Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Sirah—exploring how inky color can still…

Send us a text A skull on the label and real structure in the glass—this $7.99 Trader Joe’s classic surprised us in the best way. We uncork Dearly Beloved I The Red 2023 and follow the clues: who makes it now, why the blend works, and how Lodi’s delta breezes turn a hot inland zone…