Send us Fan Mail Tazmin Breeze Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024 This is a amazing five buck wine. You expect nothing nothing, but get a Sauv Blanc that competes with wines at twice the price. The podcast talks about why this happens, but also praises the producer for making a quality wine. Cheap good wine is…
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The Tazmin Breeze Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is a Trader Joe’s $4.99 import exclusive, The Story The Tazmin Breeze Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is imported by an entity of Delicato Family Wines of Lodi, California. They have many brands including Stoneleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. There is no indication if there is any relationship or connection…
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Send us Fan Mail Barbanera inBianco Sangiovese White 2024 This is a Tuscan Sangiovese, from a family-owned winery started in 1938, that is produced like a White wine. The Sangiovese grapes are pressed and are immediately discarded, no skin contact. The skin is where the tannins and other chemicals are contained. So, this Sangiovese is…
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The Barbanera inBianco Sangiovese White 2024 is a wine selling for $9.00 at Trader Joe’s and $14 and up elsewhere. The Story Barbanera is a family-owned winery founded in Tuscanny in 1938. This wine is part of their Barbanero Celebration line of wines that are new wines that have roots in the wineries history. The…
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Send us Fan Mail Everlight Provence Rosé 2025 This is a $12.99 wine which is not what Cru Provence Rosé wines sell for. Aldi Sud which is our Aldi has great contacts in European wine. Aldi is OK in US wines, but elite in value European wines. This Rosé is excellent and even more excellent…
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The Everlight Provence Rosé 2025 is a $12.99 Aldi exclusive, sourced from vineyards in the Cru de Provence region in the South of France. The Story The producer is listed as Chassaux et Fils which is a name Aldi uses for their high-quality, but value-priced French wines. This name is used for wines in various…
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Send us Fan Mail Babich Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025 Babich is a 120 year old family-owned winery. They know how to make Sauvignon Blanc. This wine received 91 points by the leading US wine critic, and I like it, too. There is a great deal of competition in the value-priced Sauvignon market and this one…
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The Babich Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025 is a wine I found at Trader Joe’s, selling for $12.99, which is a typical price for this wine. The Story Babich is a family-owned winery that started in New Zealand in 1906. One of the advantages of being one of the early wineries is that they had their…
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Send us Fan Mail Magus Dark Garnacha This is a $6.99 Costco wine that seems to be a wine selling for $18 to $24 elsewhere. Garnacha is a sleek, dark, rich wine that does not need oak aging. Miles Davis, in 1974, released a live album from Carnegie Hall entitled Dark Magus. Is there a…
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The Magus Dark Garnacha is currently on offer from Costco for $6.99. It does not look to be widely available outside of Costco, but prices fall between $18 and $24. The Story The Magus Dark Garnacha is from Bodegas Valdeorite in the Extremadura DO, inside the greater Ribera del Guadiana DO in North-West Spain, near…
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Send us Fan Mail Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel 2022 This is a Zin from Contra Costa AVA, which is east of the San Francisco Bay and south of the San Pablo Bay. This is home to multiple 100-year-old vineyards. Check out http://www.cheapwinefinder.com and listen to the PODCAST to get all the details. This is a…
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The Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel 2022 is a wine I found at Trader Joe’s, selling for $13.99. A check of the web saw prices between $14 and $20. The Story Cline Family Cellars was founded in the early 1980s and is still expanding while owned and operated by the Cline Family. Cline started as a…
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Send us Fan Mail Calos Cahors Malbec 2022 This is a Costco wine. It is $8.99 at Costco, and around $15 elsewhere. This Cahors Malbec routinely gets 90+ points from reviewers. This is a well-made wine. Costco wines can be outstanding bargains, and the Calos Cahors Malbec 2022 is a prime example. The Cheapwinefinder website…
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The Calos Cahors Malbec 2022 is selling for $8.99 at Costco, and it looks like it is available for around $15 elsewhere. The Story This Malbec is from the south of France, not Argentina. In the 1800s, pests and diseases hit French vineyards and decimated entire vintages. The Malbec grapes from Bordeaux were hit particularly…
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Send us Fan Mail Hess Select California Chardonnay 2024 This is a Chardonnay sourced from all over California. 30% of the juice was both fermented and aged in French oak barrels. Hess has been around since the late 70s, so they have great contacts for purchasing grapes. All that combines to produce an excellent value-priced…
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail Josh Reserve Bourbon Barrel Zinfandel 2021 Bourbon barrels are charred. Wine Barrels are toasted. Bourbon barrel flavors can overpower wine, unless handled properly. The bourbon flavors here are handled in textbook fashion! Barrel flavors are not everything in wine. But they do add texture and flavor. These wines are fun to…
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The Josh Reserve Bourbon Barrel Zinfandel 2021 is a wine that lists for $21.99, but I found it on sale for $9.99. The Story The Josh reserve wines are the top-tier wines and are part of the bourbon barrel-aged series. Joseph Carr created the Josh brand in 2006 in honor of his father. I have…
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Send us Fan Mail Loveblock Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023 You have heard of Kim Crawford. He sold his brand in 2003, but it is still going strong. In 2006, Kim and Erica Crawford started Loveblock Winery. I think it was originally a sheep farm. Today, the vineyards are certified organic, sustainable, and vegan-friendly. And the…
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The Loveblock Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a wine I found selling for about $15. It is from Kim Crawford, yes, that Kim Crawford. The Story The Loveblock Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023 typically scores 90+ points from wine reviewers. Kim and Erica Crawford, she handles the vineyard, he does the winemaking, sold Kim Crawford wines…
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Send us Fan Mail Côté Mas Sauvignon Blanc Vermentino 2024 This is a one-liter bottle, not the usual .750 of a liter, so you get a little extra. I usually don’t want the extra in liter bottles, but I’m happy to accept it here. Vermentino is an Italian wine that is not unlike Sauvignon Blanc….
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The Côté Mas Sauvignon Blanc Vermentino 2024 is a wine I found at Trader Joe’s, selling for $11.99. Trader Joe’s price is in the ballpark with prices from other stores. The Story Côté Mas is Jean-Claude Mas of Domaine Paul Mas. The family has had vineyards since the 1890s, but more recently Jean-Claude has brought…
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Send us Fan Mail Trader Joe’s Brut California Sparkling Wine This is an $8.99 Trader Joe’s Bubbly that is well-made and full of flavor. Mother’s Day is approaching, and Spring Bubbly cocktails time is upon us! Pouring supermarket orange juice into an expensive Champagne seems excessive. But the Trader Joe’s Brut California Sparkling Wine calls…
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The Trader Joe’s Brut California Sparkling Wine is an $8.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It is produced by Rack and Riddle who make most of TJ’s California Bubbly. The Story The Trader Joe’s Brut California Sparkling Wine is not a Reserve or Grand Reserve wine, but a plain old Trader Joe’s wine. We already have North…
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Send us Fan Mail Bear Bros California Chardonnay 2024 Another wine in Aldi’s Bear Bros line of California wines. All well under ten bucks. His wine was not my favorite, but you may have a different opinion. I thought it had too much vanilla, but you may think it was just right. Check us out…
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The Bear Bros California Chardonnay 2024 is a $7.55 Aldi exclusive. Aldi owns the Trademark on the name and has had different wineries make each Bear Bros vintage. The Story The Bear Bros California Chardonnay 2024 looks like it was produced by a division of Trinchero Family Wines and Sutter Home. Trinchero Family is a…
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