The Outlander Meritage Red 2019 is a $7.99 Aldi exclusive sourced from vineyards in Paso Robles, California. This wine was produced by Coppola Winery from Sonoma California and was purchased the last year by Delicato Family Vineyards, headquartered in Lodi. A Meritage Red blend is a California wine that uses the approved grapes of the…
Read More
The Daou Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is part of the Discovery series of wine from Daou Vineyards of Paso Robles California. Daou is one of the finest wineries in Paso Robles known for their Bordeaux-inspired wines and they are Cabernet Sauvignon specialists. The Daou Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is made by the same…
Read More
The Velvet Moon Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from grapes farmed in California. The wine is made for Trader Joe’s by a large family-owned winery based in Lodi and Napa. They have extensive vineyards in Lodi, Monterey, Sonoma, and other locations. These are wines available each year, here is a…
Read More
The Barefoot Bubbly Brut Rosé 2020 is a Sparkling wine made with the Charmat Method (just like Prosecco) and produced by E & J Gallo. This particular version of this Bubbly is the Pride Edition and seems to be vintage-dated, this is usually a non-vintage Bubbly. Barefoot does not list the grapes used or what…
Read More
The Scarlet Path Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel 2020 is an $8.99 Aldi exclusive, it used to be $7.99, but things cost more now. This wine is made for Aldi by a wine company in Greenfield, California, inside the Monterey AVA in the Central Coast AVA. A family-owned winery in Greenfield produces many of the California…
Read More
The Josh Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is a wine from the negotiant branch of Joesph Carr Wines from Napa, California. Joseph Carr was a sommelier in New York City who decided to make his own wines. He named his wine company after himself and the negociant branch after his dad, Josh. Here is a wine…
Read More
The Coppola Diamond Collection Chardonnay 2019 is sourced from grapes grown in coastal vineyards. It may be confusing but there seem to be three Diamond Collection Chardonnays, a black-label Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, a Monterey Chardonnay, and a California Chardonnay. The last two both have an orange label. This Chardonnay lists for $16 on the Coppola…
Read More
The Trader Joe’s Reserve Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2020 Lot 229 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. The Sta. Rita Hills AVA (pronounced Santa Rita Hills) is located inside the Santa Ynez Valley AVA which is inside the Santa Barbara County AVA which is part of the Central Coast AVA. It is called the…
Read More
The Pleiades White Blend 2019 is a wine from a recently formed wine company that is an extension of Sean Thackery Wines. Who is or sadly was Sean Thackery (he passed away in May 2022)? Well, that is a long and exciting story. Sean Thackery was an art dealer and curator (he collected ancient books)…
Read More
The Bear Bros Rosé 2021 is a $7.99 Aldi exclusive sourced from vineyards in California, but probably most, if not all, from the Monterey AVA. Bear Bros’ line of wines is made for Aldi by Scheid Family Vineyards which have multiple vineyards spread out over 70 miles of the Salinas Valley. Scheid is known for…
Read More
Josephine Pays D'Oc Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 A $6.99 Red wine from the Languedoc region in France. How can it be any good? A $6.99 California wine just needs a truck ride to get to your local TJs. A French wine needs a French wine needs a truck ride to the docks, an Atlantic boat ride,…
Read More
The Josephine Pays D’Oc Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southwest France located between the Mediterranean Ocean and the Pyrenees and the Black Mountains. It is a region known for single-varietal wines, though blends are also allowed. The Josephine Pays D’Oc Cabernet Sauvignon…
Read More
Trader Joe's Petit Reserve Santa Barbara County Chardonnay 2020-Real Good For 8 Bucks Santa Barbara is just north of Los Angeles, which should be very warm during the summer months but due to a geological anomaly is one of California's coolest grape-growing regions. We talk about Jess Parker, TV's Davey Crocket, and Daniel Boone starting…
Read More
The Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Santa Barbara County Chardonnay 2020 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive made for TJ’s by ABJ Wines from Geyserville, California. According to the California Wine COLA, ABJ Wines is August Briggs, Jr. There is an August Briggs WInery in Napa that August no longer owns, it looks like this is…
Read More
The Wonderwall Edna Valley Pinot Noir 2019 is sourced from three vineyards, Morro View, Greengate, and Jesperson, in the Edna Valley AVA just north of the town of Arroyo Grande, a few miles away from the Pacific Ocean in the Central Coast AVA. Wonderwall is a brand from Andrew Jones of the Field Recordings WInery….
Read More
The Don’t Mind If I Do Rosé 2021 is a $7.99 Aldi exclusive. This Rosé has 85 calories, Zero sugar, and 9% Alcohol content, along with being gluten-free and vegan friendly. It is produced for Aldi by Scheid Family Vineyards who are one of the pioneers of Monterey, California wine. Scheid Family has a brand…
Read More
The Apothic Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Zinfandel, and 4% various Red grapes (according to SAQ, the Quebec Liquor Authority). The Apothic line of wine is one of E & J Gallo’s many wine labels, they are the largest family-owned winery in the US. The Apothic Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 lists for $11.99…
Read More
The Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Barossa Shiraz 2020 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from grapes grown in the Barossa Valley of South Australia. There is a chart at Trader Joe’s that says Petit Reserve wine equals retail wines selling in the $12 to $15 range. A quick check of the web showed several…
Read More
Rodney Strong Russian River Pinot Noir 2018-Classic Value-Priced Estate Pinot Ok, this is an estate Pinot Noir most of the grapes came from one of the first Pinot Noir vineyards in the Russian River Valley AVA. Rodney Strong came to Sonoma in 1959 and is one of the modern Pioneers of California wine. Check out…
Read More
The Rodney Strong Russian River Pinot Noir 2018 is an estate-grown 100% Pinot Noir. For a little bit of background, Rodney Strong was a dancer on Broadway who came to Sonoma in 1959 and became a modern pioneer of California wine. He was one of the first to plant Pinot Noir in the Russian River…
Read More
Hook or Crook Cellars Lodi Chardonnay 2020- A Costco Bargain Chardonnay This is a classic California Chardonnay in the style of the great Napa Chardonnay's, but sleek and modern. If you are a no oak Chardonnay person maybe this is not your style. But if you are a great-tasting Chardonnay person then you are right…
Read More
The Hook or Crook Cellars Lodi Chardonnay 2020 is currently available at Costco for under $12, but will soon be available across the country at wine retail outlets. This Chardonnay is produced by Thomas Allen Wine Estates of the Lodi AVA. They produce 12,000,000 bottles of wine a year all for other major wine brands….
Read More
The Starborough Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is sourced from vineyards in the Marlborough region of New Zealand’s South Island. Marlborough is on the northern part of the South Island. Starborough is an E & J Gallo wine brand, the largest family-owned wine company in the world. The Starborough Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is produced by…
Read More
The Lazy Bones Paso Robles Cabernet Franc 2020 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It has been $6.99 for years we first reviewed the 2013 vintage, here s a link. This Red was produced by the Central Coast Wine Warehouse back then. Today the producer on the back label is Miller Family Wine Company. It…
Read More
The Hook Or Crook Cellars Field Blend 2018 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot, and Petite Sirah sourced from a vineyard in the Lodi AVA of California’s Central Valley. This is a brand of wine from Thomas Allen Wine Estates (Lodi). They produce over 1,000,000 cases (12,000,000 bottles) for well-known brands. This brand…
Read More
