The Corvelia Paso Robles Sauvignon Blanc 2025 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It is sourced from multiple vineyards in the Paso Robles AVA of the Central Coast AVA in California. The Story This is a rare Trader Joe’s wine that actually has a webpage, though it offers little information. Corvelia brand has 3 wines,…
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The Sauvigio Sauvignon Blanc/Pinot Grigio 2025 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It is produced for them by an entity of Delicato Family Vineyards/Coppola Wines. The Story Delicato Family Vineyards just celebrated its 100th anniversary in the Lodi AVA, and they recently purchased Coppola Wines out of Sonoma. The Sauvigio Sauvignon Blanc/Pinot Grigio 2025 has…
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The Neleman All Day Long Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is a $7.99 Costco wine. The Neleman winery website does not show this wine as one of its core wines, so this may be a Costco exclusive. The Story Neleman Winery is located in the Valencia DO of eastern Spain. It is certified sustainably farmed and…
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The Kirkland Signature Chablis 2023 is a wine I fond at Costco selling for $14.99. The winemaker is Pierre Brissy of Maison Brocard. The Story The back label only mentions Pierre Brissy and not Maison Brocard, Brissy is the winemaker for Brocard. Domaine Brocard is a leader in Burgundy in organic and biodynamic farming and…
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The Hess Select California Chardonnay 2024 is a wine I found at Trader Joe’s, selling for $10.99. A quick check of the web shows it at a $12 nationwide average. The Story The Hess Select California Chardonnay 2024 is an entry-level wine from Hess Perrson Estates. Donald Hess started the winery in the late 1970s…
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The André Brunel Cuvée Bécassonne Cotes-Du-Rhone 2025 is a White wine I found selling for $12.99, it is sourced from a vineyard just outside the Chateaunuef-du-Pape region of the Southern Rhone Valley in France. The Story The Brunel family have been a fixture in the Chareaunuef-du-Pape region since the 1700s. The blend is 40% Roussanne,…
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The Andre Goichot Saint-Véran Chardonnay 2024 is $12.99 at Costco, though the internet shows prices elsewhere from $18 to $30. The Story Andre Goichot is a family owned negotiant wine business founded in 1947. A Negociant îs a French wine business with strong ties to the local wineries that purchases wine from the wineries and…
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The Table Santa Barbara Red 2024 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive produced for them by Field Recordings, a well respected winery. The Story Field Recording is an eclectic winery from Paso Robles. They started off scouring the coastal countryside looking for neglected, but promising vineyards. They we make a deal with the owners where…
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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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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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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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The Chasing Rain Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is a wine that has been selling for $20, but I found it for $10. It is produced by winemaker Joshua Maloney. The Story The Chasing Rain Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is a wine that has sold for between $20 and $25 and was considered a…
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The Dry Creek Vineyards Sonoma Fume Blanc 2023 is a wine I found selling for $12. Dry Creek Vineyards has been family-owned and operated since the early 1970’s. The Story The first thing I need to explain is what Fume Blanc is. The Sauvignon Blanc grape originated in France, and there are two types of…
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The Studio by Miraval Rosé 2025 is a wine I found for $12.99, and yes, Brad Pitt is the principal owner of the winery, Château Miraval. The Story Brad Pitt owns 60% of Miraval, and Famille Perrin is involved with the production and distribution of the wine. Miraval is a Provence winery. Studio by Miraval…
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The Kirkland Signature Ti Point Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025 is a Costco exclusive that should be found for around seven dollars. It was produced for Costco by Ti Point Winery. The Story Ti Point Winery was started in the 1990s with a vineyard on the Matakana Coast. They have since acquired vineyards in both the…
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The Squealing Pig Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is a wine I found selling for $13.99 at a local wine shop. The Squealing Pig brand; have a full line of New Zealand wines, which is part of the Treasury Wine Estate portfolio. The Story The Squealing Pig Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is sourced from vineyards in…
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The Angeline Vineyards California Pinot Noir 2024 is a wine I discovered at Trader Joe’s, priced at $9.99. It is widely available in wine shops across the US and can be found on the wine list for $15 on the company’s website. The Story Angeline Vineyards is a brand from Martin Ray Winery. The original…
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The Whitehaven Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is a wine I found for $13, the grapes are sourced from Wairau and Awatere river valleys on the upper east side of New Zealand’s South Island. The Story Whitehaven is a small family-owned winery founded in 1994. They own about 250 acres of vineyards in several sections of…
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Send us Fan Mail Harken Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2024 This is one of the rare barrel-fermented value-priced Chardonnays. Most are fermented in stainless steel vats, which can be used over and over again. A barrel has a limited number of uses. Harken uses very unique barrels, so check out the PODCAST for the interesting details….
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The Stringtown Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2023 is a wine I found selling for $13.99; the typical price is more toward $20. The Story The wine industry had declining sales in 2024 and 2025. I read that 40,000 acres of vines have been pulled up in California. There is a surplus of wine, and prices…
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The Aldi Specially Selected Douro Doc Reserva Red 2022 is a $9.99 Aldi exclusive. The Specially Selected line of Aldi wines is a curated line that features affordable wines from the world’s greatest growing regions. The Story This red blend is produced and bottled by Van Zeller and Company, the oldest Port wine producer in…
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The Sonoma-Cutrer Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2023 is a wine I found on sale for $15.99; it typically sells for $20 or more. The Sonoma-Cutrer winery is part of the Duckhorn family of wines. The Story The Sonoma-Cutrer Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2023 is their “entry-level” Chardonnay. It is 100% Chardonnay sourced from 4 sustainably farmed estate…
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The Freakshow Lodi Chardonnay 2021 is a wine I found at a local grocery store for $15. This wine is from Michael David Winery of Lodi, California. The Story Michael and David are brothers, and Phillips is the family name. They are fifth-generation grape growers. The family has farmed the land since the 1860s and…
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The Lapis Luna North Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2024 s a wine I found at Trader Joe’s selling for $10.99. It is not a Trader Joe’s exclusive and a quick check of the internet found it selling in the $10 to $14 range. The Story Lapis Luna is Latin for the Stone and Moon. It is…
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Send us Fan Mail 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…
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