The Loudenotte Pays D’Oc Pinot Noir 2024 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive, though it seems it is available for a few dollars more in states with no Trader Joe’s store. The Story Pays D’Oc is a growing region inside the Languedoc-Roussillon growing region of southwest France. This region has had IGP status for…
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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 Compass Bridge Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon 2023. is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive produced from vineyards in the Sonoma AVA. The Story The Compass Bridge Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is made by Coppola wines which is a part pf Delicato Family Wines from Lodi. I checked the California Wine Cola Registry and Coppola was the…
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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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The 90+ Cellars DOC Prosecco Lot 50 is a Sparkling wine I found selling for around $10. It is a Bubbly sourced from vineyards near the town of Salgareda in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. The Story 90+ Cellars started its business by purchasing excess wine from established, highly rated wineries. It is common…
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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 Viale Antica Asolo Prosecco DOCG is an $8.99 Italian Bubbly sold at Trader Joe’s. It is an Extra Dry (a little sweet), and Asolo is a tiny top-rated Prosecco appellation. The Story The Prosecco region is huge, and most of the vineyards are DOC-designated. Asolo is a DOCG region with the vineyards situated around…
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The Big Churn Chardonnay 2024 is a Trader Joe’s exclusive, available for $6.99. It is produced for Trader Joe’s by Fior di Sole, a Napa-based wine company. The Story Fior di Sole has been producing the Big Churn Chardonnay since at least the 2015 vintage, and it has kept the $6.99 price tag the whole…
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The Napa Estates Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 s $9.99 at Trader Joe’s. It is Cellared and Bottled by DnA Cellars, who are long-time suppliers of popular and tasty value Trader Joe’s wines. The Story To Cellar and Bottle a wine means that the barrels and tanks are kept in storage for an unspecified time, and then…
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The Opaline Brut Sparkling Wine is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s import wine, though I did see it selling for $14.99 in a place that Trader Joe’s doesn’t cover. The Opaline Rosé Brut, made from Pinot Noir grapes, was $7.99 before tariffs. The Story The back label indicates that CFG Group bottled this Bubbly. CGF is…
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The Roseta Lisboa Vinho Tinto 2024 is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s import wine. It is a table wine from the Lisboa region of northern Portugal. The Story This is a table wine from vineyards in the Lisboa region (near Lisbon) of northern Portugal. Portugal has DOC, IGP, and table wine classifications for their wines. The…
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The Momentum Legacy Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is a $14.99 wine sold at Trader Joe’s. It was bottled by Momentum Wines in Napa, California. The Story Momentum Wines is part of the Fior di Sole winery, which is located along the Silverado Trail east of Route 29 in Napa Valley. It is interesting that the…
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The Mumm Sparkling Brut Prestige (2025) is a wine I found on sale, selling for $8.99. GH Mumm has been a French Champagne House since 1827 and has had a California outpost since the 1970s. The Story Mumm has been in Napa and Sonoma for 50 years. Their Estate vineyard is located in Carneros, where…
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The Cecilia Beretta Treviso DOC Extra Dry Prosecco is $10.99 at Trader Joe’s, though it looks to be available at places that don’t have a Trader Joe’s. The Story The Treviso region is in northeast Italy near Venice. It is where the DOC-designated vineyards are located. There are also the Valdobbiadene and Asolo regions nearby,…
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The Sonoma Grove Zinfandel 2022 is a wine I found at Trader Joe’s, selling for $7.99. It is wine from the Navigator Wine Collection, which, up until recently, was known as Precision Wine Company. They have made many wines for Costco and Trader Joe’s. The Story The label says the grapes are sourced from Sonoma…
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The Dearly Beloved I Thee Red 2023 is a $7.99 exclusive at Trader Joe’s. This wine has been produced since at least the 2009 vintage, with several different producers involved. It was a Central Coast AVA for most of its existence, but the last few vintages have been from the Lodi AVA. The Story Over…
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The Maison Barboulot Chardonnay Viognier 2024 is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive. This is an IGP or Vin de Pays designated wine from the Languedoc growing region of southwest France. The Story The Languedoc-Roussillon wine region is a place where French wine drinkers can find value-priced wines. IGP (also known as Vin de Pays)…
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The Aldi Specially Selected Côte de Provence Rosé 2024 is an exclusive offering from Aldi, priced at $9.99. The Côte de Provence is the largest growing region or AOP in Provence. The Story The Côte de Provence covers 195,000 acres and produces 107 million bottles per year. There are 337 wineries and 35 Co-Ops. Aldi…
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The Sunshine Mountain Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023 is a $14.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. The back label says it was “Produced and Bottled by” Northwest Collective from Dundee, Oregon. The Story The Northwest Collective is a part of Precept Brands, a large wine and spirits business in the Northwest part of the US. They have a…
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The J L Quinson Le Rosé French Fizz sells for $7.99 at Trader Joe’s. The brand is J.L. Quinson, a wine company located in the south of France since 1904. The Story J L Quinson produces a wide range of wines, from Chablis to Provence Rosé and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but it appears they no longer have…
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The Bonanza Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 7 is a wine I found for $11.98; it usually sells for between $17 and $25. Bonanza is a brand from the Wagner Family of wines, of Caymus fame, along with many other popular brands. The Story The Wagner family has roots in the wine world going back to the…
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The Stoller Estate Willamette Valley Chardonnay 2023 is a wine I found at a local shop selling for $14.99; the list price is $25. The Stoller Family Estate started as a turkey farm and transitioned to wine production in the late 1980s—the current winery and vineyards were established in 2001. The Story The Stoller Winery…
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The Markham Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2022 is a wine I found on sale, priced at $13.99; it is typically priced above $20. Markham Vineyards is a historic wine property dating back to the 1800s. The Story Bruce Markham founded the current winery in 1977, and it quickly became known as a premier producer of…
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The Super Happy Sauvignon Blanc 2023 appears to be a Trader Joe’s exclusive, priced at $9.99. This wine is made from grapes grown in the Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara. The Story The Super Happy Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is produced by Field Recordings, a well-regarded winery from Paso Robles. Field Recordings is Andrew Jones, who…
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The Raorao Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is available exclusively at Trader Joe’s for $5.99. It is sourced from vineyards in the Marlborough district in the northern part of New Zealand’s South Island, which accounts for 2/3rds of New Zealand’s wine output. The Story The story is that there isn’t much of a story. The Raorao…
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