The Acordeon Malbec is sourced from high altitude (4,165 feet) estate vineyards in the Tupungato section of the Uco Valley inside the larger Mendoza region in Argentina. The Uco Valley is in the Southwest corner of Mendoza and the Tupungato section is in the northern part of the Uco Valley. This is an under $10…
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The Lolailo Sangria is imported from Spain using Tempranillo and Bobal grapes as a base and infused with Mediterranean citrus and fruit juices from a 70 year old recipe. The Bobal grape is the 3rd most plated Red grape in Spain and there isn’t much planted of it anywhere else. There is a Tapas joint…
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The 2011 Pontificis (translates to Pope) Grenache (50%) Syrah (30%) and Mourvedre (20%), also known as a GSM blend is a Vin du Pays d’Oc wine sourced from vineyards in the Languedoc region of southern France and is a Trader Joe’s $6.99 import exclusive. This blend is produced for Trader Joe’s by Badet Clement and…
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The 2012 Blue Fin Riesling is a Trader Joe’s ($4.49) exclusive sourced from grapes grown in more than one California grape growing AVA. Blu Fin is one of Bronco Wine Company’s (maker’s of Two Buck Chuck) 100+ wine brands worldwide. The 2011 Blue Fin Pinot Noir was $3.99, so the Blue Fin Riesling is 50…
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The 2011 Chill Out Chardonnay is sourced from more than one grape growing AVA in California. There is no mention of the Chill Out Chardonnay brand on the internet. The back label shows it was produced in Ripon & Livermore, California, which usually means this is one the The Wine Groups labels, they have Concannon, Mogen David,…
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The 2012 Coppola Votre Sante (French for “to your health”) Chateau Red is a blend of Rhone grape varietals, mainly Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre with a few other grapes added in small amount to season the stew, sourced from several California grape growing AVA’s, but primarily from Monterey, the North Coast and Lodi. This blend…
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The 2012 Maggio Family Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from more than one grape growing AVA in California. Maggio Family Vineyards is one of the labels owned by Oak Ridge Winery, the oldest operating winery (1934) in Lodi, California and Maggio is one of the 3 families that own the winery. The Sauvignon Blanc was…
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The 2012 Trader Joe’s Grower’s Reserve Organic Pinot Noir ($6.99) is sourced from one or more certified organic vineyards somewhere in California. This wine was “Produced and Bottled by” ASV Wines, San Martin, California (a custom, contract wine producer), they crushed, fermented and aged the wine, but did not grow the grapes. Now, most wine…
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The 2009 Perticaia Montefalco Rosso DOC is a blend of 60% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino and 15% Colorino (an Italian Red grape grown in Tuscany and Umbria) and a splash of Merlot sourced from Estate vineyards located in the Montefalco region of Umbria, Italy. The Montefalco region is best known for Sagrantino, a unique indigenous Red…
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The 2010 Renwood Amador County Old Vine Zinfandel is 92.5% Zinfandel, 5.8% Syrah and 1.7% Souzoa (a grape originally from Portugal and it is one of the grapes used to make Port) sourced from vineyards in Amador County, California. Renwood, which has been making wines since 1993, has a line of single vineyard Amador County Zinfandels…
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The 2011 Garnet Vineyards Monterey County Pinot Noir is sourced from Estate vineyards located near (but not in) the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA in Monterey County, California. Garnet had been Saintbury’s value line, but they sold the brand name and the winery to the Silverado Wine Growers, who had been the main supplier for Garnet’s…
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The 2012 Wente Estates Morning Fog Chardonnay is sourced from Wente’s Estate vineyards in Livermore Valley and the San Francisco Bay. The fog that rolls inland off the San Francisco Bay in the morning cools the grapes before the afternoon heat kicks in. Wente Vineyards has been a family owned winery for 130 years and…
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The 2012 19 Crimes Red Wine is a blend of Shiraz and Durif sourced from vineyards in South Eastern Australia. Shiraz and Durif translated from Australian to American is Syrah and Petite Sirah. The 19 Crimes referenced in the brand name refers to the 19 felonies you could commit that would get you shipped out…
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The 2011 Pennywise Petite Sirah is 86% Petite Sirah, 8% Merlot and 6% Tannat (a blending grape originally from the Northern Rhone in France, it gives the wine a red berry flavor, dark purple color and adds structure) sourced from vineyards in 58% Lodi, 20% Mendocino, 12% Clarksburg and 10% Paso Robles. Pennywise is a…
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The 2011 Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from vineyards from three different grape growing valleys inside Chile’s Central Valley. Casillero del Torro is one of the value labels owned by Concha Y Toro a huge winery that has been in business for 130 years, they also produce/own Cono Sur, Trivento…
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The 14 Hands Vineyards Columbia Valley Merlot is 78% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Syrah, 1% Grenache and 1% Cabernet Franc sourced from several vineyards in the Columbia Valley of Washington State. 14 Hands refers to the height of the wild mustangs that used to roam the Columbia Valley, the average regular horse is 15…
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The 2012 Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Monterey County Riesling is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive produced for them by ASV Wines an independent contract winemaking facility. The Petit Reserve labeled wines are one-off, small production, when they are gone, there is no more sort of wines. The Monterey County AVA is located inside the Central…
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The 2012 Trader Joe’s Coastal Zinfandel is a $4.99 TJ’s exclusive, sourced from grapes grown in California’s Central Coast AVA and produced by Castoro Cellars. Castoro Cellars is a family owned winery located in the Paso Robles AVA, they have been in business since 1983 and produce their own line of Estate grown wines. The…
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The 2012 Smoking Loon Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from vineyards in the Central Valley of Chile. Smoking Loon is one of Don Sebastiani and Sons labels, others include Pepperwood, The Crusher and Project Paso. They are negociants, which means they own no vineyards, through their contacts and sources they find excess grapes or juice from other vineyards around…
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The 2011 Bogle Vineyards California Pinot Noir is sourced from contracted vineyards in the Russian River Valley AVA (inside Sonoma County) and the Monterey AVA along with Bogle Estate grown grapes from the Clarksburg AVA (southwest of Sacramento and west of Lodi). Bogle is a 6th generation family owned winery with extensive vineyard holdings in…
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Here is a cheat sheet for the making of Italian, Spanish and French Bubbly, Cava, Prosecco or Spumante: In Italy, Bubbly, be it Prosecco or Spumante, is usually produced using the Charmat Method. With the Charmat method (this is where the bubbles are introduced), the fermented wine is placed in huge pressurized vats, this is…
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The 2010 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon is 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Merlot sourced mainly from vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA and the Wahluke Slope AVA inside the larger Columbia Valley AVA in Washington State. 99% of the grapes grown in Washington are grown in the Columbia Valley…
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The 2011 Milou Chardonnay is 100% Chardonnay sourced from vineyards near the town of Asperes in the Languedoc grape growing region in the south of France. The Milou Chardonnay is designated a Vin de Pays D’Oc, which indicates that the grapes are representative of the Languedoc, but the wine was not produced according to the…
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The 2011 Secco (translates to dry) Italian Bubbles Rose’ Brut is a Sparkling wine sourced from vineyards in Veneto, Italy consisting of 80% Raboso Piave and 20% Pinot Noir. Raboso Piave is a grape indigenous to Veneto and by law must make up at least 70% of the blend. Secco Italian Bubbles is a project…
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The 2011 Banrock Station Shiraz is sourced from vineyards in several of Australia’s grape growing region. Banrock Station was founded in 1995 in part as a means to fund conservation projects all over the world, to date they have funded 95 environmental projects in 13 countries. Banrock Station’s motto is “Good Earth-Fine Wine”. This is…
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