The Velvet Devil Merlot 2022 is a wine I found selling for $9.99 at a local wine shop. This wine was vinted and bottled by Charles Smith Wines, but Charles Smith has not owned this brand for years. The Story Charles Smith Wines were massive hits in the 2010s. He made 100-point $100 wines and…
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The Compass Bridge Sonoma Pinot Noir 2023 is a limited-edition wine available at Trader Joe’s for $9.99. The Compass Bridge brand is from a entity of Delicato Family Vineyards. The Story Delicato Family Vineyards, from the Lodi AVA, purchased Coppola Wines (Sonoma) a few years ago and formed a large wine company that produces wine…
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The Compass Bridge Sonoma Chardonnay 2023 is a Trader Joe’s exclusive, selling for $8.99. The back label indicates it was vinted and bottled by Compass Bridge of Manteca & Geyserville, California. The Story Manteca is the corporate home of Delicato Family Vineyards (100 years old this year), and Geyserville was the home of Coppola Wines,…
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The Justin Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a wine I found selling for $12.99; the list price is $18. This is a wine that is widely available from supermarkets to wine shops. The Story There was a Justin (Justin Baldwin), but he sold the winery to The Wonderful Company in 2010. The Wonderful Company…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Paso Robles Grenache 2023 is a $9.99 wine available exclusively at Trader Joe’s stores. This wine was produced and bottled by the Beckett Family of Paso Robles. ” Produced and bottled” indicates that the listed producer fermented and aged a minimum of 75% of the wine. The Story The Beckett Family…
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The Granite Coast Organic Monterey Rosé 2024 is available exclusively at Trader Joe’s for $5.99. A check of CWF archives shows we reviewed the 2013 Granite Coast Red blend; that wine was $4.99. The Story The Granite Coast Vineyards label is owned by Scheid Family Vineyards. They are a large family-owned wine business that was…
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The Decoy Chardonnay 2023 is a wine I found selling for $14.99; Duckhorn has it listed for $20. Decoy is the entry-level wine brand (if a $20 wine can be called entry-level) for Duckhorn Winery. The Story Duckhorn Winery was founded in 1976 and was known for its Merlot. They had ten wine brands, which…
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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 Ferrari-Carano North Coast Fume Blanc 2023 is a wine I found for $10.99, and it received 92 points from a major wine critic. The Story Ferrari-Carano was founded in 1981 by Don and Rhonda Carano. It is a beautiful estate in Northern Sonoma, and they produced consistently excellent wines. After Don Carano passed away…
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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 Kirkland Signature Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is a $6.99 Costco exclusive wine. It is produced by a division of Precept Wine & Spirits, the largest privately owned wine company in the Northwest. The Story Precept has its line of wine brands, and they have also produced wine for Trader Joe’s, Aldi, and Costco. They…
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The Mount Fishtail Sur Lie Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is a wine I found for $12.69 at Costco. A price with a decimal point of 0.69 indicates that the manufacturer is offering this product at a special price. A quick check of the web found this wine selling in a range of $13 to $15….
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Walla Walla Syrah 2023 is an exclusive Trader Joe’s offering at $9.99. It is produced for Trader Joe’s by DNA Vineyards, which has provided Trader Joe’s with quality wines for years. The Story DNA Vineyards is Dennis Patton and Andrea Silverstein, who together have over 65 years of experience in the…
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The Bear Bros. The California Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is an Aldi exclusive, priced at $7.99. I checked the California Wine Club Registry and found that an entity of Sutter Home was involved in the production. The Story Sutter Home wines are part of the Trinchero Family of Wine and Spirits. Sutter Home typically sells non-vintage…
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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 Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2023 is a $14.99 wine available exclusively at Trader Joe’s. The Dundee Hills AVA is a sub-AVA within the Willamette Valley AVA. The Story The back label indicates that this wine was “vinted and bottled by Cultavin Cellars.” Vinted and bottled by means that they bottled…
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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 Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve Rutherford Meritage 2022 is an exclusive, $19.99 offering available only at Trader Joe’s. This wine was produced and bottled by (that means they made it) 1542 ACE, which is a label from Miura Vineyards, a project from a Master Sommelier, Emmanuel Kemiji. The Story Miura and 1542 ACE typically deal…
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The Trader Joe’s Grower’s Reserve Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is a $5.99 exclusive to Trader Joe’s. This certified organic wine is produced by ASV Vines on the Central Coast of California. The Story There is a wine truism: nobody goes through the time, effort, and expense to certify a less-than-top vineyard to organic specification. Young…
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The Bacchus Ginger’s Cuvee Pinot Noir 2023 is a wine I found at a local wine retailer selling for $12.99. It is a wine label from David Gordon, the Sommelier at Tribeca Grill (owned by Robert De Niro) since 1990. The Story David Gordon has had an outstanding career, he is one of 3 Americans…
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The Le Monde Sparkling Pinot Nero Rosé is a Bubbly I found selling for under $10 on sale, though it typically sells for around $15. The Le Monde is an estate wine located in the Friuli region of northeast Italy. Slovenia is to the east, and Austria is to the north. The Story Le Monde…
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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 Bouchard Ainé & Fils Chardonnay 2024 is a wine I discovered at Costco, priced at $9.99. It is available elsewhere in the $12 range. The Story Bouchard Ainé & Fils is a renowned winery with roots dating back to the early 1800s. They specialize in the wines of Burgundy, France, which are mainly Chardonnay…
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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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