CheapWineFinder Podcast
742 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 17 hours ago - ★★★★ - 4 ratingsTalking about remarkable wines that pair nicely with your wallet! Because we like to keep it cheap but excellent.
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Episodes
Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve GSM 2018
January 30, 2020 04:34 - 8 minutes - 6 MBSend us a Text Message. Trader Joe's Petit Reserve GSM 2018The StoryThe Trader Joe's Petit Reserve GSM 2018 is a Trader Joe's $6.99 exclusive. A GSM is Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre blend in this case sourced from vineyards in the Arroyo Seco AVA inside the Monterey AVA which in turn is inside the Central Coast AVA of California. This is a wine made exclusively for Trader Joe's by ASV Wines.ASV Wines, the ASV stands for Arroyo Seco Vineyards, is a custom wine producer (they also make their own ...
Lagranja 360 Verdejo Viura 2018
January 28, 2020 04:52 - 8 minutes - 5.61 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Lagranja 360 Verdejo Viura 2018 is a $4.99 Trader Joe's import exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Castilla y Leon region of northeast Spain. The Verdejo grape is indigenous to Spain and widely planted and the Viura grape is also known as Macabeo which is one of the 3 grapes traditionally used to make Cava. Trader Joe's carries a whole line of Lagranja 360 wines which are very representative of the types of wine that average Spaniards drink every day....
Source and Sink Red Field Blend 2018
January 25, 2020 05:32 - 11 minutes - 7.7 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Source and Sink Red Field Blend 2018 is a blend of 65% Petite Sirah, 25% Alicante Bouschet, and 10% Carignan sourced from the Dunbar Ranch vineyard located near Glen Ellen in the Sonoma Valley region of California. Source and Sink is a new wine company, I think this is their first vintage. The company was formed by 2 Chicago guys who met during the 2017 harvest in Sonoma and decided to put together a wine project.When you have a new, small wine company su...
90+ Cellars Pinot Noir Lot 179 2018
January 21, 2020 05:39 - 11 minutes - 7.84 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe 90+ Cellars Pinot Noir Lot 179 2018 is sourced from vineyards in more than one California Coastal grape growing AVA. And that is about all I know about where the grapes were grown and who made the wine since 90+ Cellars are Negociants. A Negociant is a French term and it refers to a wine business that buys excess wine from a winery and distributes it under its own label.90+ Cellars was founded in 2009 during the last economic meltdown which created an env...
Raimund Prüm Mosel Dry Riesling 2018
January 19, 2020 05:24 - 9 minutes - 6.73 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Raimund Prüm Mosel Dry Riesling is a $6.99 ALDI exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Mosel district of Germany. There are a few interesting and unique details with less than 7 buck Riesling. First, you remember that ALDI is a German company and has great buying power in Europe and especially Germany.Second, Mosel is to Riesling what Pinot Noir is to Burgundy what Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot is to Bordeaux what Barolo is Nebbiolo. It is the epicenter ...
Chateau Le Grand Moulin 2016 Costco
January 17, 2020 05:17 - 11 minutes - 8.14 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Chateau Le Grand Moulin Bordeaux 2016 is a blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Malbec from the Estate vineyard in the Blaye Cotes de Bordeaux AOP. This is wine available at Costco for $7.99, I don't think this is a Costco exclusive, on-line retailers seem to sell the same wine for almost twice as much.Chateau Le Grand is a family-owned vineyard and winery founded over 100 years ago. Blaye AOP is the northern-most growing region in Bordeau...
Kirkland Champagne Brut version 2019
January 15, 2020 05:20 - 11 minutes - 7.61 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Kirkland Champagne Brut is a $19.99 Costco exclusive produced for them by Champagne Janisson of Verzenany in the Champagne district of France. There was a time when a sub 20 buck real-deal Champagne was unheard of, but ALDI, Trader Joe's (I think TJ's French Bubbles has gone up in price) and Costco have all managed to offer pretty enjoyable Bubbly.Janisson is a legit French Champagne House, check out the link above they have an architecturally stunning wi...
Technique Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
January 13, 2020 05:52 - 8 minutes - 6.06 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Technique Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is a wine that sells for $6.99 at Trader Joe's. Is it a Trader Joe's exclusive? I don't know since this wine does not conform to the typical Trader Joe's exclusive wine brands. The Technique label is owned by the Precision Wine Company which has 9 different labels and specializes in Napa Valley wines. This bottling is not shown on their website, but there is a Technique Chardonnay from the Knights Valley ...
Babich Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2019
January 10, 2020 05:05 - 7 minutes - 5.49 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Babich Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is a young Sauv Blanc sourced from mainly Estate vineyards (they own several in different sub-regions of Marlborough) and other carefully chosen contracted vineyards. Babich is a family-owned wine operation founded in 1916 and three generations of the Babich family currently oversee the operations. Marlborough is located on the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island and produces 2/3's of New Zealand's wine.We ha...
Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio 2018
January 08, 2020 05:45 - 9 minutes - 6.46 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio 2018 is 100% Pinot Grigio sourced from the Tiefenbrunner estate (founded 1848) vineyard in the Vigneti Delle Dolomiti IGT district of Trentino-Alto Adige region of far northern Italy. Vigneti Delle Dolomiti is located in the foothills of the Dolomite Mountains which are part of the Alps Mountain chain. This part of Italy is as much German as it is Italian, with most villages having both a German and an Italian name.The IGT wine ...
Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir 2018
January 03, 2020 05:15 - 10 minutes - 6.97 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir 2018 Lot #23 is a $12.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Carneros AVA which is half inside the Sonoma AVA and half inside the Napa AVA. This is the 10th vintage of TJ's Grand Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir, we last reviewed the 2017 version. Carneros is an interesting Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grape growing region.The Carneros AVA is farther inland than most Pinot growing regions and is able...
Louise d’ Estrée Brut Trader Joe’s
December 30, 2019 05:03 - 7 minutes - 5 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Louise d’ Estrée Brut is an $8.99 Trader Joe's exclusive Sparkling wine produced somewhere in France with undetermined grapes. The label has virtually no information except that this Bubbly is made with the Traditional Method (same technique as Champagne) and it is Brut or Dry (not sweet). In France where the grapes are grown and the wine is produced is more important than which grapes were used. For example, Red wine from Burgundy will display the villag...
Roederer Estate Brut 2018 version
December 28, 2019 04:56 - 10 minutes - 7.03 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Roederer Estate Brut is a non-vintage Sparkling wine with a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir. Roederer Estate (founded 1982) is the Mendocino County, Anderson Valley in particular, branch of the nearly 200-year-old (founded 1833) Louis Roederer Champagne House in France. Roederer Estate has 600 acres of vineyards and grows only Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Anderson Valley is a coastal valley about 100 miles north of San Fransico.Roederer Estate pr...
ALDI Monsigny Brut Champagne #3
December 24, 2019 04:10 - 10 minutes - 7.33 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe ALDI Monsigny Brut Champagne #3 is a non-vintage $19.99 ALDI exclusive, a blend of 60% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier, and 10% Chardonnay sourced from multiple vineyards in Champagne, France. It seems this is a brand name that ALDI owns and in the past several different Champagne Houses supply the Bubbly for ALDI. But it seems, and it isn't easy to be sure, that Philizot et fils has been making these Bubbles since 2012.Philizot et fils are negociants, whic...
Trader Joe’s RSVP Brut 2019 Version
December 22, 2019 05:00 - 9 minutes - 6.34 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Trader Joe's RSVP Brut is a $6.99 TJ's non-vintage exclusive, sourced from grapes grown in California and produced with the Traditional Method, the same techniques used to make Champagne. CWF reviewed this wine way back in 2010 and then it was a blend of "92% Chardonnay and 8% shhh...it's a secret". Why they felt the need to "shhh" us, I don't know, what could the mystery possibly be? This may or may not be the same blend. The label says this Bubbly was p...
Légende Pauillac Bordeaux 2015
December 19, 2019 22:36 - 14 minutes - 9.64 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Légende Pauillac Bordeaux 2015 is a 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30%Merlot blend sourced from Domaines Barons de Rothschild estate Lafite vineyards near the village Pauillac in the Medoc region of Bordeaux. That is about the fanciest sentence CheapWineFinder ever had to write. While these vineyards are very, very upscale vineyards, the grapes were taken from some of the younger vines, which keeps the cost down. This is a Bordeaux selling in the $45 to $50 r...
Beringer Founders Estate Pinot Noir 2017
December 18, 2019 04:44 - 11 minutes - 7.71 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Beringer Founders Estate Pinot Noir 2017 is the #1 wine on Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Best Buy Wines of 2019. And that is somewhat remarkable. Beringer is the oldest (since 1876) continuously operating winery in the US and they produce a lot of wine, from $400 bottles to $4 bottles, they run the gamut. The Founders Estate Pinot Noir is not the typical wine that leads best-of lists (I have not tasted it yet, I do the tasting notes in real-time). First, it is ...
Mionetto Brut Prosecco Podcast & 3 More Things
December 16, 2019 18:37 - 19 minutes - 13.6 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryQuake and Dave sample a bottle of Mionetto Brut Prosecco from their Prestige Collection. It is a light, crisp and delicious DOC Prosecco from the Treviso region in northern Veneto section of Italy. It may be crisp, light, and refreshing Bubbly, but it has loads of flavor: apple, lemon, pear, honey, and grapefruit, with light acidity. It is one of those wines where the bottle is empty before you know it - it is just so easy and enjoyable to take another sip.Mi...
Substance Cs Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
December 14, 2019 04:58 - 8 minutes - 6.1 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Substance Cs Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from several carefully selected vineyards located in various AVAs inside the Columbia Valley AVA in Washington. Check out the Wines of Substance website for vineyard details. This is the base Cabernet for the Substance line, the others are single-vineyard wines selling at several times the price. But being the value offering does not hold this Cabernet Sauvignon down, Wine Spectator (...
Trader Joe’s Reserve North Coast Brut
December 12, 2019 04:29 - 12 minutes - 8.69 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Trader Joe's Reserve North Coast Brut is a Trader Joe's $9.99 non-vintage exclusive and is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. The North Coast AVA consists of Sonoma, Napa, Lake, Mendocino, along with the lesser-known Marin and Solano AVAs. This Bubbly is made for Trader Joe's by Rack and Riddle, a company that specializes in producing Sparkling wine and many of the California Bubbly made under varying Brand names are produced by Rack an...
Tempest Bay Carneros Chardonnay 2018
December 10, 2019 04:36 - 11 minutes - 7.89 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Tempest Bay Carneros Chardonnay 2018 is a $7.99 Trader Joe's wine sourced from grapes grown on the Napa side of Carneros, the Carneros AVA is half in Sonoma and half in Napa. The Carneros AVA is located a good distance from the Pacific Ocean, but its southern border is the San Pablo Bay (the bay just north of the San Fransico Bay) which brings cool Ocean breezes and morning fog. Carneros is one of the premier Chardonnay regions in the US (they are known f...
Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel 2016
December 08, 2019 05:51 - 12 minutes - 8.33 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel 2016 is sourced from 16 "old vine" vineyards in the Mokelumne delta region of Lodi, California. Klinker Brick is family-owned and they are 5th generation fruit growers and have produced Klinker Brick wines since 2000. You hear about old vines when talking about Zinfandel on a regular basis, but there are no legal standards for what age an old vine vineyard has to be. Klinker Brick Old Vine Zin is taken from vineyards aged ...
Gruet Blanc de Noirs
December 05, 2019 05:03 - 10 minutes - 7.43 MBSend us a Text Message. The Story of New Mexico BubblyThe Gruet Blanc de Noirs is a non-vintage blend of 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay sourced from vineyards in New Mexico along with grapes from, I believe, California and Washington. The term "Blanc de Noirs" translates to White from Black, yes, I know, White wine grapes are usually green and Red wine grapes are purple or red in most cases, but for some reason the French use terms that are color blind.Gilbert Gruet started farming a vine...
Field Recordings FRANC Cabernet Franc 2017
December 04, 2019 02:24 - 10 minutes - 7.44 MBSend us a Text Message. In this podcast episode, Quake talks about:Repeal DayInternational Cabernet Franc Day and sips theField Recordings FRANC 2017Cabernet Franc from Paso Robles. Want to know more about these important booze holidays? How about cabernet franc? Listen in now (podcast episode below) ... Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com or email us at [email protected]
Sienna Glen Chardonnay 2018
December 01, 2019 22:16 - 10 minutes - 7.33 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Sienna Glen Chardonnay 2018 is a $6.99 ALDI exclusive sourced from grapes from more than one California grape growing AVA. This is one of those wines where there isn't much to say. It is a contracted store brand, they rarely give technical details on their wines. The winery that produced the wine, they are located in Mendocino, is an excellent winery, but they made the wine for another company (ALDI's) specifications, it does not really tell us much excep...
Pure Bred Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel 2017
November 27, 2019 04:15 - 10 minutes - 7.43 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Pure Bred Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel 2017 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's (maybe exclusive). The reason I say maybe is this wine seems to be a close-out wine of some sort. The listed winery on the back of the label, West Coast Wine Group, Lodi, California, no longer has a website. Their URL, which is under their name, now sells online generic drugs. Maybe they forgot to re-up their domain name or maybe they changed their name or are no longer in business. But the 20...
Flora and Stone Gewürztraminer
November 25, 2019 04:19 - 8 minutes - 5.58 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Flora and Stone Gewürztraminer is a non-vintage dated $4.99 ALDI exclusive wine sourced from vineyards in Monterey County AVA in the Central Coast AVA of California. Normally, $4.99, non-vintage, and a store brand would be a cause for concern, but I did a little digging and there is more to this wine than that. The company listed as the producing winery, Pacific Bay Vineyards, seems to be a Trademark owned by a large, well-respected Winery headquartered i...
Raisins Gaulois Beaujolais 2018
November 22, 2019 05:18 - 10 minutes - 7.06 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Raisins Gaulois Beaujolais 2018 is a Gamay wine from Marcel Lapierre sourced from vineyards in the Morgon area of Beaujolais in France. The name "Raisins Gaulois" simply translates to French Grapes and from there we will begin our story. Marcel Lapierre is one of the icons of Beaujolais, pioneered a return to the old ways of producing wine, organic farming in the vineyards, native, natural yeasts for fermentation, no added sulfur dioxide, and not filterin...
Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay 2017
November 20, 2019 04:36 - 11 minutes - 7.81 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay 2017 is 98% Chardonnay and 2% Gewürztraminer sourced from Wente estate vineyards in the Livermore Valley AVA located across the Bay from San Fransico in the northern section of the Central Coast AVA. Wente Vineyards started in the 1880s and has been in continuous operation since then (they didn't close during Prohibition). Wente is one of the cornerstones of American winemaking, their work in the vineyards developing hardy dis...
Castle Rock Mendocino Pinot Noir 2017
November 17, 2019 04:47 - 9 minutes - 6.56 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Castle Rock Mendocino Pinot Noir 2017 is an inexpensive Pinot Noir, I found it for $7.99 at Costco that should provide a solid value. Castle Rock is an interesting wine company, they have been around for 25 years and have a unique business model. They own no vineyards, all their grapes come from long term contracts with well-respected vineyards. They own no winery or equipment, again they lease space and winemaking gear from existing wineries. They have a...
Saint-Hilaire Brut 2017
November 14, 2019 04:54 - 9 minutes - 6.64 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Saint-Hilaire Brut 2017 is a blend of 90% Mauzac, 5% Chardonnay, and 5% Chenin Blanc sourced from grapes farmed in the Limoux area of the Languedoc in Southwest France. The Sparkling wine of Limoux is 100 years older than the Bubbly of Champagne. Saint-Hilaire is the Abbey were history first records monks producing Bubbly/Sparkling wine (I am not saying Champagne, because only Bubbly from Champagne can legally be called Champagne, with a few exceptions......
Stick Figure Red Blend 2016
November 12, 2019 04:46 - 8 minutes - 5.68 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Stick Figure Red Blend 2016 is a Trader Joe's $8.99 exclusive sourced from a selection of cool climate and warm weather vineyards in the Central Coast AVA of California. As per usual, Trader Joe's does not offer technical information for the Stick Figure Red, so let's see what we can figure out on our own. Trader Joe features a Pinot Noir in November to pair with turkey and according to the Fearless Flyer, this blend is intended to pair with baked ham. It...
Fetzer Sundial Chardonnay 2018
November 10, 2019 05:13 - 10 minutes - 6.92 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Fetzer Sundial Chardonnay 2018 is sourced from sustainably farmed vineyards in more than one California grape-growing AVAs. Fetzer was founded in 1968 and is a Certified B Corp, which is a designation given to companies that are sustainably and ethically managed, others are Patagonia and Ben and Jerry's. The Sundial Chardonnay sells over under 10 bucks (I found it on sale for $6.99) but received 88 points from Wine Spectator magazine. Wine Spectator typic...
Mumm Napa Brut Rosé
November 08, 2019 05:08 - 11 minutes - 8.23 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Mumm Napa Brut Rose' is a blend of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay sourced from as many as 50 different vineyards (depending on the vintage) in the Napa Valley AVA. Mumm Napa started in the early 1970s is the California project of GH Mumm founded 150 years earlier in Champagne, France. Mumm Champagne is the 3rd largest selling Bubbly in the world and the largest selling Sparkling wine in France. The 50 vineyard sources may seem like way too many vineya...
Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Russian River Pinot Noir 2018
November 06, 2019 05:05 - 10 minutes - 7.4 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Trader Joe's Petit Reserve Russian River Pinot Noir 2018 is a $7.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. There have been other Trader Joe's Reserve Pinot Noirs over the years, the regular Reserve and Grand Reserve wines tend to have Lot #'s to differentiate them, I believe the Petit designation indicates that there is a limited supply of this Pinot Noir. The Russian River Valley is located in western Sonoma County along the coast and runs parallel with the Pacific Oce...
The Delicious Monster White Blend 2019
November 03, 2019 03:23 - 7 minutes - 5.17 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Delicious Monster White Blend 2019 is a $5.99 Trader Joe's import wine, a blend of 60% Chenin Blanc, 20% Muscat, and 20% Chardonnay from McGregor Winery vineyards in South Africa. McGregor Winery is a co-op of 33 farmers who have banded together to produce wines in the foothills of the mountains in the Robertson Valley district of South Africa. If you notice this is a 2019 vintage and we still have 2 months of 2019 left, South Africa's winter and summer a...
Moon Willow Riesling 2018
November 01, 2019 03:12 - 8 minutes - 5.6 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Moon Willow Riesling 2018 os a $6.49 ALDI exclusive sourced from sustainably farmed vineyards in the Monterey AVA of California's Central Coast AVA. ALDI virtually never gives out technical information about their wines, so who, how, and where will be a mystery. But at this price point taking a chance isn't too big of a leap. The Monterey AVA is south of the San Fransico and north of Paso Robles and has a variety of climates, cool weather to warm and can ...
If You See Kay Paso Robles Red 2016
October 29, 2019 04:06 - 9 minutes - 6.84 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe If You See Kay Paso Robles Red 2016 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, and Petit Verdot grown in vineyards in the hills and valleys of San Juan Creek and Estrella District of inland Paso Robles AVA of the Central Coast AVA of California. There seems to be or has been an Italian version of If You See Kay. It's kind of funny this brand has been around for at least 10 years and in that time calling the acronym (or is this a homonym ?)...
Dearly Beloved I Thee Red 2016
October 26, 2019 03:10 - 8 minutes - 5.54 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Dearly Beloved I Thee Red 2016 is a kitchen sink blend, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Sirah sourced from vineyards in the Central Coast AVA of California. Trader Joe's sells this blend for $7.99 and the Dearly Beloved website shows they produce 2 Red blends and a Chardonnay and the website prices are $12 to $14 (and I think I've seen this at Target and maybe other stores). The Dearly Beloved brand has been around...
Moon X Black Pinot Noir 2017
October 24, 2019 02:53 - 7 minutes - 5.15 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Moon X Black Pinot Noir 2017 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's wine, but I don't think it is a TJ's exclusive a website from New York sells it online for $9.99. The 2016 vintage of the Moon X Black Pinot was the #1 page on CheapWineFinder for about a year and a half, a lot of folks like this wine. The Black in the name is a hint, this isn't your typical Pinot Noir. It is Trader Joe's version of the extremely popular Meiomi Pinot Noir. Pinot purists hated Meiomi, bu...
Lindenman’s Bin 65 Chardonnay 2018
October 18, 2019 03:24 - 12 minutes - 8.49 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Lindenman's Bin 65 Chardonnay 2018 is one of CheapWineFinder's perennial favorites it is an amazingly inexpensive Chardonnay (this time we found it on sale for $2.99, Binny's Chicago) that delivers year after year. Sourced from multiple vineyards in Southeast Australia, Lindeman's is no longer an operating winery, it is a brand. A large production, very inexpensive Brand wine does not sound like a promising proposition, but in this case, it works. The Bin...
Time Waits For No One Monastrell 2017
October 16, 2019 03:27 - 8 minutes - 6.16 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Time Waits For No One Monastrell 2017 is 100% Monastrell (Mourvedre in France) produced by Finca Bacara (Finca translates to farm or vineyard) in the Jumilla DO of southeastern Spain. This wine is designated a DOP wine which is Spain's highest wine category and Monastrell is the #1 Red grape in Jumilla accounting for over 80% of the grapes grown. Jumilla is located on the plains between the mountains to the west and the Mediterranean Ocean to the east. An...
Kirkland Asolo Prosecco DOCG
October 14, 2019 03:26 - 10 minutes - 7.49 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Kirkland Asolo Prosecco DOCG Extra Dry is a $6.99 Costco import exclusive sourced from grapes farmed around the town of Asolo in the center of the Prosecco region in Veneto, Italy. In California, the wine grape growing regions comprise of unique territories known as AVA's, such as Paso Robles, Sonoma, Dry Creek, etc., these boundaries are all location-based there are no government mandates on which grapes can be grown, how they are to be farmed, and how t...
Violet House Central Coast Red Blend
October 10, 2019 03:11 - 7 minutes - 5.06 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Violet House Central Coast Red Blend 2017 is an $8.99 ALDI exclusive wine. And that is about all I know about this wine, there is no mention on the web and ALDI doesn't say a thing. The back label says this is a non-traditional blend and a 2017 vintage is decent age for an $8.99 Red wine. But I have to admit, I bought this bottle for the label, there are furry antler people coming out of the snow in the woods near a cabin on the lake, along with a violet-...
The Federalist Dry Creek Zinfandel 2016
October 08, 2019 03:40 - 7 minutes - 5.24 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Federalist Dry Creek Zinfandel 2016 is 98% Zinfandel and 2% Carignane primarily sourced from Orsi vineyards in the southern end of Dry Creek Valley about a mile from the Russian River. The Zinfandel grapes came from 6 separate blocks of the vineyard and were fermented separately. The 6 lots were then blended and then aged in oak barrels for 16 months, 20% new oak the rest used barrels. Dry Creek Valley has a climate that is similar to the Bordeaux region ...
Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Russian River Chardonnay 2018
October 05, 2019 02:58 - 6 minutes - 4.67 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Trader Joe's Petit Reserve Russian River Chardonnay 2018 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. And this is an unexpected Chardonnay, the Fearless Flyer didn't have much of anything interesting to say and the front label is the usual Tj's exclusive label. But the back label tells that these grapes came from a single Family-owned estate vineyard, the Stony Point Vineyard owned by the James Family Cellars. The James Family Cellars are a Pinot Noir producer, the...
Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 Lot 89
September 26, 2019 03:38 - 6 minutes - 4.83 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 Lot 89 is a $14.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from grapes, like the title says, farmed in the Atlas Peak AVA of Napa Valley in Northern California. Atlas Peak is a unique region inside Napa since it is the highest elevation growing region. When it comes to Northern California vineyards you usually hear the same story, warm to hot afternoons, with much cooler evening followed by cooling m...
Kirkland Napa Valley Red Blend 2016
September 22, 2019 03:56 - 7 minutes - 5.35 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Kirkland Napa Valley Red Blend 2016 is a $10.99 Costco exclusive, a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. That mix of grapes is a Bordeaux Blend and in California is referred to as a Meritage Blend. There is a Meritage organization that promotes and helps develop these grapes and wineries using the Meritage name on the label pay a license fee and comply with a set of rules and regulations. Since this is a value-pri...
Kirkland Ti Point Sauvignon Blanc 2018
September 20, 2019 03:48 - 5 minutes - 3.84 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Kirkland Ti Point Sauvignon Blanc 2018 seems to be a $6.99 Costco exclusive sourced from grapes grown in the Marlborough region of New Zealand's South Island. Ti Point Vineyards produced and bottled this Sauv Blanc (that technically means they made at least 75% of the wine) and they are a winery that started on Ti Point in the northern part of the North Island of New Zealand. The North Island wineries are mostly low volume "boutique" producers, but Ti Poi...
The Crusher Petite Sirah 2016
September 17, 2019 03:22 - 7 minutes - 5.06 MBSend us a Text Message. The StoryThe Crusher Petite Sirah is 82% Petite Sirah and then smaller percentages of Syrah, Tempranillo, Malbec, Merlot, and Zinfandel sourced mainly from 2 vineyards, one in the Clarksburg AVA and another in the Lodi AVA, both areas have good growing conditions for Petite Sirah. The Crusher line of wines is one of Don Sebastiani and Sons brand of wines. The Sebastiani family have been in the wine business in Sonoma for over 100 years, with Don Sebastiani and Sons r...