Is Trader Joe’s Delicious Monster All That?

Fast facts:

• 2021 McGregor Winery, The Delicious Monster, South Africa ($5.99 @Trader Joe’s,  California)

Here is a fun fact that you might not know: in South Africa, the varietal Chenin Blanc is often called Steen. It is synonymous for Chenin Blanc.  Impress your friends!

I bring this up because the Delicious Monster is a blend of 60% Chenin Blanc, 20% Muscat, and 20% Chardonnay. But the Chenin really shines through, especially on the nose where you pick up the tell-tale notes of orange blossoms.   Ooops, I have inadvertently ventured into the Tasting Notes section of these reviews, so without further adieu (which is a really good starter word for the Wordle game FWIW) I present them to you here:

Tasting Notes:

Pours a nice clear pale yellow, reflecting both its youth and its weight.  The color prepares you for a wine that should taste fresh, clean and refreshing. Right off the rip,the three things I get are orange blossom, peach and a little bit of minerality.  In the mouth, the Chardonnay and Muscat give it some weight and introduce flavors of apple, melon and tropical fruits.  The finish is surprisingly satfisying for a $6 sipper. To summarize, I invoke my British peers in the wine trade who would characterize this as: “cheap and cheerful!”

Another thing of note about this wine is that it is finished with a screw top. Screw tops used to imply low quality, but this isn’t the case anymore thanks to the leadership of Southern Hemisphere wine producers in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.   There are a lot of really high quality wines that are using the screw top. (Again, if you want to impress your wine geek friends, refer to the screw top as a “Stelvin closure.”) I have become really fond of Stelvins, because they reseal so well.  You can crank a screw top back down and still lay the bottle on its side until you are ready to pour another glass.  I don’t suggest trying that with a re-inserted cork.

with an ABV of 12.5%.

If your weekend finds you shopping at your local TJ’s, keep an eye out for our Lucky 13 list of TJ’s wine. It’s a shopping list comprised of our most recent reviews.

If you’re headed to Costco soon, you can find our most recent reviews of Costco wines here in our Lucky 13 list of Costco wine finds.

Happy hunting,

Cheers!