Fast Facts: 2015 Trader Joe’s Gran Reserva Rioja Lot #120, Rioja, Spain ($12.99 @Trader Joe’s in California) A few months back, our Wine of the Week (hereinafter, WoW!) was a Crianza Rioja, also from Trader Joe’s. You have no doubt memorized that review, in case of a pop quiz. But in case your memory is … Read moreThere’s Something New and Exciting in the Spanish Wine Section at Trader Joe’s
Fast Facts: 2020 Ego Bodegas Goru Verde Monastrell, Jumilla, Spain ($7.99 @Costco in California – Item #1258623) Let’s start with the basics. Monastrell is a grape variety. It’s a deeply bold, smoky red wine found in abundance in Central Spain and Southern France (where it’s known as Mourvèdre) and where it is the “M” … Read moreNever Heard of Monastrell? Maybe You Have.
Fast Facts: 2022 Cabernet Franc, Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve, Paso Robles, California ($7.99 @Trader Joe’s in California) …and let’s be frank: you just don’t see many bottlings of straight up Cabernet Franc – unless you are standing in a Winery Tasting Room. Cab Sauv? Sure. Cab Franc. Not so much… So that is what … Read moreTrader Joe’s Sez: “Let’s Be Franc”
Fast Facts: 2021 Kirkland Signature Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California ($12.99 @Costco in California – Item #789895) In her encyclopedic The Oxford Companion to Wine, author Jancis Robinson refers to Sonoma’s Russian River Valley as a “high quality California wine region and AVA west of Healdsburg along that portion of river that meanders through … Read moreKirkland Signature RRV Chardonnay – Bingo!
Fast Facts: 2021 Pinot Noir, Trader Joe’s Reserve Lot #241, Santa Barbara County, California ($9.99 @Trader Joe’s in California) Pinot Noir has a problem. It’s being loved to death. Its precise rank varies by which list you consult, but it remains securely in the top 5 of all wine grapes, and second only to … Read moreThink You Can’t Find High QPR Pinot Noir Under $10? Think again…
Fast Facts: 2021 Kirkland Signature Prosecco Rosé, Veneto, Italy ($7.99 @Costco in California – Item #1521870) We spill no small amount of “ink” talking about the “old world” rules and regs when it comes to wine and how they are generally more restrictive than in the US and the new world. Think of it as … Read moreRosé + Prosecco = Summer Genius!
Fast Facts: 2021 Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel, Contra Costa County, California ($13.99 @Trader Joe’s in California) Today’s online edition of Decanter reported that veraison (that celebrated harbinger of harvest when wine grapes begin to blush and change color) has begun in the vineyards of northern California. They talked with winemakers from Napa, from Sonoma – … Read moreIf You Love BBQ, Get to Know this Grape, and this Wine
Fast facts: 2016 Gaudio Reserva Red Blend, Alentejo, Portugal ($8.79 @Costco; California – Product #1756471) I have to admit that a big reason I reached for this wine is that my wife and I visited this region (south of Lisbon, north of the stunning Algarve) this past Spring. Oh, then there is the matter … Read more93 Points for Under $10? Thanks, Costco!
Fast Facts: 2020 Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Lot #95, Sonoma County, California ($12.99 @Trader Joe’s in California) I am a self-professed insufferable wine snob, but I just have to say that it really bugs me when my California (!) friends say they are going to visit Napa and I discover … Read moreA Great TJ’s Cab Sauv, Just Don’t Call it Napa
Fast facts: 2020 Kirkland Signature Toscana IGT, Italy ($13.99 @Costco; California – Product #1181768) Tuscany is arguably the most important region in central Italy, where it is known as Toscana. Our reviews of this “Super Tuscan” wine date back to the 2016 vintage. Somewhat incredibly, it was $13.99 then too. Although the price … Read moreSuper Tasty, Super High QPR from this Super Tuscan