Fast facts: 2019 Kirkland Signature Gigondas, Gigondas, France ($14.99 @ Costco, California – Item # 1134102) I am blaming the warping of time on Covid, but when I recently spied this in my local Costco my first thought was: “didn’t we just review the 2018 vintage?” The answer was no, we reviewed it some … Read moreGee, Gigondas! That’s French for High QPR!
Fast Facts: 2019 Kirkland Signature Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France ($22.99 @Costco in California – Item #777662) 2020 Kirkland Signature Côtes Du Rhône Villages ($6.99 @Costco in California – Item #887774) And, just like that, we find ourselves on the other side of the Thanksgiving holiday and on the slippery slide down towards the December holidays and … Read moreTwo Red Wines from Costco, and the Opposite Ends of the Rhone Price Spectrum
Fast Facts: 2018 Kirkland Signature Bordeaux Supérieur, Bordeaux, France ($7.99 @Costco in California – Item #1184548) 2017 Gérard Bertrand Tautavel, Côtes du Rousillon Villages, France ($9.99 @Costco in California – Item #637442) I think that it’s fair to say that most American wine consumers don’t understand French wine nearly as well as they do the wines … Read moreFrench (Wine) Lessons from Costco – Très Bien at Under Ten!
Fast Facts: 2019 McClean Vineyards, Love Red Blend, Paso Robles, California ($11.49 @Costco in California – Item #1528847) So I admit that it was the “packaging” that stopped me in my tracks for this wine. I am so shallow sometimes. In lieu of a traditional paper label, this wine comes in a gorgeous silk-screened … Read moreAll You Need is Love – a groovy Costco wine that is perfect for BBQ
Fast facts: 2019 Tenebres GSM, Languedoc, France ($4.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) 2019 Taymor Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California ($4.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) You long time readers of this blog (thank you!) know how much we love to find great wines that limbo in under the $10 price point. There are a surprising number … Read moreWow. A Whole Lotta Vino Bang for $4.99 at Trader Joe’s
Fast Facts: 2018 Kirkland Signature Gigondas, France ($14.99 @Costco in California – Item #11341020) This blend (Grenache 85%, Syrah 10% and Mourvedre 5%) is crafted from the fruit of old vines grown in the Grand Cru appellation of Gigondas, on some of its highest limestone vineyards in the Southern Rhone Valley. A GSM, it’s a … Read moreKirkland Signature Gigondas. It Only Sounds Expensive.
Fast Facts on this Week’s Featured Wine: 2013 Zaca Mesa Z Cuvée, Santa Ynez Valley, CA ($8.99* @Costco in California – Item #160928) *net price after $5 .00 discount Taking one for the team, we finally donned our facemasks, waited in line and made our way into our local Costco. Our relatively long … Read moreCostco Over-Delivers – 91 points for $8.99
Fast facts: 2016 Badet Clement Pontificis GSM, Languedoc-Rousillon, France ($6.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) Long time readers will have come to understand that QPR is shorthand for Quality to Price Ratio. It’s a good measure of wine value. This one scores super high on that scale. And if you read our review of a … Read moreAnother Trader Joe’s GSM – Crazy High QPR at $6.99
Fast facts: 2016 Trader Joe’s Reserve Zinfandel Lot #185, Amador County, California ($9.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) 2017 Trader Joe’s Reserve GSM Lot #187, Central Coast, California ($9.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) It’s hard to believe, but Labor Day is right around the corner. So if your plans, like ours, include firing up the grill and using … Read moreTrader Joe’s has two great wines for your next BBQ – just $9.99 each!
These two rosés from Trader Joe’s couldn’t be more different. But at well under $10 each, that doesn’t mean you won’t love them both! Fast facts: 2018 Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Rosé, Napa Valley ($5.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) 2018 St. Sagnol Rosé, Provence, France ($6.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) A wise person once quipped: “all wine … Read moreFor Poolside Sipping: Two Bargain Trader Joe’s Rosés