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 Trader Joe’s Reserve Meritage, Lot #239, Paso Robles, CA ($9.99 @ Trader Joe’s, California) So this red caught my eye at Trader Joe’s recently. There were two things that first attracted me to this wine: the magical word Meritage (rhymes with “heritage” but is also pronounced “mehr-it-taj”) which promises good things … Read moreFire Up the BBQ and Pull the Cork on this TJ’s Red Wine
Fast facts: 2021 Trader Joe’s Reserve Lot #236 Syrah, Santa Barbara, California ($9.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) Here in Southern California, enthusiastic wine drinkers know Santa Barbara County quite well as it is in our backyard. We are familiar with the fact that it is a richly diverse wine region capable of producing world class … Read moreA Good Place to Start Getting to Know the Wines of Santa Barbara
Fast facts: 2020 Trader Joe’s Reserve Chardonnay, Lot #231, Santa Lucia Highlands, California ($9.99 @ Trader Joe’s, California) Don’t look now but we are on a slippery slope towards Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer. Nooooooo!!!! Heck, Costco is already putting out Christmas decorations. But we will talk about Costco in future posts. … Read moreA Crazy Good Chard, from a Crazy Good Place, at a Crazy Good TJ’s Price
Fast facts: 2020 Trader Joe’s Reserve Zinfandel, Lot #233, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County ($9.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) Just in time for barbecue season and the first days of summer. There are few red wine varietals that are as good a match for grilled food as Zinfandel is. It was born for the role! … Read moreGot ‘cue? Then get your hands on this Zin!
Fast facts: 2020 Trader Joe’s Reserve Pinot Noir Lot #229, Santa Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County, California ($9.99 @ Trader Joe’s, California) When not obsessing on finding crazy good wine values to feature here, I am doing deep dives into the music of rock and power pop. If you are similarly afflicted, you may … Read morePinotrama!
Fast facts: 2020 Trader Joe’s Reserve Merlot Lot #227, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California ($9.99 @ Trader Joe’s, California) We hope our subject line extrapolating the price per gallon (there are five standard 750ml bottles in a gallon FWIW) for this wine makes you feel better about the last time you filled up your … Read moreGreat Mmmerlot for Just $50 per Gallon!
Fast facts: 2020 Monique Cellars, Central Coast, California ($6.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) 2020 Trader Joe’s Reserve Lot 224, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, California ($9.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) Ever study wine consumers picking out wines from a sea of labels? I do, but after some 30 years in the wine business, I can’t help it. … Read moreSay So Long to Summer with a Pair of SauvBlanc from Trader Joe’s
Fast facts: 2020 Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Rosé ($6.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) 2020 Trader Joe’s Reserve Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California ($9.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) 2018 Trader Joe’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Wahluke Slope, Columbia Valley, Washington ($9.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) There’s a scene in the movie The Jerk, starring Steve Martin as..well, … Read moreA Trio of Tasty Trader Joe’s Wines for Your Labor Day Soiree
Fast facts: 2020 Trader Joe’s Reserve Zinfandel, Lot #71, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County ($9.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) I’ve been fortunate to have travelled to some of the most beautiful wine growing regions in the world, and Dry Creek Valley is among my favorites. Studded with knarly old growth vineyards, it’s an unpretentious premium … Read moreA Delicious Dry Creek Zinfandel from Trader Joe’s – Just Add BBQ!