The Trader Joe's Reserve Monterey Meritage Lot 168 2014 is a $9.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from grapes grown in the Monterey County AVA which is located north of Paso Robles and up to the Monterey Bay inside the Central Coast AVA of California. A Meritage wine is a Red blend that uses the grapes approved to be used in Bordeaux wines (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet … [Read more...]
Forty Ounce Rose’ 2017
The Forty Ounce Rose' 2017 is a blend of 53% Gamay, 33% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Pineau d'Aunis sourced from vineyards in the Muscadet and Touraine regions of the Loire Valley in France. Gamay is the grape used in the making of Beaujolais and Pineau d'Aunis is a very old French grape that was all the rage in the 1300s, but is largely forgotten today. The main thing … [Read more...]
The Velvet Devil Merlot 2015
The Velvet Devil Merlot 2015 is 84% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 2% "other" sourced from 7 sustainable farmed vineyards in the Columbia Valley AVA of Washington State. To be technical, this could be called a Bordeaux blend or in the US a Meritage blend since it uses 4 of the 6 approved Bordeaux grapes. In the US if one grape varietal … [Read more...]
Chariot Gypsy Red 2014
The Chariot Gypsy Red 2014 is a $4.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from vineyards in more than one California grape growing AVA. The blend for this wine changes from year to year and TJ's mentions Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel, and Petite Sirah along with other "secret" grapes. The Chariot Gypsy Red has sold for $4.99 at Trader Joe's for almost a decade and was originally produced … [Read more...]
William Wright Artist Series Red Wine Blend 2015
The William Wright Artist Series Red Wine Blend 2015 is I believe a $9.99 ALDI exclusive, produced from 65% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Zinfandel, and 2% Syrah grown in vineyards in the Monterey AVA below San Francisco and inside the Central Coast AVA. William Wright wines are produced by Scheid Winery, Monterey, Ca. who produce some of the best ALDI wine. The label is … [Read more...]