The Honey Moon Viognier 2019 is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It is part of the Moon series of wines produced for Trader Joe’s by a large family-owned winery from Lodi, California. Their Moon X Black Pinot Noir was our most popular review in 2019 and 2020. The honey in Honey Moon Viognier 2019 does…
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The Story The Flora and Stone Gewürztraminer is a non-vintage dated $4.99 ALDI exclusive wine sourced from vineyards in Monterey County AVA in the Central Coast AVA of California. Normally, $4.99, non-vintage, and a store brand would be a cause for concern, but I did a little digging and there is more to this wine than…
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The Story The Maricool Muscadet 2018 is a $4.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive, an AOC designated white from the Loire Valley in France. The grape used for Muscadet (the “det” is pronounced day) is Melon de Bourgogne a grape that long ago was prevalent in Burgundy and now is found in the Loire Valley. This is one of…
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The Story The Susana Balbo Crios Torrontés 2017 is sourced from vineyards in 2 regions of Argentina, the Uco Valley in Mendoza (the middle of Argentina) and Cafayate in Salta (Northwest Argentina). Both regions are high up in the foothills (1,700 meters or almost 5,600 feet above sea level). The high altitude is inhospitable to almost all…
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In this podcast episode, we enjoy a beautiful Trader Joe’s Grüner Veltliner – from Hungary! A Grüner that’s not from Austria? Waaaaa? Listen in to see what we think of the Floriana Grüner Veltliner 2017 G’day mate! (just kidding that’s Australia)
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The Wish Flower White Blend 2016 is a $4.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from vineyards in more than one California grape growing AVA. This is a custom wine produced for Trader Joe’s by Fior di Sole, a private label and custom crush facility located in Napa, California. Fior di Sole roughly translates to “flowers in the…
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The Leer Vineyards Valiant White is a non-vintage Moscato sourced from more than one California grape growing AVA. The Valiant White and the Heroic Red Blend were created to support the Military Warriors Support Foundation provide mortgage free and tax-free homes for combat wounded veterans. A portion of the proceeds from each bottle sold go…
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The Bel Lago Auxerrois 2013 is an estate grown White wine sourced from grapes grown on the Leelanau Peninsula surrounded by Lake Michigan in upstate western Michigan. The Auxerrois grape is common to the Alsace region of France near the border with Germany. It is a close relative of the Chardonnay grape and does well…
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The Matua Sauvignon Blanc 2012 is sourced from multiple vineyards thru-out the Marlborough region on the South Island of New Zealand. Matua translates to “head of the family” in the Māori language and the winery was founded by Bill and Ross Spence. They planted the first Sauvignon Blanc vines in New Zealand in 1969 and…
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The Celler del Roure Cullerot Blanco 2012 is an unusual blend of Verdil, Pedro Ximenez, Macabeo and Chardonnay sourced from an estate vineyard located near the town of Moixent in Valencia, Spain. Verdil is a grape indigenous to the region that was nearly extinct, there are only a little over 100 acres of these vines…
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The Bedell Cellars Taste White 2013 is a blend of 50% Albariño, 30% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Viognier and 5% Chardonnay sourced from sustainably farmed estate vineyards near the town of North Fork in Long Island, New York. Long Island has a maritime climate that cools the vineyards during the heat of summer and protects the…
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The Wollersheim Winery Prairie Fume’ 2013 is 100% Seyval Blanc grape sourced from contract vineyards in New York. The Wollersheim Winery is located west of Madison, Wisconsin near the Wisconsin River. It was founded in the 1840s, but after a particularly brutal winter in 1899 the vineyards froze and the property was converted to a…
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The Murrieta’s Well The Whip 2013 is a blend of 28% Semillion, 24% Chardonnay, 14% Sauvignon Blanc, 11% Orange Muscat, 11% Viognier, 11% Gewürztraminer and 1% White Riesling all grown on Murrieta’s Well estate vineyards located in the Livermore Valley AVA near the San Francisco Bay. Murrieta’s Well was originally planted in 1884 and was…
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The Torres Verdeo 2013 is 100% Verdejo sourced from vineyards in the Rueda DO of Castilla-La Mancha on the west side of central Spain. The brand is Verdeo and the grape is Verdejo which is slightly confusing. Verdejo is the indigenous grape of the Rueda region, they have had Verdejo vineyards in Rueda for 1,000 years….
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The 2012 Steppingstone North Coast Rocks White is a blend of Chardonnay and Muscat Canelli (the exact percentages for the blend is their little secret). The North Coast AVA incorporates 46 sub AVA’s, which include Napa Valley, Mendocino, Sonoma Coast among others. Muscat Canelli is an ancient grape varietal and is the grape all the…
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The 2013 Eric Texier Côtes du Rhône Blanc is 90% Clairette with Grenache Blanc and Marsanne sourced from his organic vineyards in the Rhone Valley of France. Clairette is one of the oldest grape varietals in the south of France. Eric Texier had been trained as a scientist, before he decided to make wine and he produces…
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The 2012 Bonny Doon Albarino is sourced from two vineyards, 73% from the Kristy Vineyard in the Salinas Valley and 27% from the Jespersen Vineyard in the Edna Valley, both located inside the Central Coast AVA of California. Albarino is a grape that is usually found in northwest Spain and Portugal and is becoming increasingly…
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This post isn’t necessarily about the 2010 Forlorn Hope Que Saudade Verdelho, it is an extremely small production wine, 527 cases, that was released a couple of years ago (there are newer vintages available). This is a wine a found at a clearance/end of bin sale, when it was first released it sold for $20 to…
Read MoreThe HandCraft Inspiration White Wine is a blend of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Moscato and Pinot Grigio sourced from vineyards in more than one California grape growing AVA. Hand Craft is one of Delicato Family Vineyards labels (Gnarly Head, Brazin, Twisted and {Noble Vines}, among others). Hand Craft is the brainchild of Cheryl Indelicato, the…
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The 2011 St Francis White Splash is a blend of Muscat, Gewurztraminer, Roussanne and Pinot Grigio along with lesser amounts of Malvasia and Marsanne sourced from vineyards in more than one California grape growing AVA. St Francis established its vineyard in 1971 and open the winery in 1979, they specialize in Sonoma based wines, White…
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On a recent after work stop-off at BIN36, one of my fave Chicago wine bars nestled in the shadows of Marina City and the House Of Blues, I discovered my go to white wine “flight” (here, a quartet of wine samples) – the “Voluptuous” flight – had indeed flown. I needed a replacement, and fast! I…
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The 2012 L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Chenin Blanc is sourced from four 30 year old + vineyards in the Yakima Valley AVA inside the larger Columbia Valley AVA in Washington State. L’Ecole No.41 was founded in 1983 and is the 3rd oldest winery in the Walla Walla AVA, though this bottling is from their more…
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I often wonder why Viognier isn’t more popular in the US. It stands well on its own and is often co-fermented with Syrah in the Rhone Valley in France, so it has solid credentials. It has the weight of the ever popular, Chardonnay, but with sooo much more going on. So if you’ve never had…
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The 90+ Cellars Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from vineyards in Marlborough in the upper part of South Island in New Zealand. 90+ Cellars is a negociant, a negociant buys juice from wineries and sells the wine under their own label, to make this situation work for both parties the source of the wine must be…
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The 2010 Climber Sauvignon Blanc is 80% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Riesling, 7% Viognier and 1% Muscat Blanc sourced from organic and sustainable vineyards (though this is not a certified organic wine) in Mendocino and other Central Coast AVA’s. In California, if one grape varietal comprises 75% of the grapes used in the bottle, they can…
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