CheapWineFinder Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Sonoma County Syrah 2022-You Need A Tasty Syrah in the 2000s Syrah and Australian Shiraz (Syrah by a different name) were the rage. And then the BOOM ended. Syrah is still as awesome as it always was, it just isn't the flavor of the moment. I forgot just how much I loved Syrah/Shiraz wines. This Trader Joe's wine reminded me of how delicio...

Send us Fan Mail Evolution Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2022-Expensive Pinot @ A Value Price This brand is from Sokol Blosser, a family-owned winery from the Dundee Hills of Willamette Valley founded in 1971 which is the beginning of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. This wine tastes expensive value-priced Pinot Noir is made differently (check out the podcast)! This is a premium Pinot Noir at an affor...

Send us Fan Mail Seaglass Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2023-USA..USA The Seaglass Sauvignon Blanc had been sourced from Santa Barbara County, but with the 2023 vintage changed to Central Coast AVA. This is a Sauvignon Blanc that brings the flavor of New Zealand without the spikey flavors. Sauvignon Blanc should challenge your taste buds, it is a bold, flavorful wine. Turns out the good old USA ca...

Send us Fan Mail Castellore DOCG Chianti 2023-$6 Aldi Food Wine In Italy, in Tuscany, Chianti is part of the day's meals. Perfect for pasta in red sauce and with a snack of delicious cheese. When Italians buy a bottle for a meal, it probably is in the $6 range.   A DOCG wine is made to the highest Italian wine standards. Don't let the low price scare you, have it with pizza, tacos, or bu...

Send us Fan Mail Motif Red Hills Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon 2022-New Vintage Of TJ's Wonder $5 Red This is a $4.99 wine.   Lake County is the AVA that is on the Northern border of Napa County! Red Hills is located on the southern side of Clear Lake, the largest lake in California. The soil is from an ancient volcano, and the vineyards are in the heights above the lake. This wine is 80% Ca...

Send us Fan Mail Kirkland Friuli Grave Pinot Grigio 2023-Costco $5 Summer Sipper Cwf revealed the 2022 vintage last March and was amazed at the quality of a $4.99 Friuli Grave Pinot Grigio. This is the DOC where value-price Pinot Grigio comes from, but the Costco wine more than delivers for the price. There is a reason that Costco with its limited wine selection is the leading wine seller in the U...

Send us Fan Mail Trader Joe's Reserve Yountville Chardonnay 2023-The Best $10 Yountville Chardonnay? Yountville is a Napa Valley AVA where they never, ever make ten-buck Chardonnay, much less any $10 wine. Trader Joe's is bringing you a Yountville Chardonnay that has 8 months in new and used French oak barrels! Most Yountville Chardonnay starts at $25 and goes to $65 and beyond. Find out...

Send us Fan Mail Liberté San Luis Obispo County Pinot Noir 2021- Trader Joe's Value, Very Good Pinot This is a Trader Joe's $9.99 SLO County Pinot Noir. CWF has reviewed this Pinoy since 2017  and it has been an excellent value with each vintage! This year we know who made it (read the review), and we are again impressed with the quality. Check out  https://cheapwinefinder.com/  and of c...

Send us Fan Mail Canoe Ridge Vineyard Expedition Chardonnay 2022- A Costco Bargain! This is a Chardonnay from two vineyards in The Horse Heaven Hilla AVA. Canoe Ridge was named by the Lewis and Clark Expedition, hence the name. This is a 49-cent Costco product which indicates a special one-time price. This is a wine that typically sells for $15 to $19 and Costco has it for $10.19. For all the info...

Send us Fan Mail Piper Sonoma Brut Revisited This is a Bubbly that CWF thought was the hit of the 2023 Christmas Holidays. We wanted to talk about a summer Bubbly and what would be better than our favorite winter Bubbly! The Piper Sonoma Brut Sparkling Wine is a superior Bubbly. For all the information check out  https://cheapwinefinder.com/  and listen to the best value-price wine podcast. Check...

Send us Fan Mail Ruta 49 Rias Baixas Albarino 2023- A $9.99 Excellent Trader Joe's Spanish Wine This is an Albariño from Rias Baixas in Notrhwest Spain. It sells for $9.99 at Trader Joe's and is an excellent value. Albariño is THE White wine of Spain and Rias Baixas is one of the best places to grow the grapes. Check out https://cheapwinefinder.com/  and of course, listen to the best val...

Send us Fan Mail Peaks & Tides Sonoma County Pinot Noir 2022- A New Look @ An Aldi $12.99 Favorite This is a wine that Aldo offers every vintage. The 2021 vintage received 93 points on a leading wine magazine website. There is a or used to be a Sonoma Coast AVA version of this wine but the Sonoma County was the only wine available at my Aldi. Check out https://cheapwinefinder.com/  and listen...

Send us Fan Mail Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2019-Costco Close-out $7.89 Special This is a wine that sells at Costco for $7.89 and elsewhere for between $10 and $14  The 2019 vintage may be a lost COVID-19 vintage that Costco is doing a close-out on. Penfolds was founded in 1844 and the Koonunga Hills brand in 1979. This is an excellent quality wine at a close-out price. For all the det...

Send us Fan Mail Le Grand Noir Chardonnay 2022- Costco's Ten-Dollar Summer Sipper This wine is 85% Chardonnay and 15% Viognier from the IGP Languedoc region of SouthWest France. The Viognier changes everything. Viognier is often added to give the wine some ZIP or to add a beautiful fragrance to the wine. Here it adds flavor and texture that is different from California and not exactly France....

Send us Fan Mail La Galope Gascone Rosé 2023-French Rosey Done Right! This is a Rosé from southwest France that I found for $9.99. It seems to be a Rosé of Merlot and another grape, but we do not which one. It is an excellent Rosé. You do not expect to be wowed by a Goscogne Rosé, but here it is! Check out  https://cheapwinefinder.com/  and of course, listen to the best value-priced PODCAST. Check...

Send us Fan Mail Trader Joe's Reserve Sonoma County Blanc de Blancs 2021 This is a vintage-dated $9.99 Trader Joe's Bubbly. Blanc de Blancs is white from whites meaning White Sparkling wine from White grapes, in this case Chardonnay. There have been recent Trader Joe's Grand Reserve and Platinum Reserve Sonoma Sparkling wines, that sold for $15 and $13. I think this $9.99 version is...

Send us Fan Mail Acacia Carneros Pinot Noir 2020-Costco's $12.99 Steal Acacia was founded in Carneros in 1979 making it one of the founders of Carneros Pinot Noir. It has had several owners over the years but in 2016 Treasury Wine Estaes bought the brand, but not the winery or the vineyards. Acacia has been a brand and not a wine Estate since 2017. For the whole story check out  https://cheap...

Send us Fan Mail Claude Manciat Bourgogne Chardonnay 2022-@Costco for $12.69-Burgundian Goodness This is a limited Costco wine from a family-owned winery that started in the 1890s. It has been passed down through the generations and currently has a female winemaker (she owns the place). This is a taste of Burgundy wine as opposed to a village or district wine. A small production family-owned Burgu...

Send us Fan Mail Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Santa Barbara GSM 2022-Tj's Steps it's Game Up This is a $12.99 Trader Joe's Reserve wine. The difference is that is made by a producer that does not make value-priced wine! Is this a new trend for Trader Joe's? This Rhone blend is made by a high-end boutique winery from the Central Coast, mainly Paso Robles. For more information...

Send us Fan Mail Trader Joe's Growers Reserve Organic Chardonnay 2023- $6 Of Organic Goodness? The answer is Yes, this is an excellent $5.99 wine. We cut to the chase right away. In Europe in countries that drink wine with their meals 6 buck wine is common and considered real good! Here in the US of A, we do not have a wine heritage and are more likely to drink a soft drink at lunch. This win...

Send us Fan Mail Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Moulis-En-Modec Bordeaux 2022 This is a Red wine from the smallest of the 8 AOCs in the Medoc District on the LefBank in Bordeaux. This is a growing region dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon vines. This is also a Grand Vine De Bordeaux wine indicates that this is the winery's top wine. Since this is a Trader Joe's wine and not a Chateau'...

Send us Fan Mail Substance Ro Rosé 2023- My Rosé of the Summer of 2024 Substance Ro is a take on the Periodic  Table of Elements, all the elements are pure 100% whatever element they are. The Substance brand tries to be pure, a Rosé isn't a particular grape but this is 100% Syrah. All their varietal wines are 100%, no a little of this added in a little of that. Aldo no additives For all the i...

Send us Fan Mail Raimat Organic Albarino 2022-U Need Some Albarino In Ur Life Raimat is a winery founded in 1914. Their wines are organic and sustainably farmed. This Albarino is both oak barrel fermented and aged. And did I mention Trader Joe's sells it for $8.49?  It is available a retail wine shops for $10 to $14. This is a very good wine, for more information check out  https://cheapwinef...

Send us Fan Mail Claire Patelin Sauvignon Blanc 2023- $7 Of Trader Joe's Goodness! Sauvignon Blanc has become the wonder wine, no matter where it is grown, it is worth trying. Gascony France is where this Sauv Blanc originated, and they do Sauvignon Blanc right. This inexpensive White wine delivers. Check out https://cheapwinefinder.com/  and listen to the BEST VALUE-PRICED WINE PODCAST for a...

Send us Fan Mail Scarlet Path Lodi Old Vines Zinfandel 2021-$8 @Aldi What are Old Vines? Why Lodi? The Cheapwinefinder Review and the POdcast will answer these questions. For more information check out  https://cheapwinefinder.com/  and listen to the PODCAST! Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com or email us at podcast@cheapwinefinder.com