CheapWineFinder Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Maison Barboulot Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah 2024 The winner, so far, of how low can you go (price-wise) and still have an enjoyable Red wine. This is a Trader Joe's imported wine that has been available since the 2020 vintage. It was $5.99 then, and it is $5.99 now. It is remarkably drinkable and exhibits few to no faults. This is the inexpensive red wine that the French people...

Send us Fan Mail Big Churn Chardonnay 2024 This is a $6.99 Trader Joe's wine. It has sold for $6.99 since the 2015 vintage. It is supposed to be a hommage to the big Napa Chardonnay wines of the 1980s. They were expensive; this is $6.99. So, how do you make a cheap wine taste like it has expensive details for ten years in a row? Buy a bottle and find out! Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.c...

Send us Fan Mail Kirkland Signature Ti Point Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025 This is one of Costco's wines that are here for every vintage. Ti Point is the winery that has been family-owned since the 1990s. The winery is situated on a coastal peninsula about an hour north of Auckland. They have grown to include vineyards on the North Island and vineyards in Marlborough, as well as contracted...

Send us Fan Mail Petiole Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2024 This is a wine that Trader Joe's has offered since at least the 2015 vintage. It has been a consistent value. It is a Pinot Noir that is not trying to be a $9.99 version of a $60 wine. It is trying to be a very good, very drinkable ten-dollar wine. They have been hitting their mark for at least 10 years. This is a good Pinot Noir! Che...

Send us Fan Mail Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Paso Robles Meritage 2023 There is a Trader Joe's Reserve Paso Robles Meritage 2023 ($9.99), and I didn't know what the difference was between that and the Grand Reserve. Turns out the Grand Reserve was aged in French oak for 22 months, just like the expensive wines (think $60 and up bottles). This is a Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon (Bord...

Send us Fan Mail Squealing Pig Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024 Weird name, good wine! The vineyards are located in the Ataware Valley of southern Marlborough in the South Island of New Zealand Most vale priced wine (this was $13.99) from New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc, is a taste of Marlborough with vineyards selected from all over. This is a Sauvignon Blanc sourced from a particular terroir. Check...

Send us Fan Mail Shortbread Buttery Chardonnay 2023 Buttery but not too buttery. Maybe more butterscotch than actual butter. This is a dry wine, and the butter flavor is only one component of the flavor! This is a sipping wine, but if you are a spicy Asian food fan, this wine is your friend. Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com or email us at podcast@cheapwinefinder.com

Send us Fan Mail Josh Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 This is a special edition wine; the current Josh Cabernet Sauvignon is a California wine. Lodi is a unique AVA in California, not a coastal or a mountain AVA bur a Mediterranean AVA that has more in common with Italy than California. Well, if Italy got as warm as Lodi. The river valleys from the San Pablo Bay keep the vineyards protected from the...

Send us Fan Mail Aldi California Heritage Brut Sparkling E & J Gallo have been producing cheap Bubbly for decadesm they know what they are doing, Inexpensive wine has never been of a higher quality.  Aldi is offering cheap Bubbles that are extremely drinkable. They won't make you forget about Champagne, but they will make your Tuesday nights more interesting. Check us out at www.cheapwine...

Send us Fan Mail Napa Estates Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 This is a Trader Joe's wine from a long-time supplier, DNA Cellars. That stands for Dennis and Andrea, who have been in the California wine industry for decades. The California wine industry has taken a downturn, and there is an excess of quality wine available. DNA found some good juice! Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com or email us...

Send us Fan Mail Opaline Brut Sparkling Wine There is an Opaline Pinot Noir Rosé Brut from Trader Joe's that, 6 months ago, sold for $7.99. This Chardonnay-based Bubbly from France is now $9.99. It has that cut-glass, prism bottle that is almost for the price of the wine. But, no worries, the Bubbly inside is actually fun to drink. Read the www.cheapwinefinder.com review and listen to the pod...

Send us Fan Mail Rural Mendocino Pinot Noir 2023 This is a wine from the Fetzer brothers, the Fetzer winery in Mendocino, sold to a South American winery years ago; their name is on the label, but they do not own it. This is a wine from the current Fetzer winery that produces organic top-quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the Eagle Pass AVA in Mendocino. Check out Domaine Dave talk about this de...

Send us Fan Mail Flora and Stone Cabernet Sauvignon A bargain Aldi wine. For my tastes, a $6.99 Cabernet Sauvignon is a bit too cheap. A few bucks more gets me a wine more to my liking. But this is a perfectly drinkable, bargain wine. Try it you might like it! Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com or email us at podcast@cheapwinefinder.com

Send us Fan Mail Cocobon Espresso Roasted Oak Red Blend This is the newest wine in the Cocobon Red Blend series. They take a blend of Merlot, Zinfandel, and Petite Sirah and age it in some sort of oak. I don't know what kind of oak aging, since oak barrels can cost over a $1000, and this is a $6.99 wine. How an oak barrel is toasted affects the flavor it imparts to the wine. The oak here adds...

Send us Fan Mail Angeline Vineyards California Pinot Noir 2024 This is a value-priced Pinot Noir, a brand from Martin Ray Winery, a family-owned wine business since 1990. Angeline Vineyards has also been around since 1990. This is a wine I found at Trader Joe's for $9.99; it should be available everywhere. It is a quality, tasty California Pinot Noir. That is an amazing value for wine drinker...

Send us Fan Mail Tattoo Girl Riesling 2024 This is a wine from a Washington State producer. They have a whole line of Washington State wines, and if they are as good as this one, I will seek them out. The best Riesling is from the Mosel in Germany, but for value, I like Washington. This is an off-dry Riesling, indicating this is slightly sweet, but the acidity balances the wine to give rich fruit...

Send us Fan Mail Roseta Lisboa Vinho Tinto 2024 This is a $5.99 Portuguese wine from Trader Joe's. It has a flask bottle and is made from unnamed grapes. It actually drinks well, if not particularly complicated. This is an easy-to-drink wine made for fun events. Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com or email us at podcast@cheapwinefinder.com

Send us Fan Mail Aldi Scarlet Path Old Vine Lodi Zinfandel 2023 This year it sells for $6.79, usually $7.99 to $8.99. This is a bargain Lodi Zin from old vines of undetermined age. Typically, old vines are 40 years+, and those vines are not hard to find in Lodi. This isn't a 90+ point wine, but it does sip well and is very usable. Pair with comfort food or sip while playing PlayStation 5 A ba...

Send us Fan Mail Villa Borghetti OTTO Pinot Grigio 2024 This is a Pinot Grigio selling for $7.99 at Trader Joe's. It isn't a fancy Veneto, Italy wine. But it is well made and very sippable. It is subtle and tasty and well worth the price! Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com or email us at podcast@cheapwinefinder.com

Send us Fan Mail Imagery California Pinot Noir 2023 This is a Pinot Noir that comes in a round-about way from Benzinger Family Wines and The Wine Group! The Wine Group has 125+ brands. This is a Pinot Noir that is fuller-bodied than the typical California Pinot Noir. Not in Meoimi Territory, but full of flavor. It is a very useful Pinot Noir, not old school and not new Pinot, but delicious and wel...

Send us Fan Mail Whitehaven Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024 I paid $14.99 for this wine, a bit more than the $10 taste of Marlborough wines, but the extra money is for the winemaker's selection of the grapes. The extra five bucks make a difference. The taste of Marlborough wines is great value, but these are just a bit more sublime. ne is good to the last drop! Check us out at www.cheapwinef...

Send us Fan Mail Harken Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2024 This is one of the rare barrel-fermented value-priced Chardonnays. Most are fermented in stainless steel vats, which can be used over and over again. A barrel has a limited number of uses. Harken uses very unique barrels, so check out the PODCAST for the interesting details. Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com or email us at podcast@chea...

Send us Fan Mail Korbel California Champagne Brut This is a Bubbly from a California winery in business since the 1880s and a family-owned winery since 1954. They are legally allowed to call their Bubbly Champagne. This Brut lists for $14 and is often on sale. Want a good Bubbly, but money is tight, Korbel will do you right! Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com or email us at podcast@cheapwinef...

Send us Fan Mail Trader Joe's Diamond Reserve Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 A $19.99 single (maybe estate) vineyard from an un named winery for less than $20. Sometimes economic downtimes can be good for us, CheapWineFinders. Rutherford is on the valley floor with Oakville to the south and St. Helena to the north. Prime Cabernet Sauvignon territory. It is always nice when an expensive wi...

Send us Fan Mail Kirkland Signature Brut Champagne (2025) Legit Champagne for $22.99, yes, it's going up in price, but so is everything! Made by a 5th-generation Champagne winemaker, check out www.cheapwinefinder.com and listen to the Podcast to get the story. Real Champagne with Pinot Meunier as the lead grape, the Pinot Noir, followed by Chardonnay. Not the same old same old. But good. Chec...