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In this episode, we chat with the folks over at Everledger about the emerging wine tech that not only prevents fraud, but can create a direct relationship between producers & us winos!Did you know one third of the booze out there is fake or mislabeled? There's such stringent rules in place to be sure a producer can label their wines as coming from somewhere, but what about the rest of the supply chain? Listen in to see what's being done ...

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The StoryThe Trader Joe's Reserve Anderson Valley Pinot Noir is a $9.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. Anderson Valley is located in coastal Mendocino and is situated between two mountain ranges. Two more things to note are this the 2018 vintage and is Lot #201.Anderson Valley has a growing reputation for the production of fine Pinot Noir wines. I noticed that the alcohol level is 14.5% which fairly heavy for a Pinot Noir. Burgundian Pinot Noir is closer to 12.5%, so this is a substantial increase.I did a quick check of currently released Anderson Valley Pinot Noir's and found that 14.5% is not out of line. So this should be a Pinot Noir with a bit more weight on the palate than California Pinot Noir.Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer claims that this Pinot Noir is comparable to $30 Pinots from the region. I believe them, we recently did a post on a $12.99 Napa Chardonnay that TJ's said would have cost twenty-five dollars under a different label. And that claim rang true.A Pinot Noir from a winery located in Anderson Valley can easily sell for $30 and usually much more. A Brand wine, that is a wine that is not tied to a particular winery, may come in a bit cheaper. But Pinot Noir from a well-regarded AVA can get expensive in a hurry.It's funny, one of the reasons I thought the $12.99 Napa Chardonnay should have cost twice as much is because it had a real cork, no composite or plastic cork. Value-priced wine almost never has a real cork, you are drinking the wine within 48 hours of buying it, there is no reason to use a real cork that when it isn't really needed.The Trader Joe's Reserve Anderson Valley Pinot Noir has a composite cork, so no tip-off there, it is just that a 100% Anderson Valley Pinot Noir can command a good price. But, that is if it from a well-known winery or a winemaker with a solid track record.Store label wine just cannot demand the same prices as established wineries can for their wines. Folks will pay thirty plus dollars for a Pinot Noir from a boutique Anderson Valley winery because they know what they are getting and what to expect.Trader Joe's Reserve wines have been wines well worth buying for quite some time, but they are a mixed bag. Where they came from and how they were made varies. There have been $9.99 wines that should have sold for $50 and $9.99 wines that were priced about right.So, if this was a $30 wine under a different label, a label where the wines provenance and vintage history can be verified, that is believable. That is the main story here, Trader Joe's Reserve wine, Grand Reserve, Platinum Reserve, and the rest are for adventurous bargain hunters. Sometimes you find a great bargain and sometimes not so much. I think this one just might be a bargain.Trader Joe's Reserve Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Tasting NotesThe color is dark, but still see-thru garnet red. The nose is cherries and spice, a little vanilla, some herbs, black pepper, and cold coffee. This is a little bit heavier on the palate, the 14.5% alcohol does make a difference, but the complex Pinot Noir flavors are on full display.It starts with ripe black cherry, and a healthy dose of exotic spice, there is a hard edge for herbs and a splash of black pepper.

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The StoryThe Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Napa Chardonnay 2018 Lot 85 is a $12.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer says "expect to pay twice as much elsewhere for a similarly pedigreed Napa Chardonnay." And they called this wines producer their winery partner.That sounds about right, if a winery from Napa releases a Chardonnay under their own label it is going to sell for a minimum of $25. You can find an occasional brand wine from Napa for less, but winery wines sell for a premium.The back label shows the Behind the Scenes Wine Company cellared and bottled this Chardonnay. Cellared and bottled by dose not mean much in terms of who farmed the grapes or fermented the wine. It only means they might have aged the wine a little and they poured it into bottles.The Grand Reserve label from Trader Joe's means that this is a limited availability wine, it is only here for a short time and when it is gone it is gone for good. It also indicates the source of the wine is a cut above the usual TJ's Reserve wines. They usually make more of an effort to conceal the origin of the wine.There are many scenarios as to how a TJ's, Aldi, Costco, etc get their own label wine. There are companies that will make any wine, at whatever price you choose, there are wineries that sell-off leftover grapes, juice, or finished wine. The Grand Reserve Lot 85 origin story can be just about anything, there are tons of options.But that is no fun, Trader Joe's says this $12.88 is comparable to a $26 bottle, so what are the clues we have to go on? Well, for one thing, there is a real cork in the bottle, not some composite stopper that is the norm for under twenty dollar wine. That may not seem like much, but real corks are rare in value wine.So why is that a clue? Actual Napa Valley wineries do not use composite or plastic corks, they use the real deal. And since the Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Napa Chardonnay is a limited supply wine it probably was not worth the effort to get cheaper corks.This is just a guess, I have no first-hand insight, but I would think that somewhere along the supply chain this Trader Joe's Chardonnay was produced by a legit Napa winery. Are these leftovers from a Chardonnay sold under their own label or is this a second line wine? I do not know, but I suspect this is a wine made by a well known Napa winery.Since this is a Napa Chardonnay expect some oak barrel influence and malolactic fermentation. It would not Napa Chardonnay otherwise. The alcohol content is a ripe 14.2%.Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Napa Chardonnay Tasting NotesThe color is a clean, clear, but deep lemon yellow. The nose is honey, apple, peach, pear, lemon chiffon, rich vanilla, candy spice, and melon. This is a rich, ripe, flavorful Chardonnay. It starts with rounded peach, tart lemon, apricot, spice, and vanilla. I really tasty mix of sweet, tart, and sharp flavors and textures. The mid-palate tosses in some creme brûlée, melon, lime, pear, and a late dash of pineapple. The acidity is very well-balanced, this is a well-made wine.The Summary* This is a no-brainer...but the Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Napa Chardonnay 2018 Lot 85* These Trader Joe's Reserv...

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The StoryPPE, six-foot social distancing, lockdown, masks, wash your hands every time you touch something, cross the street when you see someone walking towards you, so much for your favorite pub or restaurant, and stand in line to enter the grocery store, the so-called new reality. Well, we have our XLR microphones and our FaceTime cameras, Quake and Dave decided to do a long-distance wine tasting, alone together. Luckily Quake has a Zoom account for business, we plugged in the podcast equipment and had a party. Kind of like usual, only this time we were in different towns about thirty-five miles away from each other.We checked if we both had the same wine available and it turned out we both had the Federalist Bourbon Barrel Aged Zinfandel in our respective wine racks. So we pop the top on a Zin, fired up the computers, and had us a wine tasting.In this age of shelter at home, while it wasn't as fun as the real thing, it was a pretty satisfying experience and a welcome change of pace. We both happened to have this Zinfandel because it was leftover from the whole line of Federalist wines that were sent to each of us to celebrate these wines being available at Chicago Cubs games.We both had the Bourbon barrel-aged Red wines leftover because neither one of us was sure about the whole bourbon barrel thing. Wine barrels are toasted by flame, each level of toast, light, medium, dark offer different oak flavoring. Bourbon barrels are charred, they really put the flame to these barrels, and bourbon whiskey can stand up to strong oak flavors. Wine, not so much.As it turned out the Federalist Bourbon Barrel Mendocino Zinfandel was well-balanced and full of flavor. No odd or extreme whiskey flavors, just loads of ripe fruit and spice. At times we did more sipping than podcasting, we were very happy with our wine choice.The long-distance wine tasting concept works surprisingly well, we plan to do more and we recommend you give it try. We matched our wine selection, but a potluck wine tasting will work just as well. Do not let a stupid virus slow you down, stay safe, and keep friends and family safe. But maybe it is time to forge a new reality.CheapWineFinder Long Distance Wine Tasting Podcast Below

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The StoryThe Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Petite Sirah, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Merlot. All but the Petite Sirah are grapes approved to be included in the Red wine blends of Bordeaux. Petite Sirah is also a French grape, not Bordeaux, and never was widely planted in France but has found a home in California.The bulk of the grapes come from 2 Simi estate vineyards, Los Amigos and Red Fan, along with a portion from other local vineyards of some renown. Simi winery has a long history, it was founded in the late 1800s and was one of the pioneers of Alexander Valley wine.The Alexander Valley AVA runs north-south along the Russian River with Mendocino to the north and the Russian River AVA (a cooler region known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay) to the south. The Russian River at one time in the very distant past ran east/west until a major earthquake caused the river to make a sharp turn heading north.Simi has hand several owners of the years and is currently one of Constellation Brands stable of wines. Often when a large wine conglomerate purchases a wine brand, they only use the name. The vineyards and the winery are sold off or repurposed. But Simi remains much like it always was, the same facilities and the same outstanding vineyards.This is a Cabernet Sauvignon that lists for about $25, and I found it for closer to $15. The usual difference between a $25 wine and say a $12 wine is style and production techniques and sometimes vineyards. It is not completely uncommon for a $12 and $25 wine to be sourced from the same vineyards, but that is another story.The Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 was fermented with the grape skins for 21 days to get all the goodness the skins had to give. All the tannins, color, and chemical compounds are released into the juice. This cab was aged for 14 months in French and American oak barrels, mostly used barrels with 15% new oak barrels.All the tannins and all the oak conditioning mean that the winemaker has to take steps to balance all the varying elements in the wine. That usually dictates more complex production and additional time for them to balance. With a typical $12 Red wine, the winemaker will take steps that allow the wine to come together faster which makes for a bright fruit-forward wine.Those wines are very popular, but the more expensive wines have depth and finesse that the less expensive wines do not have the time to develop. The Simi Alexander Valley Cab is a classic example of Cabernet Sauvignon from this region of Sonoma County. The alcohol content is a balanced 13.5%.Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 Tasting NotesThe color is a dark raspberry jam red with black highlights. The nose smells expensive, I know that is sort of a weird thing to say, but with inexpensive Cabs, the first aroma is usually fruit, here it is herbs and spice with blackberry lingering in the background, along with a smokey, savory note, bitter dark chocolate, and mint.This is a medium-bodied wine that really engages your palate and exhibits excellent balance. It tastes of extracted blackberry, black pepper, sharp spice, dark roast coffee (black,

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The StoryThe Proyecto la Garnacha Salvaje del Moncayo translates to the Wild Garnacha Project of Moncayo. The concept behind this wine is simple. Find old, neglected Garnacha vineyards and bring them back to life. The Moncayo is one the largest mountain peaks (Pyrenees) along the Elbro Valley in the district of Aragon in northeast Spain. Further north and a little west along the Elbro Valley is the Rioja wine regionThere was a time when Garnacha was the most planted red wine grape in Spain, Tempranillo now leads the way. The most planted wine grape in Spain is Arien a White wine grape that makes the local inexpensive everyday wine and is seldom seen outside of Spain.The owners of the Garnacha Project explore the old wine-growing areas where many of the old vineyards have had the vines pulled out and the land put to a different use. They would find neglected, have forgotten vineyards, and bring them back to life.The Proyecto la Garnacha Salvaje del Moncayo is the younger, drink-it-now wine in their line-up. This Garnacha was aged in new French oak barrels for 5 months. This region is inland, not coastal the summers can get hot, though the mountains can moderate the climate and cool things down at night.So, this is a wine, a Garnacha rescued from a forgotten vineyard. If you are not familiar with Garnacha, it is the same grape as Grenache which is one of the 2 main grapes (Syrah is the other) of the southern Rhone region in France. The Rhone region in France and the Aragon region in Spain are not that far from each other. The alcohol content is 13.5%.Proyecto la Garnacha Salvaje del Moncayo Tasting NotesThe color is very dark but somehow still see-thru black cherry red. The nose is lush and ripe, there are bright and juicy red berries, a slap of spice, a savory, herbal scent, mint, a whiff of smoke, blackberry, and pepper.This Garnacha was lighter on the palate than expected, it has bright fruit flavors and plenty of spice. It tastes of blackberry mixed with licorice, there is some sharp orange zest, a little spice, and ripe plum.The mid-palate adds Snickers bar chocolate, raspberry, a hint of cream, and a little Dr. Pepper (not sweet). The tannins are sweet and smooth and the acidity is really well balanced, it lets the flavors unfold and gets your palate looking for another sip.The Summary* The Proyecto la Garnacha Salvaje del Moncayo is a really great value for a ten buck wine.* A long-standing CheapWinefinder Red wine rule is if you want the best inexpensive Red wine then learn to like Garnacha from Spain.* There are probably more 89to 90 plus point wines in the under 15 dollars Spanish section of your local wine dealer than any other wine geographic section.* The Project Garnacha tastes great, is well-made, and does not put a dent in your wallet.

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The Podcast StoryWe thought we would try our hand at a ZOOM webcam get together that has become one of the main ways to stay in touch in these days of self-isolation. So the Cheapwinefinder Lockdown Virtual Wine Tasting Podcast was born.The concept was Mike and Dave would each pick up a Sauvignon Blanc to taste test alone together. Mike grabbed the R Collection Sauvignon Lot 4. There are four generations of winemakers working for Raymond Vineyards and Lot 4 means that this is the handwork of the 4th generation.The grapes came for Lodi and the North Coast and you will have to check out the podcast to hear Mike's impression of this wine. (He liked it, the bottle was empty by the end of the podcast).Dave, that's me, tried to go to the large local Liquor store/Wine shop in the neighborhood. When I got there I saw I line of folks reaching through the parking lot to the street waiting to get in. These days stores limit the number of customers allowed in at any given moment.Luckily there was an ALDI around the corner with no line and I managed to get an estate farmed and bottled Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough in New Zealand selling for under eight dollars. Again, check the podcast for my impressions.After we talked about the wine our thoughts turned to these uncertain times and the future of things we once took for granted. We are safe and healthy, so our biggest problem is boredom. But so many more are dealing with serious issues and concerns, both health-wise and financial So many have died in the last 6 weeks, that it is hard to completely comprehend.So hopefully you will be amused by our Virtual Tasting and we plan to do more installments. So Cheers and be Safe.Cheapwinefinder Lockdown Virtual Wine Tasting Podcast

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The StoryThe Parasphere Sonoma Zinfandel 2014 is a $7.99 Trader Joe's mystery wine. There are several things here that do not add up to an aged Sonoma County Zinfandel for under eight bucks.The first point is obvious, Sonoma Zinfandel with 6 years of age selling for $7.99 does not exist in the wild. Generally speaking, the difference between a ten-dollar Red wine and a twenty-dollar Red wine is the production techniques the winemaker chose to use.A ten-dollar wine is designed to come together quickly, to be bright and juicy, and to be a drink-it-now wine, that is not to have much aging potential. A twenty-dollar has a more elaborate production, it typically has more oak aging and the wine is designed to handle stand up to the extra oak influence. A $20 wine is still made to drink-it-now, not made to age. The properties in the grapes that would allow the wine to age well are not accentuated. Those properties are not removed either, so while it will last for a few years most people are drinking these wines within hours of purchase.The next point is the bottle, it is rather heavy and somewhat unique. It is thinner and taller than a typical Red wine bottle. With most under ten buck wines, they use generic wine bottles that are eco-bottles, with thinner than usual glass that is lighter and save some money on shipping.The Parasphere Sonoma Zinfandel 2014 has an actual cork stopper. I know that sounds like a small thing, but I keep all my corks (I don't know why) and maybe 2 or 3 out of 50 or 60 corks are actual cork and not some composite or synthetic material.This may be a little excessive, but I google Parasphere Trademark and found that this name was trademarked in November of 2019. The company that trademarked the name circles around to a privately owned Napa winery. Not exactly the kind of place that would be associated with Trader Joe's 8 dollar wine.So, this is an odd wine, it is too old a vintage, with an upscale bottle and a real deal cork to be selling for $7.99.Parasphere Sonoma Zinfandel 2014 Tasting NotesThe color is a deep dark black cherry red. The nose is large and in charge, there is deep, ripe blackberry, herbs, a savory note, black pepper, spice, those hard red cherry candies with liquor inside that your Grandmother had, and raisin.This is a full-bodied Zinfandel with lots of spice and an aged wine taste, I think this is a wine that needs to be consumed in the next few months, next year maybe a bit too long.It starts with bright, still juicy blackberry, a substantial slap of spice, light herbs, pepper, and plum. The mid-pale brings blueberry, soft chocolate, orange zest, and tart cranberry. The tannins are sweet and the acidity is well-balanced. The alcohol content is 14.5%.The Summary* A six-year-old Sonoma Zinfandel is a rarity in this price category,

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The StoryThe Santa Julia Reserva Malbec 2018 is 100% Malbec sourced from Estate vineyards in the Uco Valley in the southwest corner of the Mendoza Valley in Argentina.Santa Julia is one of the labels produced by Familia Zuccardi Estates who have been in the wine business since the 1950s. Santa Julia was started in 1982 and Julia in the name is the founders' only daughter. This is a side note, I have not tasted the Malbec yet. I have found that whenever a winery names a wine or a label after a loved one, they do not mess around. Certain standards are always met, corners are not cut. This is a wine I found on-sale for under ten dollars, but I expect it to be made with great care.The actual name of this particular bottling from Santa Julia is the Winemakers Reserve, which is not shown on their website. They do have a Malbec simply labeled Reserva which is in the same price range and is also sourced from Uco Valley.This brand name seems to a wine only found at a local very large chain of liquor stores. Are they the same wines with a different label? It looks like they are similar if not exact.They both seem to be sourced from the same vineyards, the back label refers to this wine as a Reserva, the price is about the same, and both have an alcohol content of 14%.The Reserva was aged for 10 months in French oak barrels and unless the Winemakers Reserve is an unoaked Malbec, this bottling probably has similar oak treatment. That will get figured out in the tasting portion of this post.Familia Zuccardi is a leader in organic farming in Argentina. While the vineyards used for the Santa Julia Reserve Malbec 2018 are not certified organic, they are located at such altitude (3130 and 4600 feet, these are the foothills of the Andes) that most pests and disease that can plague grapevines are not present. These vineyards can be farmed with little intervention.Santa Julia Reserve Malbec 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a deep dark cranberry red. The nose is blackberry, bacon fat, licorice, light herbs, a little spice, a whiff of smoke, cherry, and a faint floral note.This is a medium to full-bodied wine with bold flavors. It starts with extracted blackberry, cola, black pepper, and exotic spice.The mid-palate brings in a little vanilla, some black cherry, and Nestles chocolate powder. The tannins are dusty, they are in the flavor profile, but do not bite. The acidity is well integrated into the body of the wine.The SummaryThe Santa Julia Reserve Malbec 2018 is a lot of wine for the money, I found it for under $10 and it drinks far beyond that price.Malbec was all the rage a few years ago, I think Rose' knocked it off its pedestal and I kind of forgot about Malbec.I am glad I rediscovered Malbec it makes for a terrific value-priced drink-it-now red wine. You do not have to spend a great deal of money to find a satisfying wine.

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The StoryThe Arroyo del Imperio Chardonnay 2019 is a $5.99 Trader Joe's wine sourced from vineyards in the foothills of the Andes in the Central Valley of Chile.There usually isn't much of a story to tell for six buck Trader Joe's Chardonnay. There is no technical information available concerning the production of this wine. The back label of inexpensive Trader Joe's wines will often give a hint as to what is in the bottle.But the back label for the Arroyo del Imperio Chardonnay 2019 does not say much of anything other than the general location of the vineyards. No hints like butter in the flavor profile that would give some indication of oak treatment of some sort. Nothing that will even allow you to make a guess.The back label does tell us something about this Chardonnay and that is it is both Vegan friendly and a Kosher wine. Here is a link to an explanation of Kosher wine. A simple version is a Rabbi has to oversee parts of the winemaking process. This a wine that Trader Joe's brought in for the Passover Holiday before we were so rudely interrupted.I used to think, "isn't all wine Vegan Friendly?", after all, it is made from grapes. It turns out that the "fining" process used egg whites. To "fine" the wine is to add an agent to the wine to remove chemicals that make the wine cloudy or bitter.The standard way to complete this was to used animal-based products, but today, mineral-based components such as volcanic ash are used. Vegan friendly isn't the same as Natural wine, but it does use some of those practices.I guess there was more to this $5.99 Chardonnay than I thought. The alcohol content is 13%.The Arroyo del Imperio Chardonnay 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a pale wheat yellow. The nose is crisp and clean, there is lemon, green apple, pear, lime, a little orange blossom honey, and spice lemon cough drops.This is a medium to light-bodied Chardonnay, fairly simple, but tasty. It starts with non-sweetened lemon/lime, tart apple, Anjou pear, and pink grapefruit.The mid-palate does not have a lot to add, but there is tart apricot and maybe some of that salty, nutty, "on lees" thing. The acidity is balanced, the flavors get to unfold and the acid does not bite.The SummaryThe Arroyo del Imperio Chardonnay 2019 very useable $5.99 Chardonnay.It may well perform better as a food wine than sipping wine, though it drinks well.I prefer my Chardonnay to have a more detailed production, some malolactic, some on lees, a little oak, but I can not complain about the Arroyo del Imperio. The price is right, it is Vegan approved and it is Kosher.With Passover in the rearview mirror, this Chardonnay is now a Tuesday night Netflix wine

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