CheapWineFinder Podcast

Send us Fan Mail

The Story The Giretto Pinot Grigio 2018 is a $5.49 ALDI exclusive sourced from the Dell Venezie region of Northeast Italy. The 2018 version of the Giretto seems to be something of an upgrade. Past vintages of this Pinot Grigio were designated IGP wine...

Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com

or email us at [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

 The Story The Grifone 1967 Toscana 2014 is a $5.99 Trader Joe's wine, sourced from grapes from the Tuscany region of Italy. This wine is also known as a "Super Tuscan", which is Sangiovese blended with French varietal grapes,

Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com

or email us at [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

The Story The M.Chevallier Brut Cava is a Trader Joe's $5.99 exclusive sourced from vineyards near Barcelona in northeast Spain. The trademark for this Cava is owned by the oldest and 2nd largest Cava producer in Spain. It is also imported by their own wine importation company, so they are not hiding anything. Trader Joe's does not provide technical information for this Cava. So, will go over some details usually found in value-priced Spanish Bubbly. The traditional grapes used in Cava are Macabeo, Xarello, and Parellada. These are the local indigenous Catalonian grapes found in most Cava's, though occasionally Chardonnay is used. Cava is produced with the Traditional Method, the same method used to produce Champagne. I will discuss the Traditional Method, Champagne & Cava, vs. the Charmat Method, Prosecco, in the companion podcast. Most regular, not Reserve Cava's, are not expensive. But a $5.99 Cava, from a leading winery, is an extremely good price. There are not many reasons to not give it a try. A 6 buck Bubbly that is average is still a bargain. The alcohol content is a reasonable 11.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is a clear, clean, pale gold, with teeny, tiny bubbles. The nose is slightly floral, citrus notes, a hint of honey, and crisp apple.  The M.Chevallier Brut Cava (Trader Joe's) bright, crisp Cava, with solid, but balanced acidity. It tastes of tart grapefruit, green apple, lemon/lime, and Bosc pear. The mid-palate adds a salty, nutty flavor and apricot. The acidity is balanced, which is excellent at this price point. I can think of a few budget Cava's that are acid bombs, they are ok with food, but hard to sip on their own. The finish is subtle, but lingers. The Summary * The M.Chevallier Brut Cava (Trader Joe's) isn't just an everyday Bubbly, at this price it is a twice a day Bubbly. * While not the most detailed and complex Bubbly, it does taste very good. * A $5.99 Cava/ Bubbly that is worth drinking, is something to behold.

Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com

or email us at [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

The Story The Franciscan Napa & Monterey Chardonnay 2017 is sourced from vineyards in 63% Napa County (mostly Carneros and Southern Napa) and 37% Monterey County (including Arroyo Secco and San Bernabe). These are excellent Chardonnay growing regions where the average Chardonnay is far more expensive than the Franciscan's $14.99 list price. The list price for a wine and the price that you see on a wine shop shelf are rarely the same. Wines in this price range are often discounted. I actually found it in Chicago for $7.99, but that is something I will touch on in the companion podcast. This is a value priced Chardonnay with boutique-like technical details. The Franciscan Napa & Monterey Chardonnay 2017 under went malolactic fermentation and was aged "on lees". Portions of the Chardonnay was fermented with native yeast. That is the yeast that naturally floats in the air and also attached itself to the grape skin. 76% of the wine was fermented in oak barrels, 24% in stainless steel tanks. The barrel fermented portion was aged an additional 7 months in small French and American oak barrels. 30% of the barrels are new, the rest used. They even name the cooperage (the company that made the barrels) in the tasting notes. I can't remember ever seeing that detail in a wine in this price range. The Franciscan Chardonnay 2017 is a wine sourced from top-notch Chardonnay growing areas. Has production techniques that are common in far more expensive Chardonnay. But is priced with the value wines. The alcohol content is 13.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is a pale wheat yellow. The nose is husky melon and lemon, with sweet peach and pear, green apple and lime, spring flowers and a little spice. This is a medium-bodied Chardonnay, full flavored, with nice viscous mouth-feel. It tastes of a mix of peach and lemon, ripe Golden delicious apple, candy spice (not sweet), and Bosc pear. The mid-palate rocks, French vanilla, guava and custard, with a light slap of butterscotch. The acidity is well-balanced, though I think this is more of a sipping wine. Mainly because of the strong and distinct flavors, it may not balance well with all foods. But if you can get inspired and match up the flavors you should be well rewarded. The finish lingers for quite some time. The Summary * The Franciscan Napa & Monterey Chardonnay 2017 is an extremely well priced Chardonnay at its list price, it is a "think about buying a case" wine at the $7.99 price I found it at. * If you are worried about all the oak with barrels being used for both fermentation and aging, don't worry too much. This is "new" California Chardonnay, not the "old school" butter bombs of a decade ago. * This Chardonnay will stack up well with most Chardonnay under $25. Of course, preferring certain wines is subjective, but this is a quality Chardonnay.

Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com

or email us at [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

The Story The Domaine de la Prébende Beaujolais 2017 is a AOP Beaujolais Villages designated Gamay Red wine. The actual name of this bottling is the Anna Asmaquer Beaujolais Villages 2017, but you will only find this in small print on the back label. Anna is the Great Grandmother of the winemaker, Ghislaine Dupeuble, of Domaine Dupeuble of Beaujolais. The Domaine de la Prébende Beaujolais is from the Kermit Lynch Wine Collection. Kermit Lynch is a very well-respected wine importer and one of the things to remember about import wine is "follow the importer". If you find a wine from that importer that you love there is a good chance you will find others in their collection that speak to you. The Domaine Prébende Beaujolais is a cuvee, not because it is a blend of different grapes, it's 100% Gamay. But because it is a blend of vineyards, the grapes come from 89 year old vines, 79 year old vines, and 39 year old vines. If this were a California wine there would be "old vines" written in large letters on the label, but that is not how they do things in France. This Beaujolais is produced the traditional way, natural yeasts, no added sugar and the wine is unfiltered, meaning there may be some grape sediment in your glass. There are records of Gamay being grown in this region since the 1300s. Beaujolais has a couple of categories to keep in mind. The first is wines simply called Beaujolais, these are wines produced from villages (about 100) thru-out the region. The next category is Beaujolais Villages, these wines are produced from grapes grown near 38 designated villages. And finally the top category, Beaujolais Cru, which are sourced from a vineyard near one of 10 villages. The Domaine Prébende is a Villages wine, but that does not mean the grapes came from all 38 villages, it looks like no more than 3. If a Villages wine comes from grapes grown near only 1 village, they can put the village name on the label. So, you have one grape, Gamay, and only a hand full of classifications to figure out. That makes Beaujolais one of the easier growing areas to get a handle on. The Gamay grape will remind you of Pinot Noir. Beaujolais is located on the southern side of Burgundy, the top Pinot Noir and Chardonnay growing district in the world. Champagne is on the north side of Burgundy, they use Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, too. Since Burgundian wines and Champagne are seen as Premium growing regions, Beaujolais and Gamay wines are comparatively under the radar and far more affordable. I found this wine for $12.99 and excellent Beaujolais wines are available for under $25. The Cru Beaujolais tend to be age worthy wines and can get pricey, but the rest are relative bargains. Tasting Notes The color is garnet with black highlights. The nose is ripe red berries and a savory note, a touch of spice, a little pepper, with a light floral edge. The Domaine Prébende Beaujolais has an interesting mix of New World fruit and Old World structure. Yes, it is fruit-forward, but it is still very French. It tastes of tart cherry, a touch of herbs, a slap of black pepper, plums and spice. There is a nice "edge" to this Gamay, that you rarely encounter in $12.99 American wines. This is a versatile food wine, there is enough structure to do well this roasts and grilled meats and would do equally well with Easter ham. This is a wine where the acidity engages your palate, while the finish isn't particularly strong, it doesn't fade. The Summary * When buying European wines follow the Importer. They tend to have "house styles", if you like one there is a good chance you will like others. The actual name of this wine is in small print on the back label. Kermit Lynch's name is on the front label on top.

Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com

or email us at [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

The Story The Rain Cloud Red Blend 2016 is a $5.99 wine from Trader Joe's. This is a bit of a mystery wine, there is no official information for it on the web. The Rain Cloud Red won a Silver Medal in the Cabernet Sauvignon based Red blend category at the San Fransisco Chronicle Wine Competition, it was the least expensive ($9.99) wine in the category. There was also no mention of this wine being affiliated with Trader Joe's. So, what can we tell from the bottle? The bottle is a heavy, this is no light weight eco-bottle, which you would expect for a $5.99 wine. Light weight bottle means less bottle cost and lower shipping costs since shipping is determined by weight. The label is two colors, which helps with reducing printing costs, but is well done and attractive, the black and gold looks good. It is a 2016 vintage, which gives the Rain Cloud a fair amount of bottle age. A Cabernet Sauvignon based Red wine will need time to come together to reach its peak. It looks like the Rain Cloud Red was given the proper time. The winery listed on the back is a faux-winery, probably created just for this wine. The wine competition tells us that the Rain Cloud Red Blend was not produced to sell for $5.99, but $9.99. How it became a Trader Joe's wine, I don't know. But it is an award-winning (Silver Medal) wine that originally sold for almost ten bucks. The alcohol content is a typical for California, 14.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is an opaque cranberry red with black highlights. The nose is dark berries and spice, with dusty chocolate powder, and a slightly herbal edge. This Red blend has medium+ body and a flavor profile that hits way harder than $5.99. It tastes of ripe black cherry, a slap of exotic, slightly sharp spice, tart cranberry, and chocolate bar chocolate. The mid-palate offers blackberry and cream, and a late hit of black licorice. The tannins are smooth and so is the acidity. This is a smooth wine with an occasion slap of sharp flavors, which gives the wine a little personality. The finish is full and lasts a respectable time. The Summary * This is a killer Red Blend at $5.99. At closer to $10 the Rain Cloud Red Blend will have some competition, but at $5.99 it is a standout. * Don't be afraid of trying very cheap Trader Joe's wines. Five years ago a $5.99 probably was not going to be a pleasant experience. Today, more often than not they deliver way above their price tag. * With very inexpensive wine, the bottle itself will give you clues. Learn how to read what to read what the bottle is telling you. An eco-bottle and a boring label should indicate a wine where they cut corners to reach a price-point. Heavy bottle and an artistic label may mean a wine that somehow fell into the lower price range.

Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com

or email us at [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

The Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 (Target) is a $9.99 Target exclusive sourced from vineyards in California. Target also offers their California Roots  line of $5.00 wines, which I thought were "ok" but not anything special. It is hard to be too critical of a decent five buck wine. Should we expect a wine twice as good for ten dollars? Target doesn't give a great deal of information on The Collection, so lets see what we can figure out from the bottle. The back label shows a winery from Manteca, California (Lodi), the winery name was created just for these particular wines. There is a large and very good, family owned vineyards and winery in Manteca, they have produced custom wines for Trader Joe's and I think, ALDIs. They also produce many retail wine labels on their own that are excellent value wines. I can't be completely sure that they produced The Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, but if they did that is a good sign. This is a 2016 vintage Cabernet Sauvignon, which gives a wine released in March of 2019 some decent bottle age. Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine that takes some time to come together, you expect some sort of oak conditioning to be well-integrated into the flavor profile and the tannins to reasonably smooth. That takes some aging to complete and The Collection Cab doesn't skimp. The alcohol content is a very California, 14.5%. Tasting Notes The color is a dark, but still see-thru black cherry red. The nose is blackberries, a touch of herbs, a little spice, a little chocolate and a little vanilla. This wine has medium + body, with balanced flavors and decent structure. It tastes of blackberries, French vanilla, tart cranberry, and black pepper. The mid-palate adds a little Altoids spice, raspberry, and a touch of milk chocolate. The tannins do not bite, but provide solid structure, many value-priced Red wines try to hide their tannins, not here. The acidity is balanced, this can be a food wine, steaks on the grill anyone? The finish starts off strong, but is a little short. Summary * The Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 is very competitive with Cabs in the value price category * Exclusive store brands have price advantages over regular retail wines, this $9.99 Cab Sauv is equal to Cabs in the $13 to $14 range * The Collection Cabernet Sauvignon is $9.99 and, yes, it is twice as good as the $5.00 Target California Roots Cab Sauvignon

Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com

or email us at [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

The d'Arenberg Stump Jump GSM 2014 is a blend of 38% Grenache, 32% Shiraz/Syrah, and 30% Mourvedre sourced from vineyards in the McLaren Vale region of South Australia. McLaren Vale is one of the premier winemaking regions in Australia, it is located near the city of Adelaide, near a bay on land that juts out into the Ocean. Inland Australia can get extremely hot and dry, but the proximity to the Ocean gives McLaren Vale a Mediterranean climate well suited for grape vines. Stump Jump (the name refers to a plow) is d'Arenberg's value priced line of wines. A GSM is one of France's 2 great Red wine blends. The Bordeaux blend, Cabernet Sauvignon plus Merlot, with a couple of other blending grapes is the best known, mainly since this blend is popular with winemakers in Northern California. The GSM blend is mage popular by the wines of the Southern Rhone Valley and especially in Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  The grapes came from olde bush vines, the grapes were crushed with a basket press, which is the old way the crushing grapes, they now often use huge hydraulic presses, and was fermented in open-top vats. Again, open-top vats are an older method of grape fermentation, it runs the rick of allowing too much oxygen interact with the juice if not done right. But if performed correctly it gives the wine bright juicy flavors and allows the wine to come together in a shorter period of time. Tasting Notes The color is dark, but still see-thru raspberry jam red with black highlights. The nose is jammy berries, with savory aromas and mint, a little tea, a little spice, and a hint of baking fudge brownies. This is a flavorful smooth wine, with a bit of spice on the mid-palate. The current vintage of the Stump Jump GSM is 2016, these wines aren't made to last forever, so drink the 2014 before too long. It tastes of extracted blackberry, tart cranberry, licorice, tea, and herbs. The mid-palate adds a solid dose of spice, including orange zest, soft blueberry, and dusty chocolate powder. The acidity is nicely balanced and the finish vibrates in your mouth for quite some time. Summary * The d'Arenberg Stump Jump GSM is a very solid value priced red. The 3 grapes in the blend bring out the best in each other * If you are getting a little bored with the usual California red blends, try a GSM, it will jump start your palate, tons of flavors, texture and bright acidity * I found Jump Stump GSM on sale for $9.99 and it is a very satisfying, tasty ten buck Red * Here are a couple of links to Stump Jump wines that we have featured in the past: Stump Jump GSM 2011  and the Stump JumpShiraz 2010

Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com

or email us at [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

The Villa Sandi ilFresco Brut Prosecco is a DOC classified non-vintage Bubbly, 85% Glera, 15% Chardonnay & Pinot Blanc sourced from the Treviso region of Veneto (Venice) in Northeast Italy. Villa Sandi has been a wine estate since 1622, though Prosecco, as we know it today, has only been around for a little over 100 years. The il Fresco in the name translates to "fresh" and that refers to their production technique of refrigerating the crushed juice until it is needed. Then they ferment the juice a first time and then transfer the wine to a huge autoclave (a pressurized tank, it keeps the CO2 gasses released during fermentation from escaping) to ferment the wine a 2nd time (this is where the bubbles are formed), this method is called the Charmat Method. The wine is fermented in the autoclave (a much larger version of the machine that sterilized surgical and tattoo equipment) for 2 months "on lees". On lees indicated the dead yeast is left in the tank with the juice, it will add flavor and structure. By waiting to produce the Bubbly until needed for sale, it is always fresh and lively. As a non-vintage wine, the Villa Sandi Brut Prosecco is blended each year with juice from earlier vintages to insure the final outcome always reflects the "house style". With Sparkling wine, all the producers (in Prosecco and Champagne) use the same grapes, from the same general local, and use the same production methods. The important differences come from the small details, in the vineyard and during the wine production that allows the Bubbly to have its own unique personality. The alcohol content is 11%. The color is a mix of gold and platinum, with loads of highly energetic bubbles. The nose is crisp and clean, slightly yeasty, with aromas of lemons, limes, apples, pear, and a soft floral edge. This is a soft, rounded Bubbly, with an excellent dose of acidity. It starts with crisp Green apple, Meyer lemon, not too tart grapefruit, the "on lees" adds a salty nutty sensation. The mid-palate adds fresh lime and not sweet peach. The flavors are all well-balanced and the acidity will activate your palate. You will find yourself reaching for another sip without actively thinking about. The finish is crisp, clean and fairly lengthy. Summary * Second fermentation lasted 2 months, which is a solid length of time for an entry-level Italian Sparkling wine. The longer the time the better the integration of the bubbles. * The addition of Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc adds contrast to the usual Glera grape Prosecco flavor profile * The House Style, with all Bubbly, is a very important consideration. I used to buy which ever Prosecco was on sale. I think it is time to start thinking about the Prosecco that is "right" for me. The difference between the price of the "sale" Prosecco and what will be my favorite Prosecco isn't that large. So buy your favorite.

Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com

or email us at [email protected]