Posts Tagged ‘Trader Joe’s’
Varietal: Sangiovese
Region: Italy
Cost: $6
Garnet colored in the glass with aromas of cherry and crushed fruit on the nose. Cherry, crushed fruit and a spice finish in the mouth. Pair with pasta or meat.
Recommendations: Given that my wife and I have been snowed in for the better part of two weeks, our supplies of wine are starting to run low. While watching a movie (The Neverending Story for those that care), we opened up a this bottle of Sangiovese that I had picked up at our local Trader Joe’s in anticipation of the coming snow storms.
Fairly light in the glass and on the palate, I got flavors of cherry and spice, along with a little fresh crushed fruit. In typical Sangiovese style, the wine was rather dry and would have paired great with a pasta dish or some red meat, though it was a good compliment to the realization that the movies from my childhood may not have been as good as I thought they were. Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: California – USA
Cost: $3
Light color with citrus flavors and a slightly acidic finish. Pair with seafood, poultry, or light appetizer style food.
Recommendations: If you’re not familiar with Oak Leaf wine it’s because you haven’t looked at the wine section of a Wal-Mart. Oak Leaf is their house brand of wine, and is offering an expanding selection of wine, including Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz.
This particular Sauvignon Blanc is pretty much what you would expect from a $3 wine. It’s light and fairly crisp, but is honestly more reminiscent of a Pinot Grigio than a Sauvignon Blanc, but that could be my own bias as I prefer South American Sauvignon Blanc to those made in the US.
My wife and I paired this with a snack lunch of cheese, crackers, hummus, and crab puffs, and while it certainly did the job, I can’t say that I wouldn’t have preferred something better.
If you’re looking for a budget Sauvignon Blanc, this isn’t terrible, but the budget Sauvignon Blanc offered by Trader Joe’s is better for the same price. Pass on this unless you’re really looking for a budget deal.
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: California – USA
Cost: $3
Light, crisp, and with an ever so slight citrus flavor, this light white wine will pair with appetizers, seafood, pork, or chicken.
Recommendations: This may sound weird, but while I know this was a Sauvignon Blanc, it tasted more like a Pinot Grigio to me. Granted a half-way decent Pinot Grigio (especially for the price), but it lacked the citrus and acidity that I usually associate with Sauvignon Blanc.
Much like the Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s hard to argue against this wine for the price if you’re already in Trader Joe’s, but it’s also not hard to do better than this Sauvignon Blanc for the price (Ponga and Terra Andina are both under $10 and taste better)
If you’re already in Trader Joe’s it’s worth it to pick up a bottle of this to pair with an afternoon snack (my wife and I drank this wine with cheese, crackers, hummus, bread, and sausage), but keep in mind that you can do better for not much more money.
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: California – USA
Cost: $3
The house wine brand of Trader Joe’s grocery store, this wine is very fruit forward in the style of most California Cabernet Sauvignon with a smooth finish with very light tannins.
Recommendations: As a general rule I’ve become less a fan of California Cabernet Sauvignon as I don’t like the fruit forward flavors they tend to exhibit. This Cabernet from Charles Shaw is no exception.
If you like your Cabernet fruit forward and are looking for something that you can buy a case of for under $50, this may be up your alley, but don’t delude yourself into thinking this is any kind of top quality Cabernet. That being said, as a wine to cook with or if you’re stocking up for a party you’re throwing and quality isn’t the biggest concern, the Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon will fill that void.
All in all, there are better Cabernets out there, but for the price it’s hard to argue against at least picking up a bottle of it while you’re in the store. Don’t go out of your way, but go ahead and grab it for a table wine on a lazy Sunday.
