Some of the best Trader Joe’s Red Blend wines with insane value!
Once again, I can’t stop talking about Trader Joe’s wines!
Nope, not two buck chuck. I have still not tried that one. And it’s not two bucks anymore anyway.
I’m talking about the wines that are exclusive to Trader Joe’s.
Or maybe just semi exclusive. I just know that I can’t find them anywhere else. Well, one of them I can. Keep reading to find out which.
I also want to talk about Red Blends and why you should love them!
Let’s start with what a Red Blend is. WOO!
At its most basic, a red blend is any red wine that is not made from just one grape variety.
As in life, not everyone deserves a solo.
Many varieties do better with a backup singer or two. Some red blends are duets, some trios or more. Each grape type adds to the mix.
We are looking for delicious harmony here, people!
Red Blends are available at all price points!! Almost all Bordeaux wines are blends.Château Lafite Rothschild is a red blend. Just saying.
I am not recommending that one here. I am pretty sure Trader Joe’s doesn’t carry it.
Here are my newest incredible suggestions:
If you’ve read any of my other posts on Trader Joe’s (related posts will be listed at the end), you will know that I have no Trader Joe’s wines near me anymore. None. Zilch. I even researched where they all are!
So when I find one, I stock up big time!
Like this!
My newest suggestions are somewhere in that cart!
Cocobon is a fantastic red blend from California! Not to be missed!
There is no indication on the label of what grapes are used, or where it is specifically grown, but at only $6.99 you absolutely cannot go wrong!
I did research it and it is a Zinfandel, Merlot, Petite Sirah Blend! Delicious.
We purchased this wine because two other customers strongly suggested we buy it! Good call!!
I can’t wait to go back to a Trader Joe’s wine store and stock up on more.
It is fruit forward and beautifully balanced. All the pieces of this wine work together to produce a delicious easy drinking wine. The alcohol is 13.5% ABV. Not a wimpy wine, but not an alcohol bomb either. Buy it when you see it.
Really good advice:
Listen to suggestions from other customers at Trader Joe’s! These are like-minded shoppers. You don’t have to buy whatever is suggested. But listen. You never know when you will find a gem. At these prices, you really can’t go wrong.
Now is the time to sign up and get your insider's guide!
〰️Yep, now!
Now is the time to sign up and get your insider's guide! 〰️Yep, now!
Porto 6 is a delicious red blend from Portugal.
Wines from Portugal are hidden gems. This one is no exception, especially for $6.99!
Love the back label! Wine should always be enjoyed in pleasant company!! I appreciate the reminder though.
As with the California wine above, there is no list of grapes on the label.Should you care, the grapes are 50% Aragonez, 40% Castelao, and 10% Touriga Nacional. Full bodied and fantastic!
The next two wines coming up were in that cart I showed you, but they weren’t new to me. We had had them before.
Reintroducing…
Roustabout Meritage from Paso Robles.
This Bordeaux-style red blend is made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petite Verdot.
Time out for some wine education:
I want to take a minute here to talk about Meritage. I go into way more detail when I talk about this wine in an earlier post.
Meritage is a made up name to describe a Bordeaux-style blend that is made in California. In a red wine, that means its lead grape variety will be either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. The back up players have to also be Bordeaux grape varieties.
All wines have some sort of a geographical identifier (GI). In old world countries (basically Europe) they take this insanely seriously. It is considered intellectual property. So, you can’t use the name Bordeaux outside of Bordeaux.
California didn’t want their Bordeaux blends just being called Red Wine. Nope! Not enough money in that. They came up with the made up word Meritage. It combines Merit and Heritage. It is a Federally protected Trademark. Even Roustabout is a Federally registered trademark. Clearly, wine names are worth protecting.
Some of these Meritage wines are incredibly expensive.Thankfully this Meritage from Trader Joe’s is not!
Back to the wine…
Roustabout is from Paso Robles. It says so right on the label. I’ve been there. If you want to hear more about Paso, I have 2 posts about it.
The wine is 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Petite Verdot, and 27% Merlot.This time it is actually on the label. It is only 13% alcohol (ABV.) I cannot believe I am using the word “only” with 13%, but it is less than the first two wines, and way less than what is coming up.
The wine is fruit forward, and really well balanced. Totally worth the $7.99. Incredible value!!
Next up…
Rain Cloud is a fantastic red blend from Napa in California.
Once again, no specific grapes are mentioned but research reveals that it is probably Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Sirah.
I’m loving this back of the label advice. It makes me want to be a “dance in every puddle” person!
Even if I’m not, every time I drink this wine I am reminded of how delicious it is! Alcohol (14.5% ABV) is higher than most of the other wines, but not overwhelming at all.
It’s only $6.99. Buy it!
Sign up now, if you haven't done that yet!
Just saying.〰️
Sign up now, if you haven't done that yet! Just saying.〰️
Two more…
These two wines are part of the Rough and Ready collection. The Petite Sirah vs Petit Verdot has 13.5% ABV. The Cab Franc vs. Cab Sauv is a 14.5% ABV.
While I love both of these full bodied, fruit forward wines, I have a personal favorite. Each of them cost about $7.99. Buy both and decide for yourself.
I would like to now introduce you to one of my absolute favorite red blends. It is available at Trader Joe’s, but it is also widely available elsewhere.
Bogle Family Vineyards Essential Red!!! Woo!
You may be wondering why I am showing bottles from 3 different years?
Wait for it…
The 2019 has different grapes than the others! Well, not all of them. But you sub in a Zinfandel for a Cabernet Sauvignon, you will notice it!!!!
Can’t resist a teachable moment!! This is why we compare, people! You may not notice until you realize that something is different.
I did not just keep the 2019 around. I buy this wine frequently and one of the stores where I bought it had that year. Could have been Trader Joe’s. Maybe not.
This was a lesson for me because the difference was obvious!
Explore! Enjoy!
Well, what have we learned?
Red blends are great! Have fun!
The ones at Trader Joe’s give you insane value!!
You should notice that I entitled this post, “some of the best…” That’s because there are so many more fantastic red blends at Trader Joe’s!
If you have a Trader Joe’s wine store near you, find some delicious wines there.
Yep!
Exactly!
Cheers!!
TRADER JOE’S RELATED POSTS: click on whichever posts you want!
Why you should be in love with wines from Trader Joe’s
This is the the origin story, so to speak.
Two More insanely good values from Trader Joe’s and who recommended them
This is my most popular Trader Joe’s post. The wines mentioned may be hard to come by, but the advice is still priceless.
Three More insanely good value Trader Joe’s wines: Red Blends Edition
All three of these wines are still available and still delicious.
Join the Incredible Hunt to find Trader Joe’s wine shops in each state
This is an amazingly useful guide for locating Trader Joe’s wine shops. If you live in California and some other lucky states , they are everywhere! For the rest of us, we need this!
Two beyond Incredible great value bottles of Trader Joe’s wine
These two wines are still as great as when I first wrote about them.
Two more Crazy Delicious Trader Joe’s Wines that are an Insane Value
These two wines are both North California Reds. If you can find them , stock up.
Spotlight on 2 More Insanely Delicious Trader Joe's Wines! You can click on the title. OR Here. Mix it up! This is about 2 fantastic Chilean wines that are only $4.99! Crazy good.
Stay tuned for more…
Paso Robles posts:
Why so much love and enthusiasm for Paso Robles Click on the title.
Planning for Fun Times and Delicious Wines in Paso Robles Same idea. Click on the title.
