James Alfred's Wine Blog

A nice grapefruit forward tasting Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand via way of Grocery Outlet for $4.99. This was rated number 19 of the Top 25 New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs available in Washington, with a 3.8 rating. https://www.vivino.com/toplists/top-25-new-zealand-white-wines-in-washington-right-now-washington?srsltid=AfmBOorzqv0WjNVIrHmPJcwSij-DisaA9w5pAM_MQYZ9tgvGOwCuCDaG Listed price of $17.95 The 2024 version of this wine is listed on the winery's website. https://swiftsure.nz/products/sauvignon-blanc-2024. Listed price of NZ $21.90, or $13.04 US dollars I would buy this wine again. Alcohol 13%. Produced by Swift sure Vineyards, Ltd. 2a/6 Viaduct Harbour Way, Auckland, New Zealand. Imported by NZ Wine Navigator, Benecia, CA., which does not list this wine among its Sauvignon Blancs. https://nzwinenav.com/varietals/white/sauvignon-blanc/

I saw this at Grocery Outlet for $2.99 per bottle so had to try it. It tasted a lot like a slightly off margarita, but not in a bad way. We added it to ice and thought it was an OK drink, especially for the cost. Produced and bottled in Mexico. Agave wine with natural flavors. Imported and bottled by Original House Wine, Walla Walla, Washington. originalhousewine.com. Alcohol 13.5%.

Bought this wine for $3.99 at Grocery Outlet. Then found that it was also a Trader Joes's Wine, which I think sold for $6.99. https://www.vivino.com/US/en/trader-joe-s-wish-flower-red/w/6166751?srsltid=AfmBOoopPdpocGGjsLN1WObvGEAWl_0diLyU5vn82tHZF8E2rTYzNX1k. And here is a 2020 review of an earlier vintage of this wine. https://www.google.com/search?q=WISH+FLOWER+TRADER+JOES&rlz=1CARGFB_enUS1147&oq=WISH+FLOWER+TRADER+JOES&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIKCAEQABgKGBYYHjIKCAIQABgKGBYYHjINCAMQABiGAxiABBiKBTINCAQQABiGAxiABBiKBTINCAUQABiGAxiABBiKBTINCAYQABiGAxiABBiKBTINCAcQABiGAxiABBiKBTIKCAgQABiiBBiJBTIHCAkQABjvBdIBCTEyMzQzajBqN6gCCLACAfEFw3916iGwPhU&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:46196e63,vid:pr_um9aITvU,st:0.  Vivino lists this as a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. I liked our previous red wine Fox Creek Willunga Blend better, for the same price. Vinted and bottled by Wish Flower, Napa, California. Alcohol 13%.

A wine that is listed on the winery's website. And, listed for $19.99 a bottle. Which I did not pay since I bought it at Grocery Outlet. We paired this with fish and it went very well. This Rose had more taste than the average Rose, which we really liked. I would buy this again. The label is all one piece, there is no front and back, just one long label. Established in 1996,  the family-owned Brown Estate was Napa Valley's first Black-owned winery. Composition of this Rose wine is: 75% Zinfandel • 20% Muscat Blanc • 5% Viognier https://www.houseofbrown.wine/products/house-of-brown-2022-rose Produced and bottled by Brown Estate, Acampo, California. Alcohol 12,5%. Here's what they say about the wine: "Over the course of more than 25 years producing ultra premium Napa Valley Zinfandels, we harbored a low-key desire to elevate the reputation of Zinfandel rosé. We realized that goal in 2022 with House of Brown Rosé, representing our Brown Zin legacy for a new generation of ...

This is a wine I bought both online from Splash Wines and at Grocery Outlet. It was cheaper at Grocery Outlet. This is a bold, full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon driven red wine blend from the McLaren Vale region of South Australia. It went exceptionally well with pizza and I am looking forward to drinking my next bottle. Fox Creek Winery was established in 1994 and then purchased in 2019 by Ben Gibson and Jock Harvey https://www.foxcreekwinery.com/. This is another winery label that is not listed on the winery's website. There is another website referred to on the back of the label, www.pace.wine, which is dead. Alcohol 14.5%