Three more insanely good value Trader Joe’s wines: Red Blends edition

Here are today’s stars!

I still have so many good things to say about Trader Joe’s wines.

Let’s talk about it!

I have written about Trader Joe’s wines quite a bit. One was basically a love letter to their wines. I am not talking about 2 buck chuck (which is no longer $2 anyway.) I’ve never tried it. There are so many other wines to fall in love with there. You can read about it here, if you want to see what you may have missed.

(Helpful hint: Click on the phrase Trader Joe’s wines below the title and it will call of them up!)

I then wrote about Trader Joe’s wines again a few months ago, spotlighting two great value wines. I also gave a shout out to the gentleman who worked at the store. Hint, hint: here’s the link.

Then there is my most recent post on, you guessed it, Trader Joe’s.

For Two Beyond incredible great value bottles of Trader Joe’s wine, click here.

Once again, I apologize to those people who don’t have a Trader Joe’s near them. If you are outside of the United States, you probably don’t even know about them. (For those wine fans, I wrote a post about Five Great Value red wines that are not from Trader Joe’s. Here is your link, although it is honestly for anyone.)

I am also on the outside looking in these days. I do not have a Trader Joe’s wines near me at all anymore. I

Hey Trader Joe’s! What’s the problem? Come back to New York!

If you want to know where a Trader Joe’s wine is hear you, click on my post here. It is called Join the incredible Hunt to Find Trader Joe’s Wine in each state.

But back to the topic.

I can still talk about the wines I have had recently.

AND…

I’m going to discuss red blends. You don’t want to miss that.

What is a red blend?

Good question.

At its most basic, it 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. (By the way, this comes from my post on the Best Red Blends that are not Bordeaux. You know the drill. Click here if you want to read it.)

Let’s introduce these wine stars individually.

First off:

Roustabout is a Meritage from Paso Robles in California.

What is a Meritage you may ask?

Another good question. Basically it is a Bordeaux style blend. 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.

But wait, there’s more!

In 1976, California proved that they could compete against the big guys (France) and win. Read all about it in my post (of course, I’ve written about it) on the Anniversary of the Judgment of Paris. Yep, click here.

California didn’t want their fantastic Bordeaux blends to just be called Red Blends. There wasn’t enough prestige and money in that. It’s similar to what happened with the Rise of the Super Tuscans. I included the Origin Story of that in the Best Red Blends that aren’t Bordeaux. Here’s the link again in case you love Origin Stories.

Important to know: You cannot use the word Bordeaux to describe wine outside of Bordeaux, France. Yep, it’s true.

So…

The California wine makers came up with a made up name of Meritage, combining the words Merit and Heritage. It’s not a French pronunciation. It doesn’t rhyme with corsage. It is also a Federally protected Trademark. They don’t mess around.

Some of these Meritage wines are very expensive. This Meritage from Trader Joe’s is not expensive. Yay!

Roustabout is from Paso Robles. It says so right on the label. I’ve been there. If you want to hear more about Paso, read my 2 posts on it. Here’s one link. Here is another link. If you just want to hear about this wine, read on.

The wine is 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Petite Verdot, and 27% Merlot. It is only13% alcohol (ABV.) I cannot believe I am using the word “only” with 13%, but wait until you read about the other two wines.

It is absolutely delicious. It is fruit forward, in a good way. That means when you smell and taste it, fruit aromas and taste are dominant. However, there are enough savory notes to back it up. I really do not like to put specific tasting notes down. What flavors you will smell and taste are personal. I did want to give a heads up, though, about the general style.

At this point, I should ask: what would you be willing to pay for this? I had an instructor years ago, who would ask that of the class. Based on the flavor profile and the prices of competitors, would you pay $10? Would you pay $15? Would you pay $20? Many Meritage wines are in that higher range.

While I realize value is relative, this delicious wine is only $7.99!! You can’t get a glass of wine for this price in most restaurants. This is why I say these wines are an insanely good value! They punch way above their price point.

Moving on to the next star performer:

Real Bordeaux has just entered the building! Welcome.

Chateau Haut Claribes is a Bordeaux Supérieur.

What is a Bordeaux Supérieur exactly?

Again, good question.

(Feel free to skip over this next part if you’ve read this before.)

First of all , Old World Wines (that’s basically Europe) usually have some sort of a Geographical Indicator (GI) listed on the label. They have rules and regulations out the wazoo. Requirements can include where (geography), what (varietals used) and how (winemaking technique.)

In Bordeaux they have a whole tiered system. I am not going to go down the rabbit hole of all the levels here. Let’s just say that most of the wines are not at the absolute highest levels. They are classified as Bordeaux. The only grape varieties allowed in this red blend (Bordeaux wines are usually blends) are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carmenère.

This Trader Joe’s Wine is the next level up. It means that there are many more requirements, and the quality should be higher. It should be superior to the “just Bordeaux” wines. It also has to have a higher alcohol level. And boy, does it! It is 15% ABV (alcohol by volume.)

Should you care, you probably won’t know which grapes are used specifically. Odds are it is probably more of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot than the other 4 types.

What you should care about is that it is delicious. It also has a long finish. The flavors stay with you. Just like the Meritage, it is fruit forward. It does have enough savory notes to keep it in balance.

If we were to play the guessing game of what would you pay for this, you would probably be willing to pay much more than what Trader Joe’s charges. It was $8.99! You honestly cannot do better than that! Again, a glass of wine at most restaurants is more than that. You cannot go wrong with this.

If you want to feel even better about what you are paying for this, go on to Vinovest. It is a website for investing in wine. They recommend Bordeaux Supérieur wines over $100!!

On to our last star:

RAIN CLOUD is a Red Wine from California.

Well that didn’t tell you much.

Why did I buy it, then?

Good question.

Honestly, I just loved what they wrote on the back of the bottle.

How can you not want a “downpour of deliciousness from every juicy drop of California terroir?”

Not sure I dance in every puddle as they also mentioned. But I did like the whole energy.

And with the price of $6.99 (yep, that’s all), I really couldn’t go wrong.

I’m not going to play the “what would you pay for it “ game again. In my case, the low price and the fun wording on the bottle sold me.

They did mention “vinted and bottled” in Napa, California on the back. This really means very little. The only official geographical indication is California as a whole.

But, come on! It’s only $6.99! What’s the downside? You will not be wasting the money.

It is another delicious red wine blend of Bordeaux variety grapes. It is 14.5% ABV, so not a wimpy wine at all. Yep, also fruit forward. Also, still balanced.

Helpful hints: Try chilling these wines a bit before serving. Most people drink their red wines too warm.

These are all medium/full bodied wines. Reminder for judging body of wine: think skim milk/whole milk/cream. Of course, wine experts often do not agree. I have also heard skim milk/2%milk/whole milk. Use whatever analogy works for you.

Chill these types of wine to room temperature. Room temperature is a vague term. Try for 59-64° F, which is 15-18 º C. You can chill lighter bodied wines more.

There is no wine temperature police. See what tastes best to you.

If there are any wine terms you didn’t really understand, check out my post on wine vocabulary.

As for what food to have with it, I drink red wine with almost everything. My wine drinking buddy (Also Known As my husband) prefers it to white.

Experiment and see what foods you enjoy it with.

These wines are all delicious, and you really cannot do better for the money.

Let the wine take you on a fun journey! Enjoy !