The “Delicious” Costco Red Wine That Rivals the Fancy Stuff You’ll Find in Northern Italy (for Half the Price!)

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The “Delicious” Costco Red Wine That Rivals the Fancy Stuff You’ll Find in Northern Italy (for Half the Price!)​

The “Delicious” Costco Red Wine That Rivals the Fancy Stuff You’ll Find in Northern Italy (for Half the Price!)

“Think decadent, rich, and aromatic.”

www.apartmenttherapy.com

Richard

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

I used to participate at wine.woot.com before Amazon bought woot and shut down wine.woot. There were several vintners who were active on the discussion boards there. Many of their offerings were half (or even less) than the bottles sold for at a wine store. They commented that there was so much markup between the winery and the shelf that they could sell their juice on woot and make just as much, or more, money selling on wine.woot as they could in normal channels. Another bonus is that they didn't have to go touring to wine competitions or visit sommeliers to flag their product. At wine.woot, they could sell to a knowledgeable audience just by participating in discussions on days when their offerings were featured.

I suspect that similar things are going on with Costco and their branded wines and spirits. They are buying direct and in bulk, then selling in the stores with Costco's already low distribution being the only cost between the producer and the buyer. Everyone comes out ahead except for the entities that are in the middle of the typical distribution chain.

Though, I wonder how that works in states where the alcohol wholesalers have used their influence (i.e., political donations) to require that alcohol products move through wholesalers.

 

[buzglyd]

I'll keep my eyes open for that one.

 

[Passepartout]

Oh sure! I'm gonna get wine reccos from some 'apartment therapy' website???

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Oh sure! I'm gonna get wine reccos from some 'apartment therapy' website???

Yeah - that's like getting music recommendations at a timeshare site.

 

[cowboy]

What is the wine called? Can’t open.

 

[buzglyd]

Barolo

 

[ScoopKona]

When I lived on the mainland, I had exceedingly good luck with NakedWines-dot-com.

It's the same general principle as woot -- but the member has to kick in $X dollars per month. Spend whenever, however. The wine club gets a guaranteed monthly income. Everyone wins.

Nearly every bottle I purchased punched above its weight class. And some of them were absolute sleepers. Met a bunch of winemakers this way, too -- travel to California wine country and buy directly from the vintner.

 

[Makai Guy]

When I lived on the mainland, I had exceedingly good luck with NakedWines-dot-com.

It's the same general principle as woot -- but the member has to kick in $X dollars per month. Spend whenever, however. The wine club gets a guaranteed monthly income. Everyone wins.

Nearly every bottle I purchased punched above its weight class. And some of them were absolute sleepers. Met a bunch of winemakers this way, too -- travel to California wine country and buy directly from the vintner.

I had good experiences with Naked Wines too. The wines we purchased were VERY satisfactory, but dietary limitations (after being classified Type II diabetic) prevented us from buying enough to use up our monthly fee. They let us temporarily suspend monthy payments til we could use up our balance, but after a couple of such suspensions, eventually we just dropped out.

 

[geist1223]

We have talked to different Vineyards and Wine Makers in Napa and Sonoma Counties. There is a real competition to sell to Costco. Costco will buy their entire Production. Saves them time and money.

 

[Lakeshore]

Hmmmmm, we might have to try this. We enjoy having a bottle of Barolo Nebbiolo. We’ve never tried the Costco brand of a Nebbiolo. I guess if I can find it we will see.Thanks!

 

[jme]

What is the wine called? Can’t open.

Barolos are GREAT, and favorites of wine connoisseurs, but they can be quite expensive.......this looks like one to try!
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And btw, BELOW is another very nice full-bodied ItaIian wine found at Costco.......very reasonable and unusually enjoyable given the price point.
I never want to run out of these, so I look for it every time I visit so I'll have it on hand.
I keep a few more expensive Italian wines, but this is a good choice if you're entertaining and serving nice cheeses, Italian food,
or any type of red meat or even Salmon. Really nice with steak, beef, lamb......ALC 15% by volume.
It's 750ml like most wine bottles, but the bottle itself is VERY heavy.
Silly, but opening and pouring it is very impressive. If you're not into guns, you could keep an empty bottle around and you'll be safe!

You can bet on me carrying at least two bottles, among other choices, whenever we visit Grande Ocean or another drivable resort.

It's a tall, heavy bottle...it'll shock you when you first pick it up.

 

[Luanne]

I do like a good Barolo. Maybe I'll get a bottle the next time we go and try it out.

 

[Lakeshore]

View attachment 104990

Barolos are GREAT, and favorites of wine connoisseurs, but they can be quite expensive.......this looks like one to try!
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

And btw, BELOW is another very nice full-bodied ItaIian wine found at Costco.......very reasonable and unusually enjoyable given the price point.
I never want to run out of these, so I look for it every time I visit so I'll have it on hand.
I keep a few more expensive Italian wines, but this is a good choice if you're entertaining and serve nice cheeses, Italian food,
or any type of red meat or even Salmon. Really nice with steak, beef, lamb. It's 750ml like most wine bottles, but the bottle itself is VERY heavy.
Silly, but opening and pouring it is very impressive. If you're not into guns, you could keep an empty bottle around and you'll be safe!

You can bet on me carrying at least two bottles, among other choices, whenever we visit Grande Ocean.

View attachment 104991 View attachment 104992

View attachment 104994


It's a tall, heavy bottle...it'll shock you when you first pick it up.
View attachment 104995

“If you're not into guns, you could keep an empty bottle around and you'll be safe!” Lol!
and A 98 pointer? I’m going to have to try this! Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Bucky]

To all the wine connoisseurs out there, more power to you. We just never got into it that much. Being retired military we just never had the money for much other than basic necessities. But, we did have a tour in Northern Italy in the 70’s where we could go to a local trattoria and have a five course meal for about $3 ea and then we could take the empty wine bottle back as needed and they provided unlimited refills from a demijohn for $.75. Think we used that bottle for our whole tour there!

 

[Luanne]

Went to Costco today. Could not find the Barolo anywhere.

 

[buzglyd]

My Costco was out of it too. I did try a bottle of Kirkland Gigondas and it was excellent at $13.99. Basically a French blend of mostly Grenache.

 

[jme]

Went to Costco today. Could not find the Barolo anywhere.

I went this past weekend and also couldn't find it....DANG, I was so disappointed, as parking and shopping at Costco is not the easiest thing to do........
always crowded and sometimes a pain! Apparently they were out of it, if indeed they ever had it there.
That said, I just browsed around, and found a wine I decided to take a chance on.....a Rioja, which is from Spain, which had a Kirkland label.
It's a red wine with a 2019 vintage, and called Rioja Reserva, and was about $8 a bottle----definitely a deal.
I knew already that Riojas were good from a recent purchase and recommendation by a sommelier who is a good friend.....
It's a very popular variety of wine, and gaining in popularity fast. He said they often compete with Cabernets but at a MUCH lower price price point.
I bought about 6 bottles but wished it had been 12. It was quite good and now will be one of my new "every day" red wines which I'll enjoy
at a great price. Having a glass now as we speak, and I'll soon have to run by there and get more! Hope nobody else has found out about it!!!
I think you'd be pleasantly surprised with it, and it pairs well with the usual stuff that pairs well with Cabs. Enjoy.

 

[Superchief]

The best value red wine I am currently familiar with is Cocobon red blend for $8-$10. I bought some this week at Kroger on Hilton Head for under $8 with my 10% discount and it is still a very good wine. A wine expert at Party Source in Covington recommended to me a few years ago but it was hard to find, but it is still really good, better than many higher priced wines. I also find the Bogle red zin and Pitit Syrah to be excellent wines for the cost, but Costco no longer carries it. One of my goals in life is to find good wines for $8-12 that are better than many more expensive ones.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

I went this past weekend and also couldn't find it....DANG, I was so disappointed, as parking and shopping at Costco is not the easiest thing to do........
always crowded and sometimes a pain! Apparently they were out of it, if indeed they ever had it there.
That said, I just browsed around, and found a wine I decided to take a chance on.....a Rioja, which is from Spain, which had a Kirkland label.
It's a red wine with a 2019 vintage, and called Rioja Reserva, and was about $8 a bottle----definitely a deal.
I knew already that Riojas were good from a recent purchase and recommendation by a sommelier who is a good friend.....
It's a very popular variety of wine, and gaining in popularity fast. He said they often compete with Cabernets but at a MUCH lower price price point.
I bought about 6 bottles but wished it had been 12. It was quite good and now will be one of my new "every day" red wines which I'll enjoy
at a great price. Having a glass now as we speak, and I'll soon have to run by there and get more! Hope nobody else has found out about it!!!
I think you'd be pleasantly surprised with it, and it pairs well with the usual stuff that pairs well with Cabs. Enjoy.

When I drank red wines more extensively, Spanish red wines in general, and Riojas, Riberas, and Toros were among my favorites. Not to forget tempranillo; my first introduction to Spanish red wine was some $3/bottle tempranillo I purchased at WTSO about 20 years ago. At that time, there were screaming values on Spanish red wines at wine flash sale sites, especially WTSO. Those days are gone, but I believe Spanish reds still consistenly provide some of the best QPR (quality to price ratio) in that <$15/bottle tier.

I still keep watch for Spanish reds with some age when I am looking for red wines. Total Wine is a good spot, and sometimes I spot something at Trader Joe's. I haven't noticed the Rioja at Costco, though I will be sure to look. Parenthetically, the Portugese Red Blend at Costco is very solid for the price.

Rioja has more cachet (and backup marketing) than many of the regions in Castile & Leon, which means that often wines that are comparable quality (to my palate, anyway) cost a bit more if they are from Rioja. I think it's a bit like Napa Valley that way.

This last Christmas, DD asked me to pick up some red wine for our holiday celebrations. She suggested pinot and cab. I'm not a big cab fan, so I bought four Spanish reds at Total Wine. They were immensely popular.

A few additional comments:

• I look for wines that don't blow me away when I take a sip, but that rather just blend in with activities and food. So, soon the glass is empty, and I hardly noticed until then. That is particularly true with food; the wine should complement, not dominate, the food and the conversation.
• Those solid Spanish red wines are the basic wine for tapas bars. Which means that they will pair with almost anything.
• Good Spanish reds thrive with some ageing, and that is particularly true for red wines from north central Spain (Rioja and Castile & Leon). I generally pass on any wine from that area that isn't at least three years, so now is a great time to buy 2019s. That doesn't mean there isn't good value in younger wines; but when I'm buying wines I haven't specifically tried, I want to avoid duds. And that's easier to do with Spanish reds that have spent are at least three years old.
• When I'm looking at a candidate Spanish red, I ponder why it is being sold now. Holding onto inventory at a winery costs the winery money, so all things considered the wine should sell for a premium if it has some age. Is it being sold now because it's inferior wine and didn't sell? Or is it a decent wine that just didn't move and so now they are clearing it out to make room and generate some cash flow?
• These Spanish reds still need time to open up after the bottle is opened. Those Christmas wines I mentioned above were pretty unremarkable right after opening. I transferred them to a decanter using a Vinturi. After an hour, they were coming to life, and they were fabulous after another hour.
• When I drank Spanish reds more regularly, after transferring to a decanter, I would sometimes stopper the decanter (my decanter is a large glass vessel with frittered glass stopper), and let them rest overnight and into the next day. The best wines were awesome after that treatment. But these wines have been produced for centuries as table wines that are often partially consumed in a single setting.
• Don't overlook Galicia and Douro (northern Portugal) for white wines - Vinho Verdes and Albariños - if you like crisp, dry white wines