With so many choices of wines and types of wines available at grocery stores, it can be very intimidating to find the best wine for what you like. Keep in mind it is often best to try and pair your wine with what you are eating or snacking on for the best experience. Our hope is to help you find the perfect wine for what you like, and at the price point that fits your budget.
We interviewed Dan Chapman who was the facilitator of wine for 10 years at Trader Joe’s to get an insider point of view of their best value wines under $12. These wines definitely “punch above their weight”. He was nice enough to include several different varietals of wine to help our audience find something no matter what their preferred type of wine is.
Prices may vary slightly from location to location, but should only vary by a dollar or two from the prices we posted. Regardless, these wines are fantastic for their price, even if it were to slightly be more expensive than the prices we show on this post.
This list is in the low price point range. Trader Joe’s has many other good value wines in higher price points, which we will list out in separate articles.
- Corvelia Cabernet (Paso Robles) $9.99, 4.1 average rating on Vivino.
Pair this wine with a nice steak dinner or Trader Joe’s recommends pairing this with a chocolate dessert.
- Casone Rosso (Tuscany, Italy) $9.99, 3.9 average rating on Vivino.
It is 80% Sangiovese and 20% Syrah. The varietal % sometimes varies depending on vintage.
- The Pass Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand) – $8.99, 4.0 average rating on Vivino.
Made by Kim Crawford
- Kidia Sauvignon Blanc (Loncomilla Valley, Chile) $5.99 3.5 average rating on Vivino.
This one only has an average rating of 3.5 stars, but take our word for it, this wine is still fantastic. And you can’t beat the $5.99 price tag either.
- Maison Barboulot Cabernet/Syrah Blend (France) $5.99, 3.9 average rating on Vivino.
Description from Trader Joe’s:
Hailing from the Pays d’Oc region of Southern France, Maison Barboulot Cabernet-Syrah may just be one of the finest hidden gems in our entire wine section. Each sip is smooth and fruity, with ripe aromas of cherry and refined notes of vanilla on the palate, leading into a lovely, lingering finish. It’s the kind of wine you can turn to, again and again, to pair with a nice, seared steak during a romantic dinner, to cheers with a loved one as you nestle into the couch to watch a show, or even to just keep on hand for whenever the moment calls for an outstanding and approachable French red.
- La Burgondie Crémant de Bourgogne (Sparkling French from Burgundy region) $9.99. 3.8 average rating on Vivino.
- Spiral Chardonnay (Napa Valley) $8.99. 3.6 average rating on Vivino.
Made by La Crema
- Terrain Vineyards Red Blend (California) $5.99, 3.7 average rating on Vivino.
- Cecilia Beretta – Cecilia B Spumante Rosé N.V. $8.99, 4.0 average rating on Vivino.
Not sweet, but sparkling rose very floral.
Description from Trader Joe’s:
Prosecco fans know that the wine shelves in their neighborhood Trader Joe’s are filled to the brim with incredible values on various expressions of this favored varietal. Crisp and bubbly with a hint of fruity sweetness, this show stopping, Northern Italian sparkling wine stuns year-round. But when one of our winery partners had the idea to blend this bubbly with a bit of rosé (the unofficial wine of summer), they truly captured lightning in a bottle. Cecilia Beretta Prosecco Rosé possesses the much-adored qualities of its Prosecco parentage, with a touch more body and structure from the addition of Pinot Noir grapes, which also lends this sparkler its signature blush hue. Floral, fruity, and undeniably refreshing, it’s the ideal warm weather aperitif paired with a Rosé Toscano cheese platter or seared Branzino Fillets.
- Vignobles Lacheteau Vouvray (Loire Valley, France) $9.99, 3.7 average rating on Vivino.
Hints of tropical fruit and honeysuckle.
This list should help anyone find a great value wine shopping at Trader Joe’s. These are all exclusively sold at Trader Joe’s as part of their private label brands. So you can only find these at Trader Joe’s.
A special thanks to Dan Chapman for helping us with this article. You can find Dan on Instagram here:
If you have any other favorite Trader Joe’s wines, please let us know in the comments below!
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