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Trader Joe's New Wines - Podcast

In the latest episode of the Inside Trader Joe’s podcast, which dropped earlier this week, hosts Tara Miller and Matt Sloan are popping bottles, swirling glasses, and sipping wines. And they’re not doing it alone! The duo invited two TJ’s employees — Dale and Michael (who goes by Cooney) — to chat about Chablis, Chardonnay, rosé, and more. 

In between the fun facts (rosé is named for its color) and the hard stats (the grocer sells about 40 million bottles of wine every year) the group shared a few details about three new bottles hitting shelves “very soon.” And while exact dates are TBA, after listening to their on-air tasting, “very soon” can’t come soon enough.

1. Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Pinot Noir, 2021 

This wine comes from California’s Carneros region, which straddles both Napa and Sonoma. (That area is good for Pinot, explains Tara, because the weather is a little cooler.) Bottled by Carneros cellars in Napa, this Pinot Noir is 14.5 percent alcohol — “so, it’s a little bit up there,” says Cooney — and light in color. Both hosts like it, and know exactly how they’d serve it. For Tara, it’s an ideal pairing with Thanksgiving dinner “because it’s not so heavy,” while Matt called out its potential as a “cocktail type of wine.” Guess we’ll just have to wait and sip for ourselves.

2. Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Malbec, 2019 

This Malbec is from a single vineyard in Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina and, according to our hosts, it’s the grocer’s first Grand Reserve from the country. Compared to the Pinot, Matt found it to be more opaque and a darker color with heavier pigmentation. “It’s even a little more viscous on the side of the glass,” adds Tara. It’s a “good, full body” wine, says Dale. It has “a nice level of acidity,” adds Cooney and “a little heavier, fattier, mouthfeel.”

3. Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2020

Diamond Reserves are “the upper echelon of Trader Joe’s Reserves,” says Cooney, and this Cabernet Sauvignon is the one that he looks forward to the most every year. He even popped some open on Christmas last year (maybe you did too!). The flavorful wine is from Oakville, a renowned sub-region of Napa Valley, and at $19.99, it’s in the upper echelon of TJ’s bottles. Pro tip from both Cooney and Dale: Open it up early to let it breathe (30 minutes before serving should do the trick). That extra step will help enhance the flavor of the wine.

What TJ’s wine are you buying this holiday season? Tell us in the comments below.

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