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Brianne Cohen
- I'm a certified sommelier, and I love shopping for wine at Costco.
- I actually recommend the Kirkland Signature Champagne, and it's only $21 a bottle.
- The bulk store also has great chardonnay, rosé, zinfandel, and sauvignon blanc options.
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I don't recall what drove me to get a Costco membership in 2020, but I strolled in one day and signed up. Since the wholesale store has topped the American Customer Satisfaction Index study for the past seven years, I know it wasn't an original siren call.
I'm in a household of two (just me, my husband Aaron, and our two fur babies), so I wasn't sure if I'd get to take full advantage of the bulk retailer. But boy, was I wrong.
Every time I go, I seem to discover something new. And as a certified sommelier, I'm always looking for great wine deals.
In many ways, shopping at Costco helps me be a better sommelier and get people closer to discovering wines that knock their socks off.
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Here are some of my favorite bottles at Costco.
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Believe it or not, Kirkland's Champagne is a winner.
The Kirkland Signature brut Champagne is one of the most lauded Costco wines. Finding another quality bottle of true Champagne — made in the Champagne region of France — for $21 is a futile mission.
I'll cut to the chase here. If you're looking for inexpensive Champagne and don't mind a lighter and fresher style, this is it.
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I love the DAOU sauvignon blanc.
Brothers Georges and Daniel Daou, originally from Beirut, fell in love with wine after fleeing to France in the 1970s during the Lebanese Civil War before opening their own winery in California.
DAOU produces incredible wines at varying prices, and the brand's $15 sauvignon blanc at Costco is a sleeper hit.
The wine is the perfect summer sipper. It gives all the "rooty tooty" fresh and fruity vibes and has excellent acidity.
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The Fess Parker Winery chardonnay is easily the best value at Costco.
Fess Parker chardonnay, priced at $14.59 a bottle, is a product of a third-generation, family-owned business in the Santa Barbara area.
This wine, which wins the title of "best value" at Costco, is not your typical oaky or buttery chardonnay. It offers a fresh and bright experience on the nose and palate, with just a hint of oaky toastiness and a satisfyingly long finish.
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But the Bouchaine chardonnay is also great.
I love that the Bouchaine chardonnay is a woman-owned and woman-made wine.
The California winery is located in the Carneros area, right on the border of Sonoma and Napa. Its cooler-climate chardonnay brings sophistication and restraint to the glass.
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If you're looking for a French rosé, grab a bottle of Gérard Bertrand.
Gérard Bertrand boasts 17 biodynamically farmed wine estates throughout the south of France.
The brand's Cote des Roses 2022 rosé brings a bright "joie de vivre." Quaffable, refreshing, and thirst-quenching, the $13 bottle is everything I want in a rosé.
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Pick up Seghesio Family Vineyards' zinfandel for your next barbecue.
Since 1895, the Seghesio family has been making wine in Sonoma County.
The brand's 2022 zinfendel, made from a heritage grape, is bold, juicy, and fruity.
The $19 bottle at Costco serves classic zinfandel flavors of red fruits and heaps of spice notes — all perfect to pair with barbecue fare.
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Madame de Beaucaillou's 2019 Haut-Médoc tastes way more expensive than $20.
2019 marked the 300th vintage of Madame de Beaucaillou's famed Bordeaux property. And the brand's entry-level red Bordeaux punches way above its price class.
The $20 wine is full of flavors like fresh dark fruit and beautiful tertiary aromas like coffee and dark chocolate. Plus, the smooth-as-silk tannins give it a velvety effect.
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You can never go wrong with the Jordan Winery cabernet sauvignon.
One of the most reliable and quality-driven California cabernet sauvignons on the market is from Jordan Winery.
Although the bottle is a little pricey by Costco's standards at $57.09, it's the perfect steak wine with all the classic cab-sav notes of dark fruits, cassis, and tobacco leaves.
Click to keep reading Costco diaries like this one.
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