8 of the best wines to buy at Costco, from a sommelier (2024)

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8 of the best wines to buy at Costco, from a sommelier (1)

  • 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.

8 of the best wines to buy at Costco, from a sommelier (2)

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8 of the best wines to buy at Costco, from a sommelier (4)

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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.

8 of the best wines to buy at Costco, from a sommelier (5)

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.

8 of the best wines to buy at Costco, from a sommelier (6)

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.

8 of the best wines to buy at Costco, from a sommelier (7)

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.

8 of the best wines to buy at Costco, from a sommelier (8)

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.

8 of the best wines to buy at Costco, from a sommelier (9)

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.

8 of the best wines to buy at Costco, from a sommelier (10)

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.

8 of the best wines to buy at Costco, from a sommelier (11)

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.

8 of the best wines to buy at Costco, from a sommelier (12)

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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8 of the best wines to buy at Costco, from a sommelier (2024)

FAQs

8 of the best wines to buy at Costco, from a sommelier? ›

I'm a certified sommelier, and I love shopping for wine at Costco. I actually recommend the Kirkland Signature

Kirkland Signature
Kirkland Signature is Costco's private label brand, featured on a wide array of products sold across Costco's warehouses and its website. Launched in 1995, the brand takes its name from the original location of Costco's corporate headquarters in Kirkland, Washington.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Costco
Champagne, and it's only $21 a bottle. The bulk store also has great chardonnay, rosé, zinfandel, and sauvignon blanc options.

Who makes Costco's boxed wine? ›

A deep dive into the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau registry ties Kirkland wines to a few different wineries: E&J Gallo Winery and Ethica Wines in Florida, Grove Street Winery and Francis Ford Coppola's winery in California, and Misa Imports in Texas.

Who is the largest wine buyer at Costco? ›

For Annette Alvarez-Peters, it began with lots of books, not enough sleep, and promising her boss she'd learn the ropes fast. Alvarez-Peters joined Costco in 1983, and became a wine buyer for the wholesale company in 1995, following brief stints in the electronics and auto departments.

Does Costco make their own wine? ›

Costco doesn't actually make the wines. just for Kirkland Signature. At our closest store, we found a dozen or so of these wines, and we're gonna give them a taste today.

Does Costco buy the most wine? ›

Costco is a wine power house

With roughly $2 billion in wine sales annually, Costco is one of the largest wine retailers on the globe, so it's no surprise that its team of wine buyers is composed of those considered to be some of the most influential on the globe, too.

Does Costco have a sommelier? ›

Ernie Ceja - Sommelier/Alcohol Specialist - Costco Wholesale | LinkedIn.

What is the top seller at Costco? ›

Toilet paper

Yes, that's right! Costco's best-selling item is its Kirkland Signature Bath Tissue. It sells more than a billion rolls every year, bringing in over $400 million dollars in revenue. Costco's toilet paper is thicker and more absorbent than most other brands.

Who is the #1 wine seller in the US? ›

SOUTHERN GLAZER'S WINE & SPIRITS With more than 120 offices across 41 states and representing more than 1,000 American wineries, Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits (SGWS) remains the largest U.S. wine distributor. The Miami, Fla.

Who makes Kirkland Pinot? ›

One change to note is that we have a new winemaker producing this latest vintage, Glenn Hugo, who makes several other wines in the Kirkland portfolio. Previously, this wine was made by Nancy Walker.

Who makes Kirkland Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc? ›

Although Kirkland branded wines may not be considered “fine wine,” they certainly have their time and place. This Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough New Zealand's Ti Point Winery under the Kirkland Signature branding is very good.

Who makes Kirkland Sancerre? ›

This Kirkland Signature wine is available exclusively at Costco for just $15.99. It is imported by Misa Imports and is still made by Cave de la Vigne Blanche Coopérative de Clessé. From the bottle: […] #wine #winelover #reversewinesnob https://www.reversewinesnob.com/kirkland-signature-sancerre.

How is Kirkland wine so cheap? ›

Kirkland: Costco's secret to low prices

The only difference between Kirkland Signature-branded products and some of the most popular global liquor brands is the label. The Kirkland brand also allows Costco to cut out the middleman and buy liquor directly from the producers.

What is the most expensive wine sold at Costco? ›

The Costco in Mountain View is selling a four-pack of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti wines (in the standard 750mL size) for $40,000.

What does Costco make most of their money on? ›

The answer is surprising: Costco makes a profit mainly from membership fees. To shop at Costco, one must possess a membership. This permits Costco to do what no other grocery store could previously do, which is sell their items at a price so low that they break even.

Who makes Costco's Kirkland Cabernet Sauvignon? ›

Wine sleuths think E&J Gallo Winery is the Kirkland boxed wine producer. There are many popular wines to buy at Costco, some that are sold under recognizable labels, and others as part of the Kirkland Signature line. The releases are often seasonal, with limited availability of a specific bottle once stock runs out.

Who makes Kirkland vacqueyras? ›

Vacqueyras, neighbor to Gigondas and Chateauneuf-du-Pape, makes wines in a similar style with a lower price tag, so it's a great place to find value. A look at the back label reveals that this wine is made by Guillaume Gonnet, the same producer behind the excellent Kirkland Signature Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

What company owns black box wine? ›

The company, which also owns the Robert Mondavi winery, sort of stumbled into box wines when some of its executives were impressed by the quality of Black Box during a sampling. Constellation purchased the brand from the young entrepreneur who invented it.

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