CheapWineFinder Podcast
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CheapWineFinder Podcast
Trader Joe's $7.99 French Fizz: An Unexpected Summer Delight
Hear that pop? That's the sound of summer calling! Domain Dave uncorks a hidden gem that blows away expectations in this refreshing review of Trader Joe's JL Quinson Le Rosé French Fizz. At just $7.99, this frizzante-style bubbly delivers sophistication that defies its humble price tag.
What makes this pink sparkler special isn't just its attractive "Barbie doll pink with a hint of orange" appearance or its clever soda-pop style closure. The magic lies in its unique blend of traditional French red grape varieties rarely seen in American vineyards. With delicate notes of pink lemonade, strawberry, nectarine, and subtle tangerine, this low-alcohol (10.5%) sipper brings surprising elegance to casual summer gatherings.
Domain Dave admits he initially passed over this bottle during previous Trader Joe's visits, assuming it would be overly sweet or one-dimensional. His candid about-face offers a reminder that sometimes the most delightful wine discoveries come when we step outside our comfort zones. This particular find pairs beautifully with summer salads featuring tart dressings like strawberry vinaigrette, making it versatile for warm-weather entertaining. Serve it ice-cold for maximum refreshment, and you'll understand why Dave considers this not merely a "fun" wine but a genuinely nice little sipper worth seeking out before potential price increases hit.
Ready to discover your next favorite affordable summer wine? Subscribe to CheapWineFighter for more honest reviews of budget-friendly bottles that deliver well beyond their price point. And if you've tried this French Fizz, drop a comment letting us know your thoughts!
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Hey, welcome, it's Domain Dave again for CheapWineFightercom. Like we always do and always have been, we were there in 2008, back in the birth of wine on the internet, wine reviews on the internet. Still here Today. We've got a Trader Joe's wine, a 799 Summer Bubbly. We've got a Trader Joe's wine, a 799 Summer Bubbly, frisante. It's the JL Quinson Le Rosé French Fizz. Like I said, it's 799. It's a product of France wine, which means it's not from one growing area or the other. Jl Quinson, they do Provence, they do Chablis up in Burgundy, they do Beaujolais, they've done Rhone Valley. They've been around since 1904, but the problem is they don't have a website anymore, which they have too many wines not to have a website. So I don't know if they're still independent winery or somebody else's label, not that it matters, because somebody still knows what they're doing with this wine.
Speaker 1:A fizz is a bubbly, but it's a risante. There's atmospheres, pressure in the bottle. That's why there's bubbles. I mean that keeps the bubbles in the wine. The pressure pushes down. They'd all want to escape and you have a flat wine and you know, six, seven bars is for a champagne and that's why you have that big fat cork and that cage around there that's tightened up so it keeps the. You know the pressure wants to push it out and it won't go. This has a soda pop top, the old-fashioned soda pop top that you got to get the little handhold thing and take it out, and then it's got this little, a little fitting on top that holds it in a snap fitting so you can put it down there in between drinks so the fizz doesn't come out, because these frisantes are probably closer to sodas I mean carbonated soda than the art of champagne in terms of carbonation.
Speaker 1:This is a wine made from Trader Joe's. This is featured on the Fearless Flyer and they said it's from a blend of red grapes from the area, from the region, which could be anywhere Carillon, syrah, grenache, mavédra, and then a whole bunch of other grapes that aren't really popular in American wine. You might have had them a lot of times If you've had a Beaujolais, which is basically Gamay, or a Rosé from Provence. There's a blend of grapes. Most of them aren't really grown in California or Washington. They're not really from the United States. Occasionally you see them, but this is going to be a different kind of blend.
Speaker 1:Let's take a sip, because this is a 10.5 alcohol, kind of low on alcohol and it's going to be kind of a milder bubbly. It's basically a dry bubbly. There's got a little bit of sweetness to it, but it's more of that ripe fruit sweetness than sugar sweetness. Got good acidity. It's not quite lip-smacking acidity, but it makes you want to take another sip. The flavors aren't complicated. There is pink lemonade, there's maybe some strawberry, maybe some little bit of spice, maybe some nectarine, maybe I think I got a little bit of tangerine in there too. It's not complicated, but what's in your glass actually tastes really good and it's you know, keep a chill on it. Good, and it's, you know, keep a chill on it. You know you want to get an ice bucket and keep this in the ice bucket because the cooler it is, the more fun it is going to drink. I'm going to take another sip. It's Barbie doll pink with just a hint of orange. And the bubbles it's not furious in the bubbles, but they're nice tight little bubbles and they keep on going.
Speaker 1:This wine's been a Trader Joe's for a while and I never picked it. Oh, it's a fizz, don't want to, I don't, I don't want one of those wines and I finally okay, it's a summertime, not having a wine that's heavy when it's hot outside is always nice, so I'll give it a try. The uh, the block, there's two, there's a, there's the um, the rosé french fizz, and there's the French Fizz Blanc, and the Blanc is Moscato grapes, which I'm not crazy about them. I've had some good Moscato wines, but there's usually a flavor in there that isn't my favorite. It's not terrible, but I picked the Rosé and it was surprisingly elegant. This is for $7.99.
Speaker 1:This is not just a fun wine. This is a nice little sipping wine. This is a wine that if you had maybe a fancy salad with maybe strawberry vinegar dressing on it, or not creamy, something addressing this nice and tart, maybe with cranberries and whatever in there too, this thing would go great. It's just one of those. You know you don't expect it for $7.99. You expect these to be fun. Okay, they're farther, a little bit too sweet, but hey, for the price they're great. No, this is a kind of a nice wine and, from you know, a wine of france. It's not from any growing area, the french don't do that, but it works here. Take another sip. So there you go.
Speaker 1:This is the the JL Quinson La Rose French Fizz $7.99 at Trader Joe's. I liked it. I mean, this is a recommended wine In the summertime. You want a low-alcohol wine that really tastes delicious and is easy to drink and it's affordable. And get it now, before it's going to be 25% higher. This is Domain Dave Adios. Keep it cheap. We've got a. What do we got? I think we've got a Pinot Noir coming up. I'll be talking to everybody in a couple days. Keep it cheap, adios.