CheapWineFinder Podcast
Talking about remarkable wines that pair nicely with your wallet! Because we like to keep it cheap but excellent.
CheapWineFinder Podcast
Uncorking Trader Joe's: A $10 Paso Robles Grenache Worth Your Attention
Ever wondered if you could find a genuinely good bottle of wine for just $10? In this episode, we uncork a surprising discovery from Trader Joe's - their Reserve Paso Robles Grenache 2023, produced by one of the most respected winemaking families in California's Central Coast.
The Beckett family, founders of Peachy Canyon Winery back in 1988, has crafted this budget-friendly Grenache that punches well above its weight class. While they're primarily celebrated for their exceptional Zinfandels, their involvement with the "Rhone Rangers" collective gives them serious credentials with Rhone varieties like Grenache. Their sons once founded Chronic Cellars (remember that cheeky "Sofa King Bueno" wine?) before selling it for a tidy profit - so these folks know their wine business.
What makes this Grenache special? It delivers genuine character rather than the flat, one-dimensional profile you might expect at this price point. There's a beautiful balance of juicy fruit without veering into "fruit bomb" territory, plus that spicy complexity that makes Grenache so appealing. Most impressively, it features real, integrated tannins - something often stripped away from budget wines. For wine lovers who've grown accustomed to the disappointment of cheap bottles, this one brings back memories of when Southern Rhone wines under $15 were reliable go-tos for quality drinking.
Whether you're a curious wine novice or a seasoned enthusiast looking for an everyday sipper, this bottle represents a rare opportunity to experience a Central Coast red from established producers without the premium price tag. Have you found any hidden gems at your local grocery store lately? Let us know in the comments, and don't forget to subscribe for more affordable wine discoveries that keep your palate happy and your wallet full!
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hey, welcome, it's a domain dave. Cheap wine findercom. Again, like always, got another cheap one under 10 bucks. Um, it's a trader. Joe's reserve, pass a. Robles grenache 2023. This is just a reserve. No diamond, no, you know. No silver, no, uh. No tin, I don't know. They have all these different things, uh, different reserves which might mean something. No silver, no, tin, I don't know. They have all these different things, different reserves which might mean something. Usually they mean they cost more money, but this is $9.99.
Speaker 1:The one thing about this Grenache that is produced and bottled by the backs of the Beckett family out of Paso Robles, the Beckett family out of Paso Robles, the Beckett family is Peachy Canyon. I mean, it's some you know. Imagine it's an entity of Peachy Canyon. They've been around since 1988. The father and mother started it back then. The two sons broke off and did Chronic Cellars wines. You might be familiar with them Sold it for a profit. Their famous wine was Sofa King Bueno, that's S-O-F-A, next word K-I-N-G. I didn't swear, but they had that kind of sense of humor in their wine Really good wines. So they are kind of a fixture in Paso Robles. They're mainly known for their Zinfandel's. They have some really good Zinfandel vineyards and they're really into different clones of Zinfandel and all that kind of stuff kind of thing. But one thing they also are is a member of the Roan Rangers. The Roan Rangers are a group of mostly Central Coast wineries that are dedicated to producing Roan Valley grapes in that kind of style. That's the Central Coast. The North Coast is more likely to be Bordeaux style and maybe some places Burgundy, but the Central Coast is going after Rhone. It's mainly because it's a little warmer and all that type of thing, but not always.
Speaker 1:But Grenache is a Rhone grape. The famous grapes of the southern Rhone Valley is the GSM, grenache, syrah, movedre. You know that's maybe the second most popular blend behind the Cabernet Sauvignon, merlot, cabernet Franc blends of Bordeaux. So this is a Grenache wine. I checked the peachy Canyon website and they don't actually make a single varietal Grenache wine at the moment. Maybe they had in the past, but they do make blends with Grenache in it, so they do know their way around Grenache.
Speaker 1:I going to take a sip of this. It's pretty good. Part of the thing of the GSM is the Grenache and the Syrah. Syrah can be a little plump and juicy and the Grenache can be more likely to be tight and focused. So this one's kind of a little bit juicy and spicy. So they go well together. But there's no Syrah on this one. It's just straight up Grenache and actually as it opens up it's getting to be a little more juicy, a little more spicy. It's kind of fun to drink. There's a lot going on either, glass for for $10. It's kind of bright and good.
Speaker 1:I actually I never do this, but I read a review of this wine. There weren't that many out there before. I did this because I never want to know what anybody else thinks, it's not my business. But I did and I was like, oh, this is not going to be very good. And it turned out that maybe they got a bad bottle.
Speaker 1:I like this wine. It's a nice red wine. It's a change of pace If you've been doing the same old, same old. Even though Grenache is not an odd bar or weird wine, it's pretty much one of the big boys. I don't drink all that much of it and I don't see it around all that much.
Speaker 1:Take another sip. Yeah, that's good. It's got spice, it's got good grapes, it's juicy but it's not jammy. So it's not a fruit bomb. There is good flavor to it. It has a nice balance to it. It has tannins. A lot of times $10 wine it's kind of hide their tannins, but this one's kind of got the tannins there. They don't bite, they don't pull, but it's something that if you should like. It's like the first time he had coffee or cheese. It's bitter and after a while you know I don't know if I like this and after a while you, you like it. Tannins are the same way. After a while you kind know I don't know if I like this and after a while you like it. Tannins are the same way. After a while you kind of look forward to them. So there we go. This is a decent better than decent $10 wine. $10 for a wine out of Paso Robo, by one of the leaders of Paso Robo's wines. The Beckett family and Peachy canyon are kind of legends out that way and this is their wine for just a 10 wine. You can't really find their wines for 10 bucks anymore. So grab it, you're gonna like it.
Speaker 1:If you haven't had a grenache in a while, you probably haven't. You know when I, when I first started doing the website uh, you know, 15 years or more ago, if you wanted a good red wine. You got a? Uh, you got a? Um, a southern rome uh, southern rome valley, just regular wine of villages or whatever. You know that you would have the syrah, grenache or whatever in there and there are always really good wines and they're under 15 bucks. I don't see them around that much and they're around, but you not the same way. But here you can kind of get a handle on a good grenache wine for a really good producer at a really low rate at a place at a grocery store, or you can also pick up some pretty cool items at trader joe's.
Speaker 1:So, adios, keep it cheap. This is domain dave. You know, if you can, if you can can, like us where you like your podcast, please do it. For some reason, after all these years it still makes a difference. You got to do it by hand. So, adios, keep it cheap. I'll be talking to you later. We got more wine for the summer. Adios, bye-bye, keep it cheap.