Trader Joe's Wines

Trader Joe's just opened in New York. Have never been there before, but heard many wonderful things from many different people, including my sister and my mom. Also, I know our dog Bonbu's favorite treat, this chicken strip thing, comes from Trader Joe's. Had the chance to go by the other day, and it was pretty cool, got lots of very cheap groceries, but at the same time, perhaps not somewhere I would shop often. I like to buy, in terms of groceries, good quality ingredients that I can cook with, such as fresh fish, duck breast, steak and etc. Trader Joe's has all those, but at the same time, the quality of their fish, that's say, is not comparable to places like Wild Edibles or Whole Food, even thought it is very cheap though. On the other hand, Trader Joe's has lots of snacks, which I don't like as much, but my sister seems too.

In addition to just the regular store, they also have a wine shop. My sister told me about their TWO BUCK CHUCK, which in her words, are MIGHTY GOOD. I stop by there quickly, and didn't see the so called TWO BUCK CHUCK, which according to my sister, is not always $2 in every city, as it is like $4 in DC, but $2 in LA. So I decided to pick up sevearl bottles (3 to be exact). Had the chance to taste 2 bottles, the Trader Joe's Coastal Merlot 2004 and Honey Moon Viognier 2005 California, and the verdict is: they are MIGHTY GOOD, for the price that is, and if you are ever in need of some cheap wines for a party, this is it.

Trader Joe's Coastal Merlot 2004 is a very easy drinking wine and costs only $4.99. The wine tasted soft, round and jammy. There are a lot of berry fruits in the wine. A little sweet when first entered into the mouth, and a little spice at the finish as well, which lasted like, oh, 2 seconds. The wine is not complex, but a simple straight forward quaffing wine.

The Honey Moon Viognier 2005 California is slightly more expensive, at $5.99. It does not really taste like Viognier to me, or at least not the usual Condrieu (the appellation in Rhone region in France). It is not as aromatic as the Condrieu and displayed a slightly different note as well. There is note of honeysuckle, lime and herb, which kind of remind me of a Sauvignon Blanc. The wine tastes like a intermix of honey and lime, with a touch of grassiness, which felt on my palate more like Sauvignon Blanc. Nonetheless, it is a aromatic, somewhat sweet wine that if you serve it at a party, it would be enjoyable. Still, I prefer the Merlot slightly better.

And also, I think I am going to start rating wine on my blog now, hahaha, but I wont use the 100 point scale, since that involves too many points in between, all 100 of them, and that is way too complicated for me. Instead, I would rate them like how we are all rated in school: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, F. So for the Honey Moon, C+, and for the Merlot, B-, both are not great, but not bad either, given the low price.