January 19 2010
Trader Joe’s has received a well-earned national reputation for being a food and wine marauder, pillaging culinary corners of the world, bringing top value for the dollar to consumers. But, what happens when that marauding presents products so far from a traditional definition of quality as to border on fraud?
Always a good bet for low-risk experimentation, a place where you can find dried lychee and canned, and edible aloe vera, there seems to be a certain nefarious underbelly to the well-earned Trader Joe’s reputation, particularly in the wine aisle.
In October, I lamented many of the Trader Joe’s private label wines as being deficient in at least one way – acid was soft, tannins were hard, fruit was muted, finish was short, etc. I suggested that consumers conduct their own kitchen sink blending because many Trader Joe wines were one component away from being a fantastic bargain for the dollar. That Napa Cab for $13 could actually approximate a $45 dollar bottle if you just helped round it out with something to give the mid-palate some heft. And, as I noted in my post, that sensibility isn’t really too far from the Trader Joe’s ethos where everything looks like a bargain individually, even if it takes six other things to accompany the Thai green curry simmer sauce to make a whole dish.
Unbowed by my own erratic adventures in the Trader Joe’s wine aisle, I recently picked up a threesome of normally very expensive Italian varietals, all Trader Joe’s priced at under $17 a bottle and all favorites of mine whenever I’ve had their varietal brothers at much higher price points.
Simply, I was curious what a $17 Barolo, a $15 Barbaresco and a $14 Amarone tasted like – particularly when, according to Wine-Searcher, the price averages for their brethren by state is:
2005 Barolo
California price average: $90
New York price average: $76
Indiana price average: $77
Coast-to-coast three state average: $81
2005 Barbaresco
California price average: $154
New York price average: $126
Indiana price average: $61
Coast-to-coast three state average: $114
2006 Amarone
California price average: $37
New York price average: $46
Indiana price average: $33
Coast-to-coast three state average: $39
Based on the Wine-Searcher average prices by state, you might think that I would be in for a treat given the savings I would be getting for the wines that Trader Joe’s carried: a $64 savings for the Barolo, a $99 dollars savings for the Barbaresco and a $25 savings for the Amarone.
Ahem, here are my tasting notes for the Trader Joe’s wines:
2005 La Loggia Barolo: Flat cherry coke with acid and oak – tastes like Ned Beatty feels in the Deliverance.
2005 La Loggia Barbaresco: Flip a coin it’s either like cherry Vick’s cough syrup or strawberry balsamic vinegar. I can’t tell which and I don’t want to take another sip to make the right call.
2006 Conte Di Bregonzo Amarone: Spilled Welch’s grape juice on the concrete floor of a basement after a kegger.
Each of these wines was seriously dreadful. Barely potable. A, “Sip, scrunch up your nose, let loose a whole body shake and dump down the drain” type of wine. And, that’s precisely the problem I have with them … and the majority of the Trader Joe’s wine aisle.
When I go to Trader Joe’s and I’m in the mood to trying something new I’ve come to expect that all of the foodstuffs are reliably good. Dried hibiscus flower? Yup, they’re good. Arrabbiata sauce. Yup, that’s good, too. The thing is, even if you get something you don’t like at Trader Joe’s chances are it’s your taste buds and not the product, which is just fine. Not so in their wine department …
Any empirical analysis of the Italian wines I tried would tell you they are horrible wines. They are not well made, and not representative of what a Barolo, Barbaresco or Amarone should taste like, not by a long shot. And, that’s the fraud part.
I can overlook the hundreds of thousands of cases of Charles Shaw they sell every year because it is a wine without technical flaws and presumably those wine drinkers will move onto other, more expensive (and more expressive) wines. But, what happens if said budding wine enthusiast tries a Barolo from Trader Joe’s without understanding what a Barolo (a normal, good Barolo) tastes like? They’re probably ruined for the varietal forever, or at least a good many years—particularly when a bottle of the good stuff costs at least 4X as much.
And, that’s a shame.
Sometimes a knockoff of the real thing is only that – a cheap, bad knockoff. That New York City sidewalk Rolex looks good for three weeks before your wrist turns green and the sweeping hand stops moving. Lesson learned, you no longer continue to be “penny wise and pound foolish.”
As Trader Joe’s founder Joe Coloumbe once told writer Paul Franson, “We built Trader Joe’s on wine first … I tasted 100,000 wines, and most weren’t wonderful. They were submitted to us by desperate vintners.”
Unfortunately, it would seem, not much has changed. Caveat emptor. Or, as an Italian might say, “Rischio del compratore.”
Posted in, Good Grape Daily: Pomace & Lees. Permalink | Comments (38) |
Excellent work. I wonder where you’re getting the pricing information on the Barbaresco, particularly with the gulf in prices among states.
I recently purchased an Aglianico from Trader Joe’s for similar experimental reasons. My wife and I dumped it. Your descriptions of these wines are tragically beautiful, and not surprising.
Building on your point, there will be Trader Joe’s shoppers who are accustomed to drinking Yellow Tail and that ilk. Once in a while those shoppers will make a daring choice and “see what Barolo is all about.” And that one experience will send them back to Yellow Tail, scoffing, “I knew that those wines were all hype.” Frightening.
TJ’s is good for staples…not artisanal products, same goes for their cheese selection, bread selection, coffee beans and more. I would never go to TJ’s seeking out something out of this world, but I do go there to pick up the everyday items that satisfy my love of food & drink.
Jeff,
The consumer has to do a little work, too. 2005 in Piedmont wasn’t much of a vintage. Buying an unknown producer from that year is a losing proposition whether at Trader Joe’s or your local shop.
The Amarone: don’t remember the vintage (don’t know the producer either), but if it isn’t a Classico or Superiore, it likely isn’t going to be worth much anyway.
And, as Evan points out, those Barbaresco prices you quote in the US, when compared with Barolo, seem to be reversed.
I’m reminded of the axiom “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” I consider myself fortunate in that ALL of the wine I drink, even those $10-$15 bottles, I get to taste before I purchase. I know this is a luxury most don’t have, and I’m grateful for it.
I recently went into my local store, and got some Central Coast reds in the $10-$20 range. So far, there’s only been one dud, and I’m about halfway through them.
But a $17 Barolo? Be afraid, be very afraid.
Which is why TJ’s should be used for fighting varietals—Tuesday night dinner at home wines These vin de table wines are what they are—pleasant quaffers. No pulling a fast one.
The worst Tri Tip steak I have ever had came from Trader Joe’s. It was slimy and incredibly gamey. One bite and I had to throw away the whole 3lb steak. The dinner party was almost ruined. It wasn’t even worth going back to the store for a refund. The only thing worse than the steak was the wine that one of the guests picked up from Trader Joe’s. One sip and the guests were practically coughing and spraying it back out their noses. I won’t be shopping there until they rectify these quality issues.
Amen, couldn’t agree more. What amazes me are the really cheap French wines. Some stuff around $5-$7 from Bdx and the Rhone. If you factor in the cost of glass bottles, non-synthetic cork, and shipping - what the hell is actually in the bottle?
The ONE area where TJ’s crushes it is in the sparkling category - their prices on entry-level Champagne, as well as great sparkling wines from Gloria Ferrer and Schramsberg are probably the lowest I’ve ever seen. And the stock consistently good stuff in this group.
There’s a TJ’s literally across the street from me in LA and I don’t buy wine there, so that should say something!
Since when is TJ expected to get it right all the time? Does any wine retailer, cheesemonger, butcher, restaurant get it right every time? Of course not.
Every purchase carries a risk. Even though TJ carries many “premium” labels, your definition of premium will vary. Remember why vintages used to be more important to know? Because the quality of the final wines varied from year to year even in the best vineyards and wineries.
What the take-home message should be but isn’t is that there are no bad wines only bad bottles.
Love the post Jeff. I have to say I’m a huge TJs fan, and do a lot of shopping there. As for wine, I’ve found a few great bottles, and a few poor ones. Most recently had a really horrible Prosecco that I would have gladly taken back if that were acceptable!
I find that experimenting isn’t necessarily safe there for $10-$15 bottles unless it’s a name I already know (Chateau Ste Michelle, Freixenet, etc).
In Cleveland the staff in the wine department was fairly well trained, and I was trusting in their recommendations. Haven’t run in to too much help in Oregon yet though. Honestly though, I think it’s always important to find someone who knows the wines before buying, as I recommend to many people that ask me how to purchase wisely. Their job is to know better about their product, regardless of how much we know personally about wine in general.
In reply to an earlier comment, I’m really curious how Tim managed to get such a poor steak, cook it, and get it to mouths before realizing how bad it was. Seems like a slimy steak would be noticeable right away unless due to poor cooking?
The steak: I was kind of in a jam, there wasnt enough time to go back out and buy another steak, guests were arriving in a half hour and I was hoping to serve some wine and start eating fairly soon after their arrival. I was hoping the problem would magically fix itself in the oven, but it got much much worse.
Tim - that’s unfortunate! I definitely would have gone back and said something. If anything, the one thing that seems to be common among all stores is that they do have excellent customer service. I’ve mentioned any problems I’ve had and they’re more than happy to comp another item, etc. Cheers!
Actually, now I feel kinda bad about complaining about it on one of the most popular wine blogs and not giving them the chance to correct the problem. It’s a 15 mile round trip thats kind of a hassle. One other thing I noticed is that this particular Trader Joe’s stores its cases of wine up against the front windows near the cash registers. The store faces the afternoon sun and is located in the Metro Phoenix area, Arizona. I wonder how many people have bought heat dammaged wine and never bought wine there again?
Yea, they’re not always super convenient. In Cleveland mine was just under our office space, but now in Oregon it’s a 30-45 minute drive to get to the nearest one! That does seem like an awful idea as for the wine storage! You should definitely advise them to move it. Or to hire you on a consulting basis!
Thomas - But James Suckling says ‘05 is better than ‘04! (Of course, he gave the ‘00 vintage a perfect 100, though few producers understand why).
What a load of crap your artcle was. I have been buying wines from Trader Joes and others for years. If the reason why you pay more for a branded wine from an independent store vs a chain is not apparently obvious to you then I suggest you go back to school. It’s ignorant people like you that think the more they pay for a wine the better it is, you obviously have no idea what you are talking about.
Funny thing about TJ’s. When the nearest one was ten miles away, a stop there was a treat. When one moved into the shopping center just down the way, I jumped for joy.
That was, I jumped for joy until I tried shopping there on a regular basis. Other than for some unusual stuff (interesting Italian sodas, ginger beer, frozen Indian entrees when I am on my own), TJ’s is less than meets the eye (although their hummus is better than Safeway’s or CostCos)
And as for wine, well, their wine selection is made up of leftovers and a few staples they can get at good prices. So, if you want Ste. Mich Riesling ( a great buy ), you can get it there but you also see some of the worst left overs and you just have to wonder if quality ever plays a role in their buying decisions?
Great article, Jeff, and had to be said. Thanks.
Evan,
One more reason to disregard a critic…
I have to agree with Jason’s comment up at the very top. If it’s above 10$ or so, I find most of the wines to be disappointing. Same thing goes for just about anything from a big-name appellation or grape. That 20$ CDP they have right now? One of the worst wines I’ve had in recent memory. An unpalatable bottle of dreck. If you’re willing to try stuff out, they do have some good everyday cheap (ie 5-6$) wines…although not that many. Perrin Cotes du Rhone 07 is probably the cheapest price in the country, there’s a decent Nero d’Avola (4$), an OK Tempranillo from Spain (4$), and that corny 5$ white from Alsace Now and Zen right now. The same wines at a wine shop or most other grocery stores would probably be closer to 10$.
TJs is very easy on the budget. They are a source of many B+ and even A- foods, like their seasonal gingerbread mix and their sipping chocolate.
For everyday wine, they are OK. For spirits, really good, as the price is right.
Any prepared foods tend to leave something to be desired, especially after they’ve been packaged in plastic wrap. TJs over seasons their prepared food, as if their taster is a two pack a day smoker.
I like wine with dinner. My wine collection has some beauties, and when my husband pulls one out he invariably mentions what he imagines its street value to be. And it feels just wrong to drink down a $200 bottle of wine with any old dinner. Most dinners are casual affairs, and if we are lucky enough to have snagged some outstanding claret from Costco or TJs at maybe $12 a bottle, I am happier - MUCH HAPPIER - than quaffing a $65 collector wine.
And finally, the worst bottle of wine I ever had came not from TJ or Costco, but arrived in my wine shipment from my elite Napa wine club. Had to throw it down the sink. That bad.
as mentioned above by tableforjoe - the sparklers at TJ’s are priced right and even their private label blanc de blancs is decent. can’t speak for the $17 barolo’s though.
For the most part, I’ve been able to drink & serve to friends TJs wines in the $6-10 range; some of the odd lots have been amazing and others I can’t drink. For $4 sometimes I take a chance.
I have returned wine to TJs. And I’ve gotten new product for perishable products that I’ve complained about including a rack of lamb and milk that was bad the first time I opened it.
Thanks for all the great comments, here. Really too much to comment on ...
I want to be clear that you can find wine deals at TJ’s—but, in my opinion it’s more on the order of what others have pointed out—well-known wineries that use TJ’s to move product.
Alternatively, what I’ve found is that if you can’t find the wine/label at other places—best to take a pass on it.
Sincerely, the only thing the Barolo or Barbaresco is good for is to use as a paint stripper—ironically enough, I’m 99% sure it’s only at Trader Joe’s.
Special shout-out to Yola G—as the old management maxim goes, “If everybody in the room agrees then somebody isn’t needed.” I appreciate the dissenting view.
Thanks again for all of the comments!
Jeff
This post makes some very good points. Unless a wine is a closeout (and TJ has many good closeout bottles), then a significant difference in price between a wine they sell and what these wines cost everywhere else should tell you something. Any wine lover who buys wine from Trader Joe’s on a regular basis already knows which labels and categories to avoid.
But using the word “fraud”? It’s not fraud to sell an inferior wine, unless it’s labeled incorrectly. A Barolo or other wine that sucks is not sold fraudulently unless they lie about its origins.
People should know where to go for which items. I don’t buy meat at Safeway, I don’t buy wines (or most produce) at Trader Joe’s, and I don’t buy the overly sweetened cakes at Costco. One stop shopping will always get you into trouble.
Pssst…
I have a secret to tell you:
TJ’s is a place to dump a lot of wine that: does not meet your winery’s standards, a wine that went horribly wrong in the cellar, a wine that (owing to cellar errors) would have to be declassified (vintage or AVA). It is also a clearing house for left over inventory of wines when a brand dies or a line is no longer made or imported.
Yes, there are some “house” brands made by producers in California but these are only a win-win for TJ’s and the producer: the winery can move excess /bulk wine and TJ’s can add to its wine ‘portfolio’.
Not all wines there are bad. However having grown up with TJ’s (in its “hometown”) I have watched quality of products offered decline as the company expanded. All the while ageing hippies and yuppies keep coming and shopping because the branding resonates with their ideologies.
There are quality products at TJ’s – but as with wine, they make up a minority of the inventory.
I just do not get the whole Trader Joe’s phenomenon in general. Mediocre food at low prices. What is so exciting about that? Can you really tell me what you buy at TJ’s that is really outstanding? If you pay 2.99 for pasta sauce at TJ’s that is mediocre or pay 3.29 at a competitor for a quality product that you are happy with is TJ’s really such a value and is saving $.30 really worth giving up the majority of quality.
The second gripe is packaging. Everything at TJ’s is double, triple or quadruple packaged. Do Bananas really need to come in a mesh bag. Nature built in a simple packaging method.
I would however take issue with the term fraud. From what I see nothing here is fraud. They are simply selling a poor quality product. This does not compare to selling a NY Folex that is a counterfeit. Nobody has shown that this was counterfeit Amarone simply that it was of poor quality. The blame for that lies with the Region itself not holding more stringent standards on the product and the producer/importer/Co-op being willing to sell it under the Amarone name to TJ’s knowing fully it will damage the reputation of the region. Shameful but not fraud.
I would only say that, in my experience, if you didn’t like the wine, TJ’s will take it back, and, again, just my experience, give you a full refund - well, so long as the bottle isn’t empty… But many times, the “wine guy” at my local TJ’s has said - ‘take it home and try it and if you don’t like it, bring it back…’ This goes for anything I’ve ever bought there. And, no, I don’t work at TJ’s and do not own the store! Perhaps this is just something my local TJ’s does? but think it is company policy that if you don’t like it, you can bring it back…
Trader Joes creates a disconnect between their standards for selection of foods vs. their standards for selection of wines. TJ’s does stock some good wines and beers but to the customer, it’s caveat emptor. when choosing import wines at TJ’s, avoid wines that are imported by Plume Ridge. All these wines are crap. They are in business to import the lowest priced wines possible for Trader Joes. Quality is not important to them. Instead, look for wines that are imported by respected importers, such as Vineyard Brands. If you don’t know the importer, try a bottle. If you don’t like it, don’t buy from that importer again.
I am a TJ’s supplier and have been put through my paces many times by the TJ’s buyer after tasting samples I submitted to improve them. They taste the wines thoroughly and then most often ask for adjustments to the composition, acid, RS, etc. to make sure that the wines to be sold in TJ’s meet their quality standards. As a TJ’s consumer, I have experienced bottles of wine that I deemed to be inferior. So how to reconcile? Either the tasting panel has inferior palates (doubt it) and let some inferior wines go through, or suppliers send samples of one thing and then actually ship something altogether different which of course is totally reprehensible. So perhaps TJ’s should keep samples on hand to periodically compare what was submitted versus what was actually shipped. This is a labor-intensive process but something they really need to do to fulfill the TJ’s promise to consumers. Once they kick a few suppliers out for bait and switch, all suppliers will get the message.
BAROLO LA LOGGIA 2005, under its main label BAROLO TERRE DA VINO 2005 does retail for $55.00 It was rated by James Suckling 92 Points. This is the same wine as was sold by Trader Joes.
The price guide is incorrect on the wines as there is alot of quality wines in Italy that have come down in price due to a drop in demand caused by the recession. A good Barolo in Italy can be had for Eur. 12.00-20.00. Retail. Its only the big name Brands that command premiums and even those have come down in price.
goodygoody chain in Texas has a very good Barbaresco for $19.99
Price averages from winesearcher.com are unfounded as they exclude many of the big chains that can offer low prices. So are we really comparing apples with apples? No.
This is obviously an attack by the blogger at Trader Joes very carefully thought out.
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE LOVES La Loggia Barolo. See for yourself…
Another vote to stick to known brand names. Their prices on hard liquor can be excellent, but not always. I gave up on the wine dept. as far as house brands and most of the Euro zone wines. Given the currency swoon of the US$ over the years, TJ must be buying low quality merchandise, not distressed from a purely financial aspect. But I like their cheeses, hummus, and chips. But not on my radar screen anymore. Too many better deals avail. at fine wine or local market stores and even at the big supers.
Jeff,
I’m an Italian wine blogger and wine journalist, and live in Valpolicella, where Amarone is produced. Thank your for your post, it’ very important for us, because often in foreign countries there is a lot of fake Amarone.
Now: you always must remember that Amarone is a very expensive wine. For the customer, but for the producer, too. So, you find a too much cheap Amarone, be very, very careful!! Here some tips:
1) control the label: you must read always all these words: “Amarone della Valpolicella Doc Classico” (it means that the wine is from the oldest area of production) or “Amarone della Valpolicella Doc” (it means that the wine is from the eldest area of production).
2) the vintage
3) very important: always control if there is the band of Italian State (like this:http://www.consorziovalpolicella.it/index.php?option=com_tracciabilita&Itemid=92&lang=it) on the bottle. If there is, and you are not satisfied of your Amarone, if you type the number printed on the band you can be traced back to the producer…. But if there is not, probably the bottle is not REAL Amarone…
If you wish others information about Amarone della Valpolicella, I ‘ll be haappy to help you.
Ciao!
Lizzy
There are bargains at TJ’s. I found some Rosemount GSM that normally retails for 28 bucks, but they had it marked at $9.99. I used to work for a wholesaler before I retired and we sold Rosemount, so I knew that was about 1/2 the wholesale price. Needless to say I scooped up what ever they had on the shelf. I don’t shop there very often, but when I do I peruse the shelves very carefully. And the GSM was current vintage that I got.
Sounds like someone has a vendetta or something. I recently purchased a couple bottles of the Amarone you mentioned(butchered), for about $17.00. I bought it because it was recommended to me by friend.
I almost didn’t even open it after reading your comments, but got too curious. Right after opening it had a little bite, so we let it breathe for an hour. After an hour it was wonderful, and after 2 hours it was even better. It would be a BARGAIN at $25-$30 and is an absolute steal at $17!!! We are going back for more.
I would never have bought two of the wines you mentioned at those prices. I might have bought the Amarone. But the other two simply had to be bad wines or they would have been dumped through some other channel.
Yes, selectively TJ’s has some priceworthy wines. But if you really want to find a bargain check out the Grocery Outlet in your area.
I have found NZ SB, marlbrough, Sam’s Creek for $3. Excellent stuff.
Central Otago NZ/PN for $10-12.
Alsatian Pinot Blanc, Gevertz, riesling for $3.
These are NOT bow-wow wines. What do you have to lose in buying one bottle, open it immediately. And get your butt back to the store and buy MORE before some resturant dude buys all the cases! You don’t hesitate with Grocery Outlet wines bacause the inventory may be small.
The current 2006 Amarone is a great deal. As for the Barolo, I can’t imagine opening it for at least another five years. I’ve found plenty of good deals in the $5-6 range that would be $10+ elsewhere. I’ve been surprised many times by including their wines in a blind taste test with more expensive brand wines. As for more upscale wines, I’ve been impressed lately.
From my last trip:
Robert Stemmler 2006 Nugent Pinot $19.99
St. Supery 2004 Cab 19.99
Parson’s Flat Padthaway 2005 Shiraz/Cab 14.99
I’ve found it helpful to use my phone to google the wines before I purchase.
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I was recently tempted by a similar lineup of offerings from the Rhone (CdP, Gigondas and Vacqueyras) in the same price range but abstained. Say what you will about Trader Joe’s low price offerings but my records show a very poor success rate for anything north of $10. That said there has been a recent influx of distressed inventory from CA, such as the the Davis Bynum Pinot which I was able to scoop up for $15 (vs. $40), that I will continue to keep an eye out for…