Picking the right wine can feel intimidating. Cuvée, claret, demi-sec? Even if you studied abroad in Bordeaux and love “Sideways,” a lot of us simply pick the bottle with the prettiest label. Luckily, a Trader Joe’s employee shared an “inside tip” that makes finding a good bottle of vino a lot easier.
“In whatever store, whatever Trader Joe's you shop in, the stacks are the wines that sell at the highest rate, at the fastest rate. So you can probably be sure those are gonna be really good,” said “Inside Trader Joe’s” podcast host Tara Miller.
In other words, you can trust Trader Joe’s to highlight its most popular wines in its end cap and pyramid displays. While that may seem obvious — don’t all stores do this? — Miller and her co-host Matt Sloan explained that most retailers take a different approach.
@sweatandtell My 5 favorite wines at TJ’s under $10 #wine #traderjoes #traderjoeslist ♬ original sound - SWEATANDTELL
“Lots of other places, you know, if you're in a certain part of the store or a certain zone or displayed in a certain way, it's because the company behind that brand, that product, paid for that presentation,” Sloan explained.
Miller and Sloan also revealed that Trader Joe’s hosts its own tasting panel to test wines before carrying them.
“We tried it. We liked it. We think it's worth your consideration,” Sloan said of the panel.
@brittneykudd Don’t make this viral because I will be so sad if it sells out 😩 #traderjoesfinds ♬ Lofi Vibes - Gentle State
Although Trader Joe’s carries a wide variety of wines from expensive French labels to affordable table wine, it’s perhaps most well-known for carrying Charles Shaw, aka Two-Buck Chuck, which continues to sell for just a few dollars (prices can vary by location). Trader Joe’s also has its own in-house label for reserve wines, though the quality and flavor can vary significantly depending on a bottle’s lot number, which is something to keep in mind on your next shopping trip.
“So the lot number on those reserve wines is just an indication [of] who made it. Now there's a little bit of secrecy there because we don't put the producing wineries name on that label on purpose, but this will help you and us keep track of them,” Sloan said.
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