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Home > Blogs > Uncorked > Archives > 2005 > December > 02 > Entry
A Trader Joe’s Wine-Buying Experience
Editor’s note: Two weeks after this blog entry was published, Trader Joe’s pulled all of this wine off of its shelves nationwide.
Do these look like the same wines?
Well, they don’t smell or taste the same, either, even though they’re labeled identically. What to make of it? A simple matter of bottle variation? Perhaps…
Here’s the story behind these two bottles of wine:
I walked into my local Trader Joe’s in Kettering, Ohio on Monday night (11-28-05) …
…to shop for a few things I had seen in the Trader Joe’s Holiday Guide catalog. I was particularly intrigued by a wine mentioned in the TJ’s “Fearless Flyer” — a Chiaro del Bastardo Italian white wine that costs $6.99 in Ohio — in part because it came “from the same folks who brought us the very popular Bastardo Red,‿ the catalog said. I had tried the red, an Italian Nebbiolo described on the label as a close relative to Barolo and Barbaresco, and it was quite fine for $9.99.
There were 30 or so bottles of the Italian white on Trader Joe’s shelf, but something was clearly amiss. About two-thirds of the bottles were what I’d expect to be the color for a 2003 dry white: straw/pale green. The other one-third were deep golden; they looked more like 15-year-old Sauternes. The bottles sat side by side, labeled identically. I picked up one bottle of each color, found a guy I assumed to be a manager sitting in the corner of the store near the wine department doing paperwork, held up both bottles and suggested to him that something might be wrong with some of the bottles, probably the golden-colored ones. He looked up at the pair of bottles I was holding, acknowledged and expressed some surprise at the color difference, and said he’d be sure to check it out. He then quickly went back to his paperwork.
I dropped by the following afternoon (11-29-05), and found the situation on the shelf unchanged, the deep golden-hued bottles sitting side-by-side with the others. This time, I bought one of each, and popped the corks that night to compare.
The pale straw-colored wine had a distinct floral note in the nose, decent fruit and balancing acidity, and was a bit thin – about what I would expect, and not disappointing considering the price. The deep golden-colored version was not, as I had suspected, oxidized; it did not smell like sherry as I thought it would, based on its appearance. But it had no floral note in the nose, showed little fruit and had bracing acidity, and was more viscous than its identically labeled “companion‿ wine.
There was one other difference: the two wines had different corks. The pale straw-colored version had “Chiaro del Bastardo‿ printed on the cork, while the golden-hued and identically labeled version had “Messo in Battiglia Nelle Proprie Cantine‿ printed on the cork.
How very odd.
The following day, 11-30-05, the two different versions of the wines were still on the shelves.
I bought one more of each. And I started asking questions.
Alison Mochizuki, a spokeswoman for Trader Joe’s, responded to my inquiry about the wines with a voicemail late Thursday afternoon (12-1-05).
Trader Joe’s “is absolutely aware about this wine,” Mochizuki said. “There is no difference in the wine or the quality of the corks. It’s just that the glass in the first lot is 100 percent clear, and the second one is off-white glass. That’s the only difference. It’s the same product, same quality cork, just different glass. That’s why you see a change in color, but it actually isn’t a change in color. I hope this explains everything for you.”
Oh, so that’s it. Mystery solved. It was just the tint of the bottle.
Funny thing, though. The bottles sure looked the same. So I poured each wine into identical stemware, and …
Hmmm.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
(Photos by Jim Witmer)
Comments
By Geoffroy
December 16, 2005 11:06 AM | Link to this
Answer Back to Serge: It has nothing to do with Italian wines, it’s due to a bad outsourcing, Period. Be mindful, there are bad and great wines everywhere including France.By Rick
December 14, 2005 12:19 AM | Link to this
Very interesting discussion. I vote for Cost Plus over Trader Joes, Wine-wise. I also venture into the snootier wine shops, especially around the holidays. I prefer the Australians, Chileans, and U.S. varieties to the French or Italians. I find to fun to go out and try to hunt some new wines to try. I don’t want a $30.00 dollar bottle of wine everyday (it makes me feel guilty when I use it in a marinade or eat a burger with it.) When I’m entertaining, though, I like to know what I’m serving. I guess I’ll have to pay attention to more than the label in the future. Anyone ever get arrested for drinking in the parking lot???By Serge
December 13, 2005 6:56 PM | Link to this
An Italian wine: no wonder! Try a French wine. They’re known for their quality and consistency. The French systems enforced by the government work! Cook with the vino, but drink le vin!!By Ruthann
December 13, 2005 3:53 PM | Link to this
All of this talk really makes me homesick. :-( I moved to Florida about 18 months ago and am forced to make pilgrimages to TJ’s in Kettering whenever I’m back home. Patrick Weaver is a great store manager, and I’ve received consistently great service from him. I hope this thread makes it to him so he can get the straight scoop from corp. Til then, cheers and Merry Christmas. My Christmas wish is for a TJ’s near the House of the Mouse…(do you hear me, Santa?)By Wyne Lynes Etc.
December 13, 2005 12:04 AM | Link to this
I have to butt in again. There seems to be some questions that are not being asked, let alone being answered. The first & most important wavers between why TJ’s won’t/can’t answer a simple question and how is that two very ditinctly different bottlings end up on the same shelf at the same time in more than one location? I live in Ventura CA, the article was written a long way away in Ohio. I visit TJ’s two, maybe four times a week, the last time Bastardo blanco was sold out, this PM the shelves were stocked full. The best part was the shelves were stocked full. Not a bottle missing. And lo & behold there were the two distinctly different coloured Bastardo’s exactly as the article described! Experiences like this don’t happen every day, at least not in my world. Between why can’t TJ’s answer simple questions and how is that the phenomeon appears universal comes the next best question - assuming that bottlings aren’t mixed during packinging, that each bottling contains the contents of a mixture of sources that have been blended and that cases produced during a bottling contain the blended wine, how is that two distinctly unique bottles end up on the same shelf at the same time seemingly blended into the shelf stocking at more than one location?? As a 30yr industry pro, this is a tale worth a good laugh at the expense of badly managed product knowledge & product management. Typically TJ’s wine dept stays above the average for chain stores. This particular fiasco will brand TJ’s with a star in the naive column among other even less astute columns. This is not an acceptable response in every respect to the consumers interest!By Wine snog
December 11, 2005 7:26 PM | Link to this
I remember when the manager of our local TJ’s explained away the price of Two-Buck Chuck as a one time lot purchase from an airline that went bankrupt. You can’t trust TJ’s its wine or beer.By Lindsay Woodard
December 10, 2005 10:04 PM | Link to this
I agree with Franco, I would love to hear a response from the distributor. Keep us posted … fabulous article Mark!By Franco Faggi
December 8, 2005 9:22 PM | Link to this
Where is the distributor in all of this? He is the one making the bucks and should be prepared for this sort of thing. Could it be the wine was spoiled during shipping? Perhaps in a non-refrigerated container?By Mark Fisher
December 8, 2005 4:24 PM | Link to this
Trader Joe’s has responded to this post with both words and actions. Copy and paste the following into your web browser to see TJ’s response: http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/wine/entries/2005/12/08/traderjoesres.htmlBy Russell Irish
December 7, 2005 3:40 PM | Link to this
As a winery owner my comment would be; “Chiaro del Bastardo” ran out of product and replaced it with the same variety produced from other winery (as shiner’s we call them), but failed to recognize that the corks needed to be replaced or bottled with their own branded cork. And a lot of folks didn’t know how to explain this.By nick
December 6, 2005 12:03 PM | Link to this
The difference is in the TJ’s organization. They press for the lowest prices and buy all the close outs they can find. While this often provides savings to their customers it also means they purchase wines that are past their prime.By Mark (NOT the "Uncorked" author)
December 6, 2005 7:50 AM | Link to this
One thing that I have noticed at high-volume bottling lines as of late, is the amount of money being spent on oxygen-free environnments for the particular stages of the bottling process. All bottling lines have bottle-washing features which ensure that the bottle is sterilized before it receives the wine, but many don’t have the O2 free environnment which eliminates oxidation. If the Chiaro winery has that feature, it may have been turned off or malfuntioning when they ran the second bottling (the one with the different bottle & cork).By Wyne Lynes Etc
December 6, 2005 12:16 AM | Link to this
There are some great bargins at TJ’s! The first secret is to only buy wines that read “produced & bottled by” … in any language. Learn the designations, it’s worth the time & energy. No other wording has as much meaning! The second is to stay away from really glossy labels. No special reason ‘cept that I try everything & have had virtually no luck with the shiny types. The third, look for reputable producers & importers. More often than not, an honest-looking package will contain a genuine product untainted by techno slink. Always keep in mind that the quality of industrial swill can almost always be judged by the snazzier the package.By Alvaro
December 5, 2005 9:39 PM | Link to this
As always, you get what you pay for although with food products it gets tricky. We also all know the retailers that absorb “excess” inventory from wineries.By Mark ("Uncorked")
December 5, 2005 9:05 PM | Link to this
There have been several comments related to the different corks from the two bottles of wine pictured. To perhaps clarify somewhat, here’s what Trader Joe’s spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki said in a second voicemail message she left me on 12-1: “The only difference in the cork is that one has the logo and one doesn’t. The first batch didn’t have the logo, the second batch had the logo on it. That’s the only difference in the corks. The quality is the same.” Mark Fisher “Uncorked”By Jon
December 5, 2005 8:53 PM | Link to this
The only thing I’m concerned about is that you don’t understand that you get what you pay for.Of course they found it necessary to buy multiple lots to meet anticipated demand.By Bob M.
December 5, 2005 8:37 PM | Link to this
The probable causes for the difference in these wines has been covered from most sides. I have been buying wines from TJ’s since the late 1960’s. At least here in Calif. you don’t have managers with the attitude that you encountered. I am suprised by their attitude as it definitely isn’t the norm for TJ staff. The best advise is what I have been following for most of the years I have been buying from TJ is to buy a bottle and go to the parking lot and try it. They have had some excellent buys that if you took it home to try and came back after a couple of days it would be too late. Even after being in and associated with the wine industry for some 30 yrs that is the best advise I know of.By Tom
December 5, 2005 7:52 PM | Link to this
I love this sort of stuff. The fact that different corks are consistent with different wines says to me that they are different bottlings. If it was a matter of a different batch of corks you would not see such consistent difference in the wine. The innocuous statement on the cork of the oxidized wine “Messo in Bottiglie Nelle Proprie (or “put in bottles in our own cellars”) might mean that it is a wine that was bottled in shiners and waiting for an label. If it was sold to them by a vintner, Trader Joe’s probably tasted the good white one, bought a few containers and the vintner slipped in some of his shiners. But if that were the case, I would think there would be repercussions. I’m surprised TJ’s isn’t more concerned…unless Chiaro del Bastardo is their own brand and this problem is of their own doing.By Brian C.
December 5, 2005 7:28 PM | Link to this
I’ve been buying this wine for a while and it has always been a deeper yellow. Reciotto di Soave made with garganega grapes is a sauterne like wine whereby they dry the grapes, in my opinion the darker wine has some aged grapes added. Nothing wrong with that, in fact it adds more body. I have always been buying the darker wine and it is fabulous value for money at a great price.By TA
December 5, 2005 6:09 PM | Link to this
Blame the distributors that surely knew they had different product!!!By patty
December 5, 2005 4:11 PM | Link to this
Just a little wikipedia.org information… “Trader Joe’s is an American privately-held chain of specialty grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia, California. Its stores are located most densely in Southern California, but the chain has locations in eighteen other states as of 2005. The chain was founded by Joe Coulombe (1958) and is currently owned by a family trust set up by German billionaire Theo Albrecht, one of the two brothers behind Aldi… Albrecht bought the company in 1979. A Business Week article about the store noted that between 1990 and 2001, the chain quintupled its store count while increasing its profits by an order of magnitude.” And a search of aldi and trader joe’s together was educational.By Mike
December 5, 2005 3:15 PM | Link to this
While there have been some very good points made here. I think Tom Hedges has it right. It is most likely the result of the first wine being in bottle for 6 or more months longer than the second. It isn’t technically oxidized, just a little older. Storage conditions may have had some impact on the color, but it is more likely that this wine is intended for immediate consumption. Different SO2 treatments of both lots could also affect color.By Max
December 5, 2005 3:11 PM | Link to this
As part of a wine label approval process with the TTB, any wording on the cork has to also be approved. It would be interesting if this ‘same label’ did have both corks approved for it.By Ryan
December 5, 2005 2:20 PM | Link to this
I live in Napa CA and I never buy wine at our local Trader Joes due to the fact that I have never believed in the quality of wine they put on their shelves. From what I understand Trader Joes purchases a good deal of bulk wine and places their own made up labels on these bottles. Basically you never know what you are going to get just like in this case you have probably two completely different varietals in the same bottle and label.By Kerry
December 5, 2005 1:47 PM | Link to this
The wine is oxidized as you pointed out. It sounds to me that a portion of the wine was bottled for one client (hence the different cork). So it is all the same wine made as one batch but bottled for different clients, customers, regions etc. This happens all the time in the global wine industry. I suspect that the oxidized wine might have been damaged in route on a container ship, temperature being too hot. Or it could have been stored in bad conditions by either the supplier or wholesaler. TJ’s isn’t much different from any other retailer in the world; Cost Plus, Costco, Krogers, etc. In order for them to get their high gross profit they force the wineries to reduce their prices drastically in order to make GP% and offer the customer the low retail competitive prices customers expect from them. Plus remember that wine is an agricultural product and needs to be stored appropriately.By Brian
December 5, 2005 1:02 PM | Link to this
It seems that some of you are missing the point. The answer given by the representative of Trader Joe’s regarding the wine was inaccurate! The glass in bottle “A” is 100% clear and the glass in bottle “B” is slightly tinted does not address the issue. Why doesn’t she just admit that they buy bulk juice and bottle it? Thanks to Trader Joe’s for once again lowering our expectations.By Tom Hedges
December 5, 2005 1:01 PM | Link to this
There is one possibility no one seems to be considering. Frequently, large lots of the same wine will be bottled at very different times for reasons of cash flow, emptying tanks, or readiness of a blend (filtering, cold stabilizing, etc.) That could be the case here- the same original blend, bottled, say, six months or even a year apart. The bottling dates would, by law, have to be posted on the outside of the case. Check that out, and you may have your answer. If, however, you find the same or very close bottling dates, then something fishy is definitely going on! Tom Hedges, proprietor, Hedges Family EstateBy chris
December 5, 2005 1:00 PM | Link to this
I seriously doubt that Trader Joe’s would knowingly put out two different wines under the same label. My guess is that the supplying winery is to blame. I work within the industry and can assure you that when Trader Joe’s orders wine for their fearless flyer, they order a lot of wine. Maybe the winery did not have enough stock on hand and had to buy “similar” wine from another winery to fulfill the order, hence the difference in color and cork. There maybe a code printed on the top of the cork or on the back label that would be an indicator of the date the wine was bottled. That may give some clues.By David in Napa
December 5, 2005 12:59 PM | Link to this
My guess is that the wines were purchased from different supplier wineries in the area, thus the different corks. The labels were added afterwards.By MJ
December 5, 2005 12:37 PM | Link to this
Here are some more interesting facts. Chiaro in Italian means “light or clear”, which is very interesting given the dark color of the second wine. Secondly, the wine contains Garganega, a grape that can do well in Soave and indeed makes up the base of great Soaves (with minor of Trebbiano in the blend), but has recently been popping up on store shelves and in the pallet stacks at Sam’s as a sort of poor man’s Pinot Grigio. Sometimes, it is blended with Pinot Grigio, so that the unsuspecting customer believes when that when they see the label that they are indeed buying a PG. Here is the standard write up of the Garganega grape: White-wine grape widely grown in the Veneto region of NE. Italy. It makes the base wine of the well-known “Soave” blend along with up to 30% of Trebbiano derived wine and is also a major portion of the popular “Gambellara” wine blend. At its best this grape will give a good, rather delicate, wine laden with aromatic hints of lemon and almonds. In Robin Garr’s 30 Second Wine Advisor, on his wine lover’s web page is an interesting piece on the origins of the Il Bastardo Red. “In contrast, the producer and importer of the spottily distributed Italian Il Bastardo seem to be all but anonymous. The label brags that “This Sangiovese from Tuscany is produced by the Il Bastardo winery east of Firenze and is Rich, Fat and Luscious,” but the fine print indicates only that the wine is “bottled by” the anonymously monogrammatic “RM” in Rufina, Italy; and it is imported by the similarly monogrammatic “HB Importers” of New York. It appears to be a bulk wine acquired and bottled by Renzo Masi, an otherwise admirable Chianti Rufina producer, given a colorful marketing spin to justify a price tag that the wine in the bottle wouldn’t otherwise command.” When you look up HBWineMerchants on the web, you will see that they have a list of proprietary brands, of which Il Bastardo is one. If you have shopped in KY, you may be familiar with another of their brands Clos Robert, which used to be a favorite of Liquor Barn. On to the color differences in the two bottles. Most likely this is due to separate blends. (high probability on this aspect, since the cork imprintation is different on the two bottles)If you are producing on a large scales, especially using bulk wine juice, it is very difficult to make a single cuvee. Most likely these wines are from seprate cuvees (or batches). There is nothing that even guarantees that the separate cuvees even have the same varietal composition. Probably the darker color wines are from different grape sourcing for the most part and probably riper fruit (especially likely if Mark did not notice any oxidation of the darker wine). The other possibility is a difference in S02 levels in the wine, causing one to age prematurely versus the other although this is a less likely scenario. Without tasting the wines, I can not comment on the price/quality ratio of either of them, but I will say that the “glass” explanation of the Tader Joe’s spokesperson sounds like a blatant misrepresentation of the issue at hand. As for Mr. Todd N, true the shift is to stainless steel and cleaner winemaking processes in Italy, but plenty of producers still use glass lined cement tanks (for fermentation)and even plastic containers as storage units for their wines.By Robert Marx
December 5, 2005 12:35 PM | Link to this
How nice to have a Trader Joe’s in town to complain about! None here in Minnesota, but told they are on the way. For a sure bet, skip the Italian wines at TJ’s and try Zarafa Pinotage,or Sauv. Blanc from South Africa. Cheers!By Bruce Edwards
December 5, 2005 12:30 PM | Link to this
I believe the wines are totally different, obtained in bulk on the open market from negotiants, and bottled at different locations. Perfectly legit. And obiously this store received bottles from 2 different sources. Massive amounts of wine are traded in this manner. The different corks are certainly a tip-off, but that can happen even at a single winery. But look at the photo of the two bottles and you will see that the labels, though identical, are at different heights on the bottle. Modern labeling machines are extremely precise in their placement of labels. Those bottles came through different labeling machines on different bottling lines entirely. And that’s okay. Keep it coming. -BruceBy Deal Steele
December 5, 2005 12:26 PM | Link to this
Poor misguided wine lovers, Don’t you people realize that it is a common practice in the wine industry to make different blends of the same wine and sell them in different markets? A californian wine bought in San Francisco and the same wine bought in New York could taste VERY different due to the fact that at the winery they may have an excess of one blending component and allot that component to the blend destined for the NorthEast market. While the rest of the world gets another blend. It happens all the time. TJ’s probably got a hold of a whole run and within the run there could be, planned or not planned, variation.By Donn
December 5, 2005 12:02 PM | Link to this
U.S. law merely requires the wine to be labeled right, it does not require you to have the SAME wine in all the bottles. TJ can buy 5 different Chardonnays from Claifornia from 5 different wineries, and TJ can sell each different wine using the same bottle with the same label. That is what Charles Shaw wine is for $2 or $3, and TJ now does it with various other wines. Hence the earlier comment about buying a bottle, opening it in the parking lot, and going back to buy more of that particular wine, you hope, if you like that particular bottle. No guarantee that 2 bottles next to each other on the shelf are the same wine. Caveat Emptor.By Not Concerned
December 5, 2005 11:12 AM | Link to this
No big deal! Unless one really sucked I wouldn’t sweat the small details. There is a reason why it was so cheap.By ToddN
December 5, 2005 8:59 AM | Link to this
Upon further reflection, my comment was more making a guess as to the cause of the problem (which could be several), rather than adressing my true intention; a general defense of Italian wines. I want to make it clear that Italy does not have a wide-spread problem or practice of bottling wines that are unstable or burdened by old, leaky wood fermentation vessels; maybe in the seventies, but not now. Italy has been on a huge quality upswing and those that have not tried an Italain white lately should do so soon. Take home a bottle of Verdicchio, grill some shrimp and have plenty of good olive oil on hand! Who really knows what happened in this case, maybe it was a bottling problem or the bottler sold different lots, or it was subjected to heat along the way, and many other possibilities. who knows who is to blame, but don’t let this keep from trying one of the many great white wines of Italy!By Yola
December 4, 2005 11:16 PM | Link to this
I have been shopping for Italian wines at Trader Joes for 5 years now and I must admit, I have never had a problem with quality. I drink both the Chiaro and other Italians on a regular basis. Trader Joes are the best! They get great deal and always offer quality wines. I believe this is just an isolated case of some batch that was defective in some way nothing more nothing less. I’m sure a logical explaination will follow soon.By ToddN
December 4, 2005 6:15 PM | Link to this
Sounds to me like they are possibly buying wine or juice in large quantities from co-ops, this could — could — account for the different corks. Or, the shipping methods are flawed. I disagree with Chuck when he says that there is a “problem” with small Italian producers not having steel fermentation vessels. While there may be some local ones that do not, any winery that is selling internationally has to have the equipment to make their wines successful in a highly competitive market. We represent several small Italian wine producers and they all have stainless steel for their whites, and are very knowledgeable about how to produce a very stable wine. I think that the blame is on the retailer (improper storage)or perhaps the shipper (shipping in unprotected containers for example)—not the fact that the wine is Italian. Besides, and I may be wrong on this, the wine in question is likely not from a small producer.By Mary
December 4, 2005 7:07 AM | Link to this
Take the extra 30-45 minutes and go to the Tri-County Mall area - Jungle Jim’s and Cost Plus World Market. Great selections, great prices and people in the store that know what they are talking about!By Mike
December 3, 2005 10:33 PM | Link to this
Something is definitely amiss and we all can speculate on the problem. The sad thing to me is the indifference shown by the apparent manager and his lack of follow up. And the corporate babble by someone in East Oshkosh who could care less about some yokel’s problem in Dayton Ohio. I personally like to shop where they care and have an interest in me as a customer.By chuck
December 3, 2005 3:51 PM | Link to this
A very long-standing “problem” with Italian wines is that small producers do not have large stainless steel tanks to blend wines before bottling. Hence bottling from the barrel introduces bottle-to-bottle differences. Also producers often do not have temperature-controlled fermentation tanks. Those could easily be the same grape fermented under different conditions (times). Chemical changes can also happen after bottling. When buyers select wines I suspect they do not see a selection of samples. So, much of this seems quite possible with no “culprit.” I have heard stories like the difference in bottle glass for a long time. They do not promote confidence.By Ann
December 3, 2005 1:38 PM | Link to this
Quote Jessica: “The thing I found most odd about this whole thing is that Ann is buying wine at Trader Joes!” That was before I knew better and started shopping at the best wine store in town!! :)By jens
December 3, 2005 12:50 PM | Link to this
Good reporting! Wines do have bottle variation but shame on them to not making it right, and for making up some story. jens at cincinnati wineBy wineguy
December 3, 2005 12:41 PM | Link to this
Of course TJ’s is selling odd lots…that’s why the prices are what they are. The usual rule is you buy one, open and sample it in the parking lot, and if you like it you go back inside and get some more.By Adam Mahler
December 3, 2005 9:39 AM | Link to this
A sad story about the truth of corpoprate wine discounters… http://untangledvine.blogspot.comBy norm
December 2, 2005 9:51 PM | Link to this
Mark, What the heck are you doing drinking white wine??? I think the dark yellow color is probably the hue it should always have!!!By Chris Peoples
December 2, 2005 7:47 PM | Link to this
Well, Mark, I certainly hope you haven’t discovered malfeasance! This would completely dash my faith in our country’s commercial sensibilities… ;-) That being said, I would be disappointed to find out that TJs was merely peddling the odd lots of products I knew to be of high quality. You know what? If this turns out to be the case, please don’t tell us about it! Signed, Ignorance is BlissBy Jessica
December 2, 2005 6:59 PM | Link to this
The thing I found most odd about this whole thing is that Ann is buying wine at Trader Joes!By Eric
December 2, 2005 6:01 PM | Link to this
Some people in this damn town just don’t appreciate good wine. I like the dark yellow stuff more. You’re all a bunch of “Nosie Rosies.”By Murry
December 2, 2005 5:55 PM | Link to this
I find this finding both shocking and appalling. Trader Joes has offered this, and many other fine communities great wine at even greater prices. To think that TJs would just put a “general” label on a bottle of wine, no matter where it is from is beyond comprehension. With the always consistant “Two Buck Chuck” leading the TJ pack, I find this more than hard to believe. I’m just happy to hear that the Nebbiolo which is very similar to Barolo and Barbaresco tasted swell.By brother ron
December 2, 2005 5:51 PM | Link to this
I believe it must be a government plot. good reading!By chaad
December 2, 2005 4:33 PM | Link to this
Well, of course many of those TJ labels are not actual wineries, but rather just labels applied to purchased wines. They probably bought from a few wineries in the area that met the criteria for the label, which would be one explanation. The fruitlessness is reason for suspecting a flaw/damage though.By CTheGee
December 2, 2005 3:51 PM | Link to this
The corks labels may be telling the story straight. They are probably not prone to “errors of omission” by PR people. The sellers and buyers within TJ’s organization may have a story to tell to a sharply inquisitive (inquisitor?) manager. I’ll go to my local TJ’s tonite to see if they have two colors on their shelves too.By Mark D.
December 2, 2005 3:44 PM | Link to this
Reminds me of Rabbit Ridge!By cathy
December 2, 2005 3:07 PM | Link to this
This is definitely one of those situations that makes you think, “Hmmmmm.”By Tom
December 2, 2005 11:33 AM | Link to this
What an absurd response by the TJ rep. What was she thinking? Clearly we have two different wines, of very different quality, represented as the same thing. Write about this is your Paper’s column, Mark!!By Barb
December 2, 2005 11:10 AM | Link to this
I bet that they will know the difference by tomorrow!!! Let us know what you hear back…By Ann
December 2, 2005 11:07 AM | Link to this
I rarely buy wine at TJ’s but Pat, the manager, has been really helpful in pointing out some great wine buys that I would have never picked up on my own. Basically, it sounds like the Corporate office doesn’t care and isn’t interested in looking into it. Too bad! I hope the local store has the sense to do something about it.