7 Best And 7 Worst Wines You Can Buy At Trader Joe's

Wine has always been at the heart of Trader Joe's. When the store first opened in 1967 in Pasadena, California (per the company's website), they weren't just a grocery store. They were the go-to place for wine. They sold every available California wine there was, from the major wineries to the little ones. In 1970, they came out with their newsletter, The Insider Report, where they told stories about all the different wines they sold. People loved their wine, and people loved Trader Joe's.

Everything changed in 2002 when the store started selling Charles Shaw wines in their stores. Fondly nicknamed "Two Buck Chuck," these extremely inexpensive wines were geared toward those who wanted quality, but didn't want to pay $20 for a bottle of red. Since then, their Charles Shaw wines have gone on to win many awards, to the surprise of many a wine connoisseur. But not all of the Charles Shaw wines are created equal — and let's not forget that the offerings today at Trader Joe's are vast indeed. You can get everything from the cheapest wines to some pricey, but delectable wines, bruts, and champagnes. There's something here for everyone's budget, and there are amazing glasses in every price category.

But which ones are the best? Curious to know which wines you should be buying for your next dinner party or a random Thursday night? Never fear, these are the best (and worst) wines at Trader Joe's.

Trader Joe's has a number of wines that you can only get at their store — like the Tribunals. Tribunal wines are blends, and while normally wine snobs would turn their nose up at such a thing, this is the right kind of blend for a red wine. It's all in the proportions, after all. The exclusive North Coast Tribunal wine is, according to Reverse Wine Snob, a blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Barbera, Grenache and Petit Verdot, all from the North Coast of California — hence the name. Per the Reverse Wine Snob write-up, it's got a fruity full bodied taste that starts off with a black cherry and prunes before fading into notes of chocolate and vanilla. It's not just a great dessert wine with that flavor profile, but pairs excellently with meat, especially a nice juicy burger.

If you're not into rich wines, this one may not be for you. However, we recommend you give it a try. This is a lot of flavor in a wine that only costs $9.99. You'll be paying much more to get something of equal quality at any other store.

Now, when you wander into a wine store and see Saint Emilion Grand Cru, you're probably looking at a high price tag. One of the most respected vineyards, the wines that come from there are coveted and refined. A bottle of this tends to set you back at least $50. That is, unless you go to Trader Joe's and get the Clos La Gaffeliere Saint Emilion Grand Cru, in which case you'll be spending half of that. Yes, $25 is probably more than you want to spend on a bottle of wine at Trader Joe's, however, in this case it's worth it. This is an astounding well-balanced wine with a full body taste. According to Last Bottle, it's made from grapes on younger vines, has a French oak nose that brings out the earthiness of the cherry notes and blackberry extract. There's a nice spiciness to it as well without being overpowering.

If you're looking to treat yourself, this is the wine you want to go with. It may be quite a bit more than "Two Buck Chuck," but sometimes the extra quality is worth the price.

A lot of people swear by Trader Joe's "Two Buck Chuck" wines. They're incredibly cheap and come in a myriad of different types and flavor compositions. To be honest, we're not a huge fan of them, especially when there's just so much on the shelves that are superior for not that much more, but we will give credit where credit it due. The Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon is quite lovely. Its price point of $3.99, ironically no longer costing two bucks, just makes it all the better.

What makes the Cabernet Sauvignon from Charles Shaw the superior "Two Buck Chuck," at least according to the Charles Shaw wine tasting at Business Insider, are its woodsy and peppery notes. It's the most flavorful of the Shaw offerings and has a nice full bodied taste that gets more interesting the more you drink it. It may be a bit more heavy than some people like, but when you're looking for a robust wine, sometimes it doesn't pay to pay more. Sometimes you just need a bottle of wine that has a big personality instead of a big price tag. We may never join the Charles Shaw fan club, but we will champion this as a pretty decent Cab.

Look, we know a few of you (okay, a lot of you) are going to be mad at our worst wines list. Quite a few of them are Charles Shaw wines, and we know they're cheap and there's probably some wiggle room on quality for that, but we have standards here. Also, inexpensive doesn't mean an attack on the palette. Trader Joe's has plenty of wallet-friendly wines that are very good. Even some of the Charles Shaw wines are quite nice, but the vast majority of them are really just ones you should buy when desperation sets in. Sorry, not sorry, Shaw fans.

The Charles Shaw White Zinfandel is the worst Charles Shaw wine. It's true and the truth hurts. Even Business Insider agrees with us. Why is it the reigning king of terrible wines? It's sickeningly sweet. Cloyingly sweet. Like drinking an acidic lollipop. Even if you're a fan of sweet wines, you'd find this one a bit much. There's only so much you could drink it with too. Definitely not dessert, you'd go into a sugar coma. Really, just don't buy it. Don't drink it. Don't even look at it lest you be tempted.

We take a brief break from our assault on Charles Shaw to bring you Vignobles Lacheteau Muscadet, a Muscat wine that has nothing important to say and isn't worth the time it takes to drink it. It's just kind of there. Sure, you could drink it, but there's better choices. There's nothing remarkable about it and chances are you'd forget the name before you even finished drinking it. Wine may help you forget some things, but it should never be forgettable itself.

The Vignobles Lacheteau Muscadet is a buttery wine, which isn't a bad thing, it's just the overpowering mineral taste that follows suit that leaves one rather confused. Muscadets do have a mineral quality to them, but balancing it is the important part. Not done so well here. There are some citrus notes in there, especially lemon, but it winds up ending too tart before again, dissolving into little to no taste at all. All in all this isn't the worst wine you will find at Trader Joe's, however, we'd argue that it's the worst muscat wine they have on offer. If you're looking for a better alternative, might we recommend the Chotard Muscadet Sèvre et Maine?

Okay, before you pick up your pitchforks, hear us out. We know a lot of you like this wine. However, we have to tell you that you are mistaken. Look, there are a lot of rosés in the world. It is, after all, the "it" wine for a few summers running now. Everyone has jumped on the rosé bandwagon, and that — of course — included Charles Shaw. We just wish they hadn't. Not every winemakers needs to have a rosé. They're often overdone, over sweet, and just leave you with regret. There's such a plethora to pick from, especially at Trader Joe's, that there isn't really an excuse to go for the Charles Shaw variety. Kudos on the organic cultivation, but it's just not that great. Just because it's "Instagrammable pink" as Bustle puts it, doesn't make it a wine worth drinking.

Some of the best rosés are the sparkling kind. The bubbles bring out the flavors more, it makes it lighter, and frankly, more summery. If you decided against bubbles, then grab a bottle of our recommended La Ferme Julien Rosé. Leave the Charles Shaw version on the shelf. You can do better. You deserve better.

This Sauvignon Blanc from Trader Joe's is quite potent. It smacks you in the face, alerting you to its presence, but not in a way that makes you want to keep drinking it. Sure, it's cheap at $6.99, but is that worth the headache you're bound to get later? This astringent wine is too fruit forward to be pleasant, and instead of being sweet it's actually got a bitter quality to it. It's also quite acidic, and even if you like your wines with a bit of a bite, this just goes a step or two too far. A wine sommelier told Atlanta Magazine that it smells like cat urine, and while yes, wine sommeliers can be a little snooty, if one tells you a wine smells like cat urine... you may want to avoid it. 

The Vin de Bordeaux Sauvignon de Seguin isn't particularly crisp, leaving you wanting for more of that bright fruit flavor. You'll never find it. Instead you'll just make a face that is all distaste and confusion at why you bought such a bottle in the first place.