Who Makes Costco's Kirkland Signature Malbec Wine?

Bulk-sized Kirkland Signature products extend beyond Costco's regular warehouse and into the alcohol section. It's where the beer is cheap, the mixed cocktail bottles are hefty, and the wine selection is plentiful. Many bottles in this department are sold under the store's private label, Kirkland Signature. Like the Kirkland Signature Champagne and various other store-brand wines, Costco doesn't produce its own malbec. The easiest way to find out who makes this full-bodied red vino is to take a closer look at the bottle. The front label indicates the wine is from Mendoza, Argentina, a huge malbec-producing mountainous region in the western portion of the country along the Chilean border.

The back of the label has a bit more info, revealing that the malbec is produced by Broquel Winery, a wine line within Trapiche Winery. Since 2000, the chief winemaker of Trapiche has been Sergio Casé, whose name is also included on the back label. Trapiche's malbec grapes are grown between 2,800 and 3,300 feet above sea level in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. The wine is aged for a full year in French oak barrels before it's bottled and given the Kirkland Signature name.

The black malbec grapes create a deep-hued wine with notes of ripe plums and cherries. Each sip features a smooth finish with a touch of cocoa and hints of oak and spice from the barrels it is aged in. With its origins in a world-famous malbec region, it'd be safe to assume this wine might be pricier than other Kirkland Signature vino options. That isn't the case. While the Kirkland Signature Barolo DOCG red wine costs around $20 at Costco (and similar styles command upwards of $60 or more at other retailers), a 750 ml bottle of store-brand malbec costs around $8. The savings don't stop at Costco — liquor stores sell bottles of Broquel malbec for around $15 to $20.

The value of this wine is talked about a ton online. A member who posted on Reddit in 2024 said they were glad they finally purchased and uncorked a bottle of Kirkland Signature malbec because it's a "serious value" and "quite tasty." Other commenters said they buy it by the case. In another Reddit thread, someone suggested cooking with the malbec, noting that you shouldn't cook with a wine you wouldn't drink, which was echoed in the comments. Back on the 2024 post, one Redditor summed up the Kirkland Signature wine selection by saying, "Rumor has it that Costco has some of the best sommeliers working for them," and we wouldn't be surprised.