The Trader Joe’s wine section is a goldmine for cheap wine that actually tastes good. Most of my early 20s was brought to you by $3 bottles of Vinho Verde and Charles Shaw Sauvignon Blanc from TJ’s. And, unlike many other parts of my 20s, those wines hold up—I still enjoy them today as a *mumbles age* year old. But what are the best wines at Trader Joe’s? We put in the hard work to find out.
How we created this list
We tasted all of the white wine, red wine, and boxed wine sold under the Trader Joe’s label that we could find. We have full rankings of each of those categories, should you be interested in diving deeper. This list is an aggregated collection of the best of the best of those separate Trader Joe’s wine rankings. Yes, we know. There’s no rosé or sparkling wine! We’ll fix that as soon as we can.
What we looked for in the best Trader Joe’s wine
Good flavor: Obviously, the best Trader Joe’s wine should taste good. It should be super drinkable and not a challenge. If we enjoyed it, for whatever reason, that was the first step.
Usability: Don’t go to Trader Joe’s to find a rare bottle of some geeky pet-nat. Go to Trader Joe’s to find crowd-pleasing wines you can stock up on and have at the ready. We looked for bottles that would pair well with a variety of foods and could be sipped on their own.
Low price: Of course the best wine at Trader Joe’s should be cheap! While we included some pricier bottles in our deeper dive rankings, the bottles here are all under $15—most are even under $10.
Best Trader Joe’s wine
Whether you want a nice bottle of white or a big ol’ box of red, here are the best Trader Joe’s wines to track down.
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Best White Boxed Wine
Block White Sauvignon Blanc
This boxed white wine from Trader Joe’s is so good, it deserves its own shelf in the fridge. It has a great, grassy, peppery flavor. You’d never know it came from a box. Pair this with anything from Chinese takeout to a fancy fish dinner. Or just drink it solo while you prep dinner. It’s definitely the best Trader Joe’s wine to buy if your daily 5 p.m. beverage of choice is an ice-cold glass of white wine.
Wait, wait—before you keep scrolling because you think you don’t like Chardonnay because you think it all tastes like the inside of an oak barrel, this is not that kind of Chardonnay. It’s bright and zippy and tastes like fresh-picked apples and tart lemon. It’s great. And it’s the best wine at Trader Joe’s if you’re looking for a bottle of white that pretty much everyone will love.
If you prefer your wine from a spigot rather than a bottle, and you prefer your wine to be red, then this is the best Trader Joe’s wine to buy. While it doesn’t adhere to many of the traditional Cabernet Sauvignon standards, it’s really easy to gulp down. It’s surprisingly light with lots of floral notes and a touch of cocoa sweetness. It tastes so much better than most of the boxed wine you can buy and it’s cheaper.
I am thankful for this job for many reasons, but one of the top reasons is that if I didn’t have this job I would never have tried this red wine from Trader Joe’s. I’m not a huge Merlot fan—at least, I thought I wasn’t—so I never would have grabbed this bottle if I wasn’t tasting all the Trader Joe’s branded red wine. But it’s truly delicious. It’s super balanced—great for drinking on its own—but also layered with flavors, making it a great complement to a range of foods. This and a roast chicken? Hell yeah. Invite me over. This is the best wine from Trader Joe’s if you’re drinking red all year round.
Hi! I’m the editor-in-chief of Sporked. I will never turn down a fresh-shucked oyster but I’ll also leap at whatever new product Reese’s releases and I love a Tostitos Hint of Lime, even if there is no actual lime in the ingredients.
Why you should trust me: I have been writing about food and beverages for well over a decade and am an avid at-home cook and snacker. I began my career writing about fine dining and recipes, moved into cocktails and spirits, and now I talk about groceries. If you can eat it or drink it, I’ve probably written about it.
What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s dried okra. Appleton Farms prosciutto from Aldi. Some sort of Trader Joe’s cheese (I’m into the aged gouda at the moment). Frozen waffles (usually the Eggo Cinnamon Toast Minis). Spindrift water (loving the Cosmopolitan right now).
Favorite ranking: Smoked salmon. Imagine me as Scrooge McDuck but instead of coins I’m diving into a vault of slippery smoked salmon slices. Pure joy. I also found some real steals in that taste test!
Least favorite ranking: Canned oysters. I had such high hopes for this but it quickly became a chore. The kitchen smelled like an uncleaned aquarium.
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Justine Sterling
Griffin Parker
Matt Crowley
