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Tasting the 2026 Costco holiday wine calendar: Wines #1-6
It’s time to tackle the first group of wines from the 2026 Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar. Corkscrews at the ready! For more info about the 2026 calendar–and a complete list of the wines–check out our earlier post. There are 24 wines in the box, and I’ll be reviewing them in four groups of six. At…
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Let’s unbox the 2026 Costco holiday wine calendar!
Today we snagged the 2026 Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar! For the third year in a row, we’ll be tearing apart that bright blue cardboard and digging into a selection of international wines from the warehouse giant. Updated 9/13/2026: Our first batch of reviews from the 2026 calendar is now live! Follow along as we taste…
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The 2026 Costco Wine Advent Calendar: First look!
The most popular posts on The Wine Fairy last year were (by far) our coverage of the 2025 Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar. We unboxed the crate of half-bottles and diligently tasted and reviewed every single wine. A few readers have reached out to ask if Costco is planning a similar release for 2026. The answer…
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Review: Kirkland Signature Vacqueyras (2023)
There are two types of people who buy the Kirkland Signature wines from Costco: Those who care about wine tasting, and those who (mostly) don’t. Among the latter group, Kirkland wines are convenient, cheap grocery items and house-party standbys. Grabbing a case of Prosecco or a jug of Chianti saves you money and a trip…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #24: Ciel Bleu Sparkling Brut (France)
Patience, persistence, and an iron liver have finally brought us here: The very last bottle of the 2025 Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar. And what better way to celebrate crossing the annual wine finish line than by popping some champy? As it turns out, it’s not actually Champagne that’s behind Door #24. Instead it’s this, the…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #23: Once Upon A Time Chocolate Red (France)
Every Wine Person (every Wine Person that I respect, anyway) has the same motto: Drink what you like. It’s true that learning is useful and exploring is enlightening. Wine tastes often drift over time, and they tend to evolve in a predictable way–often away from sweetness and toward nuance and complexity. But it’s dumb and…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #22: Maison du Lac Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc (France)
If you’ve been following along on our journey through all 24 of the Costco advent calendar wines, then you know it’s been a bumpy ride. There is a lot of variation in quality and style this year. The Wine Fairy tasting team (me and my wife, Sarah) are using a very informal (non-blind, non-mathematical, go-with-your-gut)…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #21: Brillo Solar Garnacha (Spain)
Known for bold red fruit flavors with a hint of spice, Garnacha (also called Grenache) is a workhorse of the wine world. The French claim it, but it probably originated in Spain’s Aragon region before spreading across the Mediterranean. Garnacha is a hardy, high-yielding vine–one that can be counted on to produce good-to-great wines even…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #20: Meadow Moon Riesling (Germany)
Christmas Day is approaching! Santa is buffing his sleigh, scalpers are hawking Nutcracker tickets…and we are almost to the last bottle in the Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar. A light German Riesling is tonight’s designated wine. But does Meadow Moon Landwein Rhein deserve a stocking full of presents, or a visit from Krampus? Let’s gather ’round…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #19: Mendoza Nights Malbec (Argentina)
Wine critics and wine judges have devised some entertaining shorthand terms for awful wine. Scrawled in the margins of a notebook or whispered under your breath to a colleague, they allow a taster to diss a wine without offending the pourer. Good ones that I’ve heard recently include FJ (“Fruit Juice”), TD (“Termite’s Dream”–meaning that…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #18: Aralena Pinot Grigio delle Venezie (Italy)
A very merry December 1st! Today is the day that good and patient boys and girls can begin opening their advent calendars to behold the first of the treasures hidden within. But at The Wine Fairy, we are neither good nor patient. So tonight it’s time for Bottle #18 from the Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar:…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #17: Cielo d’Oro Carménère (Chile)
Carménère is one of those wines that people either flee from or embrace. Appreciating this long-banished Bordeaux grape takes practice. (Or blending!) Dark red in color, full of chewy tannins, and often packing intensely vegetal flavors, it’s not likely to be selected as anyone’s house wine or wedding-table tipple. In fact, this is the first…