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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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Review: Santa Cruz Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (2023)
This dive bar is better known for birria tacos–and for bad decisions involving tequila–than it is for wine. But I really want a glass of red wine with some carne asada, so here goes nothing. Santa Cruz Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is sitting in mini bottles, next to vials of beer salt and a frozen-drink machine…
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Review: Cantine Due Palme “Pillastro” Primitivo Puglia IGP (2022)
Sometimes, in the midst of all the tasting and study that is my new wine life, I just want to drink something liquid and red. I keep a modest stash of bottles just for this purpose. Sangria wines, pasta-night wines–wines you drink with your mouth and not your nose. “Please don’t be gross,” I whisper…
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How to get from San Francisco to Napa for under $20
The words “Napa Valley” evoke visions of majestic estates, vine-clad foothills, and world-class Cabernet poured in lavish tasting rooms. It’s one of the world’s great wine tourism destinations—always in demand, and with prices to match. Napa is expensive for wine-tasting. That’s expected. But the hardest part is shelling out hundreds of dollars before the first…
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What Is This Thing? Giambellino Bellini Wine Cocktail
This is what it’s like to write a highbrow-lowbrow wine blog: Sometimes we’re drinking a single-vineyard Pinot Noir, and sometimes we’re drinking a dubious orange liquid that we bought at ALDI. On What Is This Thing?, we look at various wine-adjacent products and try to determine: 1. What is this thing? 2. Should you drink…
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Merlot Thursday: Backhouse California Merlot (2023)
Late-night happy hours (sometimes called “reverse” happy hours) are superior to regular happy hours in every way. Urban drink-seekers know this. Instead of jumping into rush-hour traffic to (hopefully) find a barstool and catch a server’s attention before the clock strikes 6 PM, you get to slow down. You can finish your daily work and…
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I tried all the wines on the drink package! Here’s the lowdown on 23 of Princess Cruises’ house wines.
Gangway crossed, drink package purchased, Princess Medallion® in hand. It was time to attempt a feat of exploration and endurance: Tasting all of the available wines before disembarkation day on a 7-day Caribbean cruise. Buying the drink package presented an irresistible opportunity. Normally, I have to pay for the glasses and bottles I review for…
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Review: Masi “Bonacosta” Valpolicella Classico (2022)
Rare bottles are nice and all. But sometimes your mood (or your wallet) pulls you in a different direction–toward clunky glassware, red-sauce pasta, and BYOB. Wine can be part of the occasion without being the occasion. Valpolicella knows this, and is a gracious guest at almost any table. My bottle of the night is a…
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Merlot Thursday: Martin Ray “Courtney’s Cuvée” Merlot (2021)–and the trouble with wine on tap
The quest to bring back Merlot got a boost this week from a delightful “Sideways Effect” piece by Willa Paskin for Slate: “For years, many believed that one tiny movie brainwashed American wine drinkers forever. The truth is weirder.” All the biggest questions and juiciest details are in that article: Is it true that one…