Many retailers offer discounted products under their own house brands.
Sam’s Club is no different.
After trying variousKirkland-brand wines, conducting a similar taste test of Member’s Mark varietals seemed only fair.
Photos: Sam’s Club. Design: Eat This, Not That!
Like at Costco, there are many options at any given time.
Unfortunately, none of these really brought the wow factor, but some were passable for the price point.
All came in under $15and, in some cases, under $10.
Photo: Samantha Lande, Eat This, Not That!
At $12.98, it was the most expensive wine I tastedand the worst-tasting wine in the entire survey.
The look:A really bright ruby color, reminiscent of a maraschino cherry.
The taste: Extremely oaky with a really bad aftertaste.
Photo: Samantha Lande, Eat This, Not That!
I drink a fair amount of pinot noir and I will not be adding this to the list.
It’s said to pair well with chicken, fish, and soft cheese.
The bottle cost me $8.98.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1097FsVK98MVeLjMlHHx4h9X6kwilpj47?usp=sharing
The look:Yellow with a slight tint of green.
It’s not really my style, but there is certainly a group of people that would drink it.
The look:A medium yellow hue.
Photo: Samantha Lande, Eat This, Not That!
The taste:Sweet with little notes of vanilla, faintly reminding me of pie crust.
Still, those notes were pretty muted and the wine was a little one note.
It didn’t fare much better than the other chardonnay.
Photo: Samantha Lande, Eat This, Not That!
It is less oaky on the nose but there is also far less complexity.
It’s described on the label as having notes of pomegranate, blackberry, and plum.
A bottle costs $8.98.
Photo: Samantha Lande, Eat This, Not That!
The look:A luscious ruby red color.
The taste:Light bodied with subtle oaky notes and not-so-subtle booziness.
It was hard to get past the very alcohol-forward taste to uncover any other flavors.
Photo: Samantha Lande, Eat This, Not That!
It cost me $8.98.
The look: A salmony, peachy orange hue.
Not sure where the “pale pink” description came from.
Photo: Samantha Lande/Eat This, Not That!
The taste: Not too sweet, which is good, but very alcohol-forward with an almost lead-like aftertaste.
I am a big fan of French provincial rose, but this didn’t cut it.
It just didn’t taste like you want a good summer rose to taste.
Photo: Samantha Lande, Eat This, Not That!
you could find better at just a few dollars more.
It is said to have soft balanced tannins and hints of toasted oak to round the palate.
The bottle cost me $7.98.
Photo: Samantha Lande/Eat This, Not That!
The look: A dark purple color.
The taste:More like a pinot noir than cabernetflat and a little acidic with no tannins.
According to Sam’s, the wine is"exuberantly fruited on the palate with a zesty finish."
The bottle cost me $7.98,a great price if you guzzle sauvignon blanc on the regular.
It’s also a sustainable choice, something you don’t often find with inexpensive wine.
The look:A nice pale color like a good sauv blanc should be.
The taste:Tart.
It is very fragrant on the nose, which is nice.
The bottle cost me$9.98.
The look:A very deep purple color.
The taste:Jammy with lots of strong berry flavors.
This is a wine that needs a minute to open up.
Asolo Prosecco Superiore
If you need a celebratory bottle, this Prosecco fits the bill.
It’s described as offering tastes of apples and a hint of pastry and citrus fruits.
It has good effervescence and is the perfect inexpensive bottle for a “cheers” moment.
Yet, it turned out to bethe very best of the bunch.
It was also the only wine from Washington State in the entire survey.
The retailer describes it as “rich and velvety with notes of berries.”
The look:A luxe, deep purple color.
Like many of these wines, it doesn’t quite taste like I expect.
It feels more like a full-bodied pinot noir than a merlot.
