We are fortunate that there are nine Costco locations in and around the Atlanta area where we live. Some have a different and/or better wine selection than others, and it’s fun to go to new stores and see what they might carry. The Great Costco Hunt.
If you live in a smaller metro area it’s likely you only have a handful of Costco locations, maybe only one, in which case you are forced to choose from the wine selection available at that store on any given day.
Now, Costco does do a good job of bringing in a wide variety of different wines from around the world, some stores do better than others. Finding fun wines from a new region of the wine world at Costco is one of the joys of shopping there. It’s almost like a mini curated wine shop that’s fluid and changes all the time. There are good points and bad points here.
Ultimately, I buy a lot of my wine at Costco, not only to populate this site with content, but because I do believe that upwards of 85% of the time (an estimate), wine buys at Costco are impossible to match elsewhere.
But I do cheat on my favorite wholesaler from time to time.
For instance, I think Gary Vaynerchuk’s wine club from WineLibrary.com for $55 a month is an insane deal. I’ve been subscribed since day one, and have enjoyed nearly every bottle (except maybe two I can think of). I’m thinking of adding a second subscription to double the number of bottles I receive it’s so good.
I also make a point to participate with my local wine shop, and I subscribe to their monthly program as well, which includes a twice weekly wine tasting and two nice wines a month. I don’t always get the best deals here, but I love having them down the street from me. I want to have a relationship with them, and sometimes they hold special events with winemakers and I want to be invited to those of course.
But so far everything I’ve listed is going to have a small, rather curated selection. Leave it to no other than the big bad boy, Total Wine, to be the next place I go.
The price? Not great, not bad. Somewhere in the middle, and improves vastly when they have seasonal specials.
But the selection? To die for. They have everything.
Here are some of the wines I buy at Total Wine that I just don’t see at Costco (but I’d love to).
Mid tier Bordeaux ($25-$40 range). Costco is great in the low end Bordeaux range, but when you want a little something more.
Greek wine. Assyrtiko and Agiorgitiko. Just try anything with those words on the label. White and red.
Beaujolais. From Brouilly, Fleurie and Morgan. Stock up when there’s a sale. Not sure I’ve ever seen a Beaujolais besides Georges Duboeuf
Austrian Whites. Namely Gruner Veltliner. If you haven’t got down with the GruV yet, it’s a fun summer wine.
German Riesling. I need to go dry to really enjoy my Rieslings, so I need a bigger selection, like that which I can find at Total wine. If you share similar tastes, look for “Trocken” (dry) and alcohol content above 12%.
Alsatian whites and bubblies. Includes white blends, Pinot Blanc, and of course Cremant d'Alsace (bubbly, great lower priced alternative to Champagne)
Chablis. Costco generally has a few bottles of Chablis, including a decent Kirkland one, but once I’ve exhausted those, and especially during the summer, I love the selection at Total Wine.
Special wines. When I want to buy something nice or something for the cellar, yes, Costco will have a few good options and the price will be unbeatable. But I typically want options, on years, producers etc. if I’m spending some coin. The best way to work this is to cash in on the 10, 15 and sometimes 20% discounts you can get, and toss in a more expensive bottle where the savings will really be applied.
Obscure wines. Think Moldova, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, even South Africa. Not easy to find elsewhere, and many of them are a lot of fun to experiment with.
The list above also essentially makes up my wish list for wines I’d like to see Costco carry (in some case just more of them). Please share any of the regions and varietals you’d like to see Costco carry in the comments below.
-Andrew, Editor
Daniel Wiessner says
Thanks for tips on Total Wine. They have their delicious Pinot Noir on sale right now too. This is the Olema Pinot Noir Sonoma County for $16.99.
Editor says
Awesome. Thanks for the tip. I’ll keep an eye out for it
Linda D. Garland says
Andrew: Have you visited the brand new Costco in Sharpsburg Georgia? (Opened on Thursday August 22, 2019). They have grand opening wine specials that will peak your interest such as: Penfolds Grange Shiraz (750ML) @ $579.00 / bottle. http://www.penfolds.com/en-us/about-penfolds/heritage/the-story-of-grange
and Jordan Cabernet @ $49.99 / bottle http://www.jordanwinery.com/wines/alexander-valley-cabernet-sauvignon/vintages
Don't miss the Grand Opening selections @ Store #1361- Sharpsburg, Georgia
address: 40 Fischer Crossings Blvd, Sharpsburg, GA 30277
Editor says
Hi Linda
Appreciate the info. I didn’t know a store was opening down there. A bit of a drive for me but I always love to explore a new store so will have to put it on the schedule. Thanks for letting us know.
Andy says
Interestingly, about 6 months ago my Costco in Indianapolis started carrying Brouilly from Chateau de la Chaize. Classic Beaujolais, and inexpensive...either $9.99 or $12.99; I’m not sure which.
Editor says
Fantastic to hear
Editor says
Sounds like a steal
Courtney says
Can’t believe i just stumbled across this blog today... what a find! Thanks for all your hard work 😉 and recommendations. Cheers!
Roger says
My wife and I really enjoyed the Zweigelt wines we had in Austria.
Editor says
Absolutely. Just picked a couple up today (from Total Wine). A nice change from the usual suspects.
Lee says
Regarding mid range Bordeaux, My Costco has both Chateau Carbonnieux 2015 and Echo by Lynch Bages 2015. As well as a Puligny-Montrachet in the $75 range. Hoping they get more like those!
Editor says
Good news. We’ve reviewed the Echo. Usually a good buy from one of my favorite Bordeaux producers.
Arturo T Thiele-Sardina says
Andrew--It seems down in Atlanta you all have the same issues as here in the bay area. Depending on where you go some of the Costco's have better selections than others. I usually speak with the wine stewards or folks who work in the wine section and get the latest info on what they have that is new and or low quantity. There are about 5 of us who when we see a great deal for wine text and send pics to each other and give them a heads up. We love to hit the Costco's that are located in the various wine areas here in CA and pick up a stash of local wines that you can't get back home. Keep up the great work on the blog.
Editor says
Thanks for the info. If you and your group come across some good ones, feel free to add to the Forum discussion on the site. I’m sure all of our readers would be interested in what you uncover.
Liam Kirk says
Hey Andrew, I live in Asheville NC area - no Costco here. Sam's has a small wine collection. A local grocery store, Ingles, has a few super stores that have decent wine selection. I read an article a few months ago that Henderson county NC may become better than Napa Valley due to soil condition and topography. A small number of new vineyards have opened recently, including one on other side of mountain behind my house. Exciting times here! Hopefully interstate construction will be done by 2024 so we can get grapes to the Costcos out there!
Editor says
Hi Liam
That’s really interesting to hear about grape growing in NC. I haven’t heard much about it before so it will be interesting to follow now.
I’ve tasted some good wine from Virginia wine country lately too which isn’t highly visible yet either but might be on the rise. Fun to follow these new regions.
Thanks for the note and keep us posted on what develops there.
Andrew