Two Wine Bargains from Fresh and Easy

Two wine bargains from Fresh and Easy: a chardonnay and a pinot noir.  Plus a somewhat new business model.

A couple of weeks ago, a Fresh and Easy supermarket opened near us.  While checking out the store we noticed some unusual wine labels.  Brought ’em home and found two clear winners.

The label is Cloud Valley, but don’t bother looking for it on the web.  It’s produced and bottled as a private label exclusively for Fresh and Easy.  More on that later.

The pinot noir is labeled “California 2010.”  That’s it.  The back label description is, “begins with graceful aromas of sweet cherries, strawberries, and a slight hint of earthiness, followed by soft flavors of vanilla, light oak, and ripe raspberry.”  That’s as honest a description as we could give.

The chardonnay is also also labeled California 2010.  I don’t need notes because we’re drinking this one right now.  It opens with aromas of green apples, followed by a mouth-filling explosion of honey and butter.  The back label is equally effusive, but I can’t agree with their exact description.  This wine is so good it probably should be illegal.

But what about the bargain?  Through Valentine’s Day (2012) Fresh and Easy is offering these two at $5.99 a bottle.  The regular price is $7.99.  Highly recommended.

One final note on the business model.  The back label says “Vinted and bottled by Terravant Wine Company, Buellton, California.”  Until now, Buellton was mainly known as the home of the original Pea Soup Andersen’s.  Terravant is exclusively in the private label – custom crush – tell us what kind of help you need and you can buy it from us – business.

According to their website, Fresh and Easy only has locations in California, Nevada, and Arizona.  I apologize to the rest of the world, but I’m afraid you’ll just have to persuade the company to open in your neighborhood.