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Wines of Costco

Professor of Neurology, Otolaryngology, and Physical Therapy/Human Movement Science, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago IL, USA.

Click here to see curriculum vitae.

EMAIL ADDRESS: t-hain@northwestern.edu

Dr. Hain is not a heavy wine drinker, but still enjoys a glass or two every once in a while. Chicago is a great place to find good wine, and perhaps oddly enough, I generally get my wine from a local Costco.

The Costco that I go to in Chicago Illinois is on Clyborn. This Costco has very stiff wine competition, being fairly close a gigantic competitor (Binnies) also on Clyborn. Nevertheless, it has been my observation that Costco wine seems to generally be a "safer" choice than the majority of the "big box" wine stores in Chicago (which have too much unfamiliar labels to choose from), or my local stores in Hyde Park. For this reason, most of the wine ratings below are from Costco. A few are from my local Treasure Island, a few from "Binny's liquor", and a few were gifts from grateful patients.

It seems to me that there is a "natural selection" process that goes on in liquor stores -- the good ones get bought. The bad ones stay on the shelf, and get older. For whites, old means it gets closer to being vinegar. Thus, over time, the shelves of the liquor stores gradually fill up with awful wine. Of course, it is in the interest of the wine store to sell their old and bad wine to whatever foolish customers come in.

Costco has a different dynamic -- the one that I frequent probably has roughly 100 wines to choose from -- all in "warehouse" quantities. Clearly they do not keep wines for years. They are gone in a few months, and either replaced by newer vintages or just gone forever. One is safer with Costco, because their volume is so high, and their selection turns over so fast. I also would guess that if it doesn't sell, they don't order more.

Dr. Hain's wine selection system

My criteria for wine are rather simple - -nothing fancy like "nose" or "fruity" or whatever -- just these

• Does it taste good ? This is completely subjective. I favor white wines that are a little sweet.
• Does it contain enough alcohol (12% is best)
• Can I afford it ?
  • I favor wines that are in the $8-16 price range.
• How bad a headache do I get in the near future and next morning ? -- In other words, how toxic is the wine ? The "two glass-headache test" means that -- if I drink two glasses of wine, will I wake up the next morning with a headache ? If this happens to me, I throw the bottle out or use it for cooking.
  • Of course, if you overdo it, any wine will give you a hangover. Still, some seem to be a lot more toxic than others.
  • According to Neurologists (but what do they really know), toxicity depends on:
    • the amount of "higher alcohols" (these can make the wine more interesting but more toxic too).
    • the grape (white is safer), Of the red wines, Merlot is usually safe.
    • the amount of sulfites (less is better). The amount of sulfites is generally attributed to the soil in which the grape was grown.
    • It also seems to us that some wines have longer term toxicity involving stomach upset, moodiness, and other things best left to your imagination. As these products are of course rather idiosyncratic - -why not ?
• Does it have a screw-top ?
  • Screw tops are much easier to deal with
  • Corks are messy and sometimes make the wine taste funny.

Dr. Hain's Wine Selections -- by grape.

• Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Artesia (reserve, 2005). Strong red, good taste, nontoxic.
• Chardonnay -- I prefer the "unoaked" Chardonnay, from California. These seem to taste a little better than the "oaked", and also many of them don't have those corks. It may be that because it costs less to produce an "unoaked" Chard, you get a little more on the grape quality end of things for the same price.
• Bogle (2008 - from my local treasure island). OK taste, toxic judged from headache
• Kendall Jackson, "vintner's reserve".
  • OK taste -- not as good as Toad Hollow or Rodney Strong.
  • 1-glass is tolerable. 2 glasses -- bad headache.
• Mondavi (not all brands) -- Mondavi is a gigantic winery that has a larger repertoire of wines, some of which are much better than others. The ones sold in local grocery stores for about $6 seem to be prone to cause headaches for me.
• Toad Hollow 2007 Unoaked Chardonnay. Mendocino county. From Costco.
  • Very good taste
  • 13.9% Etoh by volume
  • Reasonable price
  • No headache even after 2 glasses
  • Cork
• Rodney Strong 2008 Chardonnay. From Costco.
  • Good taste
  • Reasonable price
  • No headache
  • Cork
• Frogs leap (From my local Treasure Island grocery store)
  • OK taste
  • Fuzzy feeling and headache next morning - -apparently toxic.
• French Columbard -- this is generally a good tasting, nontoxic, but low alcohol content wine.
  • Macnab Ridge -- a little light on the alcohol content.
    • Doesn't keep well. Tastes like vinegar after a few days.
• Gerwurztraminer -- Gewurz's spicy taste is not for everyone and also seems to be available only for a few months every year. I prefer the ones from California's Russian River Valley
  • Claiborne & Churchill, Central coast Dry Gewurztraminer.
• Pinot Grigio -- Italian Pinot Grigio's seem to be somewhat toxic. I prefer American PG.
  • Kettmer -- this is a good solid Pinot Grigio.
  • Navarro Vineyards 2008 -- bland and mildly toxic.