The folks at Trader Joes have had done a superb service packing their shelves with some fantastic value red wines of late.
From the Trader Joes Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon to the Meritage I just reviewed this past Saturday, their wine buyers have a lot to be proud of for the mix of value and quality they provide.
However, as with all things in life, for every yin there is a yang. And unfortunately, the 2008 Tres Pinos Tierra Roja is one hell of a yang.
I rarely rail this hard against any value red wine, however, there was absolutely nothing redeeming about this awful blend. A mix of Merlot, Cabernet, Zinfandel and Syrah, the Tres Pinos does them all a severe disservice.
Out of the bottle, the aroma smelled more like a must moldy mop bucket filled with 2 month old gym floor water than a nearly $10 bottle of red table wine. Unfortunately, as the first few sips passed by lips, I realized the wine’s scent was the least of its offenses.
It should be criminal to do this to a grape, and Trader Joes should know better than to stock this garbage on their shelves.
The Cork Scrooge 
I think you got a bade bottle. I just drank a bottle of this stuff last weekend and found it delightful.
It has to open up a bit, but my red wine glass was full of flavor and happily didn’t seem to be too drunk with alcohol.
Or maybe I got lucky.
By: Tim on March 30, 2010
at 7:22 pm
I think you got a bad bottle or something other than Tierra Roja. Our bottle has a red-ish orange label. We found our bottle to be absolutely great. Our only regret is we bought 2 or more bottles. We can’t find it in Trader Joe’s anymore.
By: dense on August 21, 2010
at 11:57 am
Odd! Ok, i will go back and crack a second bottle next week and let you all know how it turned out. thanks for the comment!
By: Dallas Lawrence on September 5, 2010
at 7:13 pm
I first purchased this in Chicago at Trader Joe’s and four of us had a wine tasting ad we all loved it. I drove to Cleveland which is an hour away to buy a case and a customer in the wine aisle beat me to the customer service desk to find it. overhearing their conversation, I realized that she too was looking for Tres Pinos. We were sadly informed that it could not be special ordered but they did not think it was discontinued. I really want that wine again!!!!!!
By: Anne-Marie Beris on October 3, 2010
at 8:36 pm