14 Best Value Kirkland Signature Wines To Buy At Costco
It's the time of year when home entertaining is at a peak as friends gather for holiday celebrations, which can quickly get expensive. However, it doesn't have to be if you shop the Kirkland Signature wines at Costco. The big box wholesaler's private-label wines offer great value at competitive prices. Costco does this while delivering quality products from well-regarded regions worldwide.
The wine resembles the Kirkland Signature liquor, where information about the producer is often limited. Still, every label provides regional, vintage, and varietal information. Costco works directly with the producers and importers for its Kirkland Signature selections instead of through a distributor, eliminating additional distribution costs to keep prices low.
Most stores offer a selection of Kirkland Signature wines year-round, including the Mendoza Malbec and California Pinot Grigio. Other options will arrive throughout the year. The rosé from Provence releases in the early summer, and the Rutherford cabernet sauvignon and Gigondas Rhone blend will come in the fall, around the holidays.
We taste-tested Kirkland Signature wines to see which are the best buys. As a Certified Sommelier and Certified Specialist of Wine, I have tasted and reviewed wines from throughout the world for almost 20 years. This knowledge helped guide our decisions for finding the best-value Kirkland Signature wines available today. And, there's great news for shoppers without a membership. Non-members can buy liquor at Costco in 14 states, including in New York, California, and Texas.
2022 Kirkland Signature Pinot Grigio Friuli Grave DOC
One of the least expensive Kirkland Signature wines costs $4.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle. It is also one of the most authentic wines on the list. Kirkland Signature Pinot Grigio Friuli Grave Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) showcases the northeastern Italian wine-growing region's prowess for producing high-quality white wines with character. The DOC designation signifies that the wine meets government-authorized standards for production area and winemaking techniques.
Friuli Grave lies within the broader Friuli-Venezia Giulia region bordering Slovenia and Austria, between the Italian Alps and the Adriatic Sea. The region's rocky, gravely, limestone-rich soils reflect the sunlight during the day onto the vines. This sunshine helps grapes evenly ripen while the soils lend mineral-intense characteristics to the pinot grigio.
With 12.5% alcohol and bottled under a screw cap, Kirkland Signature's Pinot Grigio has an unoaked, zesty mineral note of crushed stone that mingles with fruit-forward flavors of golden melon, ripe peach, and freshly cut lemons. The wine leads with bright, fresh acidity and finishes clean. We concur that other wines from Fruili Grave are more complex. However, they will sell for three or four times the cost of Costco's option. Kirkland Signature's agreeable flavors, highly approachable cost, and easy-to-open crack-and-go screw cap closure make it easy to recommend the selection.
2021 Kirkland Signature Malbec Mendoza
Kirkland Signature Malbec rates as a crowd-pleaser, especially for its low price of less than $7. Unlike some Kirkland selections, the Malbec includes details on the production and winemaking techniques. Fourth-generation winemaker Sergio Case produces the signature Argentinian varietal wine at the historic Broquel Winery in Mendoza.
The bottle notes that the hearty red wine with 14% alcohol by volume (ABV) is grown at 2,800 to 3,300 feet above sea level in Mendoza, Argentina. Nestled in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, the vineyards thrive under the majestic Mountains' gaze. Here, the high-elevation vineyards enjoy warm days and cool nights, producing fruit with bright, fresh acidity and balanced tannin. Kirkland Signature's Malbec layers ripe blackberry, Morello cherry, wildflowers, and tobacco notes. The full-bodied wine ages in French oak barrels for a year, lending toasted spice and vanilla notes to the easy-drinking selection.
Entry-level malbec wines from Argentina tend to be inexpensive and can feel somewhat flat on the palate. Kirkland's selection delivers more than a low price; it also provides the quality and taste we want in an everyday red wine for $6.99. Pair the wine with a Texas barbecue or lavish Argentine asado.
2022 Kirkland Signature Ti Point Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough
Kirkland Signature's Ti Point Sauvignon Blanc offers few details about the wine on the label. The wine's label says it comes from Marlborough, New Zealand, an area known for crafting high-quality sauvignon blanc wines. DC Flynt MW Domaines & Estates imports the wine. However, the label lacks notes about its production besides having Ti Point in the name. Including Ti Point indicates the likely producer of the wine is the 30+-year-old New Zealand producer with vineyards spanning from Northern New Zealand's Ti Point peninsula to Marlborough and Hawke's Bay.
The wine displays what we expect from a New Zealand sauvignon blanc, especially if you enjoy popular brands like Kim Crawford or Whitehaven. Kirkland Signature's option opens with aromas of lime leaf, ripe grapefruit, and freshly cut grass, followed by a juicy palate of ripe citrus fruit, guava, fresh pineapple, gooseberries, and wet stone. With a moderate 12.5% alcohol, a screw cap closure, and a low price of $7.49 for a 750-milliliter bottle, Kirkland Signature Sauvignon Blanc is a refreshing white wine that is easy to enjoy, especially on a hot day. Pair the selection with a warm goat cheese salad or grilled shrimp with fresh chimichurri sauce.
2022 Kirkland Signature Cotes du Rhone Villages AOC
The Rhone region of France in the southern end of the country is an excellent place to start when looking for a value-driven red wine of quality. More than half of the wines from the region are entry-level Cotes du Rhone Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) wines. The AOC designation ensures that the wines come from within a specific area, meet a particular alcohol level, and use the authorized grape varieties. The base of the blend is usually grenache or syrah, depending on where the producer is in the region. Still, there are 21 different varieties authorized in the Rhone Valley.
Moving up the quality ladder, the next tier of wines from the Rhone is the Cotes du Rhone Villages AOC, covering a smaller area with more restrictions on the amount of fruit that can be grown and the minimum alcohol level. The lower the fruit yield, the more structured and concentrated the finished wines will become.
Kirkland Signature Cotes du Rhone Villages AOC blends grenache, syrah, and Mourvedre to create a 14.5% alcohol red wine. The grenache lends luscious cherry, raspberry, and plum notes, and the syrah brings richness with layers of black fruits, pepper, and bitter chocolate. The robust, sun-loving Mourvedre adds savory herbs and spices, rich garnet color, and tannin. The combination results in a well-rounded, nicely structured wine for the low price of $7.49 per 750-milliliter bottle. It is perfect for your next Taco Tuesday night pairing.
2022 Kirkland Signature Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
Finding a pinot noir from the Russian River Valley within Sonoma County for under $12 not only surprises but calls for a celebration. Due to the varying soil types, geography, and maritime climate, the region crafts some of the finest Pinot Noir wines. Pacific Ocean breezes bring a marine layer of fog into the valley every afternoon. The fog's influence helps extend the growing season by cooling the fruit, allowing it to develop slowly, and creating fully ripened fruit flavors with bright acidity. Kirkland Signature's selection is juicy and fresh, with red berries, candied cherries, woody herbs, and cola.
The 2022 vintage Kirkland Signature wine with 13.5% alcohol is easy to drink and approachable. It is not the most complex or thought-provoking pinot noir wine, and we wouldn't expect it to be for the price. Still, the smooth texture and ripe fruity flavors with just a splash of earthy forest floor notes make this a wine we can enjoy any day, especially with grilled salmon, roast turkey, or a hearty mushroom stew.
2021 Kirkland Signature K Vine Syrah
Kirkland Signature K Vine Frenchman Hills Vineyard Syrah is a rich, spicy wine from the Royal Slope AVA within Columbia Valley in central-eastern Washington State. The region benefits from a significant diurnal temperature swing from day to night during the growing season. Hot, desert-like temperatures give way to cool, breezy nights, ensuring that ripening fruit maintains freshness, allowing for a long growing season.
Renowned Washington winemaker Charles Smith, owner of Charles Smith Wines, makes the syrah. Smith enjoys a reputation for following Old World methodology in his winemaking, believing in a hands-off approach in the winery, and allowing the grapes to tell the story of a region's terroir. Smith produces the types of wines you notice, with bold character and broad appeal.
Costing $9.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle, the K Vine Syrah opens with aromas of black fruits, black pepper, and smoked meaty bacon fat, leading to similar fruity, meaty, peppery flavors on the palate. The 2021 vintage wine contains a potent 15% alcohol. However, the wine does not exhibit a profuse alcoholic bite thanks to the balanced acidity, keeping the palate fresh. We recommend opening the bottle to allow the wine to breathe for about an hour to soften the tannins.
2022 Kirkland Signature Chardonnay Sonoma County
Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Chardonnay consistently offers a fruit-forward flavor with tropical fruits, fresh citrus, and creamy richness. In past vintages, the wine featured more of a buttery, oaky note reminiscent of classic California flavors. That buttery note had been a staple characteristic for which California chardonnay became known.
Kirkland Signature's selection now highlights more of the fruit. The reasoning could be because of vintage variation or due to the modern palate's preference for a more refreshing chardonnay without the heavy, oaky flavors. The restraint allows more natural fruit flavors to show, which we find quite appealing. The wine opens with lemon blossom, pineapple, and fresh melon aromas, leading to ripe pear, green apple, and tropical fruit flavors. The oak influence remains in the wine's characteristics, lending hazelnut and custard flavors. The 13.5% alcohol wine has a dry palate, with lush fruit flavors, mouthwatering acidity on the finish, and a very reasonable price of $7.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle.
Kirkland Signature Napa Valley Red Blend
Napa Valley is recognized worldwide for producing high-quality, highly distinctive cabernet sauvignon and Bordeaux-style blends. Kirkland Signature's Napa Valley Red Blend provides a good indicator as to why. With 14.5% alcohol, the cabernet sauvignon-dominant wine opens with espresso and cigar box aromas, leading to layers of black cherry, plum, wildflowers, cedar, and vanilla. The remainder of the 2021 vintage blend includes Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.
The additional varieties in the blend create a wine with a lush, well-rounded texture and a lovely flavor, with the 3% addition of robust, tannic petit verdot adding depth and richness to the medium-bodied wine's balanced profile. The wine lacks some of the classic Napa complexity we hope for in wines from the region. However, Kirkland Signature's Napa Valley Red Blend is well worth the $10.99 price. It is perfect with an old-fashioned beef stew or a bowl of hearty turkey chili on a cold night.
2021 Kirkland Signature Series Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford, Napa Valley
Cabernet sauvignon wines from Napa Valley are becoming exceedingly expensive. According to the annual direct-to-consumer wine report from the Silicon Valley Bank for 2023, the average cost for a bottle of cabernet sauvignon from Napa County now exceeds $100. This being the case, finding a quality cabernet from a sub-appellation within Napa Valley for less than $20 makes our hearts flutter.
Kirkland Signature's Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley does more than give us a flutter; it sends our hearts racing. The Rutherford region of Napa crafts expressive cabernet sauvignon wines from deep, well-draining, gravelly, volcanic, and sedimentary soils. The soils give the wine an earthy, dusty quality with elegant, full-bodied characteristics, for which the region has become well-known.
Glenn Hugo, winemaker for the prominent Rutherford winery, Girard, crafts the selection for Costco. Hugo lends his delicate touch and years of experience to deliver the quality Kirkland Signature selection that displays the refined style we expect with Rutherford wines. With 14.5% alcohol and an $18.99 price, the wine layers blackberry, cherry, cassis, espresso, and leather. The tannins are smooth on the palate. The finish is soft, although short. Though we wish the finish were longer, the overall quality makes it one of the best buys from Costco. We suggest serving the wine with a rack of lamb or grilled ribeye steaks for a special Saturday date night.
Kirkland Signature Prosecco Superiore Asolo DOCG
Prosecco is one of the most popular sparkling wines in the world. Prosecco DOC consortium reports that in 2022, 638.5 million bottles of Prosecco DOC were sold worldwide. This number follows Prosecco's upward sales trend since the region became a DOC in 2009.
Prosecco comes from northeastern Italy in the foothills of the Italian Alps, using a minimum of 85% Glera variety grapes. Prosecco's sparkling wine production relies on the Charmat method. The production style ensures a vibrant and energetic sparkling wine. The vibrancy is one of the leading selling points for the sparkler, as it is best enjoyed shortly after bottling when the wine is its freshest. Another reason Prosecco's popularity continues to rise is its affordable price. Kirkland Signature's Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry sparkling wine is a steal for $7.89.
The 11% alcohol wine hails from the commune of Asolo. In 2009, Asolo and Conegliano-Valdobbiadene within the larger Prosecco DOC area received the Prosecco Superiore Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) designation. The DOCG designation means that in addition to following the rules for production and winemaking, the wines must pass a taste test, ensuring they are of premium quality. The Asolo area received the designations due to its unique characteristics, including its steep rolling hills, mineral-rich soils, and mixed biodiversity. Kirkland's Asolo Prosecco Superiore displays these characteristics with layers of crushed stone with golden apple, ripe lemon, white flowers, and a fresh touch of sweetness.
Kirkland Signature Prosecco Rosé DOC
As Prosecco's popularity rose and the wine became a leading easy-to-drink, bubbly for all occasions, the desire for an authorized sister rosé selection emerged. In 2020, Rosé Prosecco earned DOC status. Like traditional Prosecco DOC, rosé Prosecco DOC must include 85% glera fruit. The remaining 15% of the blend most often is pinot noir, known as pinot nero in Italy, lending the blush pink hue to the rosé bubbly.
The wine's production uses the Charmat or Italian method. However, the secondary fermentation within the pressurized stainless steel tanks must last at least 60 days versus the 30-day minimum for traditional Prosecco DOC. The additional tank time helps round out the palate of the sparkling wine, bringing texture and balance.
Kirkland Signature Prosecco Rosé DOC Extra Dry is refreshing, crisp, and luscious. The natural flavors of glera and pinot noir fruits meld into a fruity mix of ripe apple, wild strawberry, and juicy citrus. The pink salmon sparkler has a nice balance of fruity sweetness with fresh acidity, making it an excellent pairing for spicy, fried, or fatty foods, like a Nashville-style hot fried chicken. The wine has a low 11% alcohol and an affordable price of $7.99. We recommend keeping a bottle on hand, as you never know when the occasion to enjoy a celebratory sparkler will arise.
2022 Kirkland Signature California Chardonnay
If you prefer to buy your wine in bulk, Costco offers a few large-format options, including the Kirkland Signature California Chardonnay. The wine is available in either a 1.5L bottle for $8.99 or a 3L bag-in-box option available at our local Costco for $13.99.
There is no indication of the wine's California sourcing, only that DC Flynt MW Domaines & Estates in Modesto, CA, cellared and bottled it. Cellared and bottled means the company's handling of the wine came after it had gone through fermentation and possibly some initial aging. There may have been additional aging or blending by the company for Kirkland Signature. However, as a 2022 vintage, further aging would have been minimal.
With 13.5% alcohol, the wine opens with tropical fruit and vanilla aromas, layering ripe pineapple, papaya, and mango with toasted vanilla cream. The wine has a fruity sweetness and full body, enhanced by aromas of oak and warm baking spice. The combination creates a chardonnay with weight and richness, allowing you to pair it with creamy, indulgent dishes like buttery hazelnut risotto or truffle mac and cheese.
2021 Kirkland Signature California Cabernet Sauvignon
We suggest the large format Kirkland Signature California Cabernet Sauvignon if you seek a red wine you can drink and cook with. Similar to Kirkland Signature's California Chardonnay, the wine is available in two sizes: a 1.5-liter bottle for $8.99 or a 3-liter bag-in-box option for $14.99. The 2021 vintage wine's label includes few details on its origins other than that it is from California.
Despite the sparse label details, the wine speaks for itself. Approachable and uncomplicated, the cabernet sauvignon opens with black fruits, dark chocolate, and oaky vanilla aromas, leading to blackberry, mocha, black pepper, and toasted oak. The finish is short but smooth, with the oaky characteristics lingering on the palate.
We appreciate that the alcohol percentage is lower than many of Kirkland Signature's other selections, at just 13%, allowing for better food-pairing ability. And, as you should always cook with a wine you want to drink, we rank this as one of the best red wines for cooking, especially for preparing hearty red wine braised short ribs or coq au vin.
2022 Kirkland Signature California Pinot Grigio
Kirkland Signature offers a similar large format California appellation wine to the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon with its California Pinot Grigio. However, you can only buy the wine in the 3-liter bag-in-box option for $12.99. Considering that 3 liters is equivalent to four standard 750-milliliter bottles or roughly 20 glasses of wine, the Pinot Grigio is one of the best bargains you can find at Costco.
Besides its low price, the 2022 vintage wine is a straightforward option with flavors of ripe melon, fresh citrus, yellow peaches, and green apple. The wine boasts a nice balance of zesty, fresh acidity and ripe fruitiness, with a smooth, soft palate and low 11% alcohol. The eco-friendly boxed wine stays fresh for up to 30 days after opening, according to the box, and is a refreshing option for enjoying while entertaining a crowd. It is best very cold, quenching your thirst on a hot day. Or mix it into a wine cocktail, like a fresh peach or floral white wine sangria.