Taste-Testing Walmart and Trader Joe’s Wines: Whose Are Better?

Everybody loves a wine bargain. Retail chains reflect the zeitgeist, so they’re rushing to cash in by creating house brands to keep their costs down and customers buying. The latest is U.S. giant Walmart Inc., which rolled out its new Winemakers Selection collection in 1,100 of its nearly 4,000 stores in May.

My first reaction was a yawn. Walmart wines? Seriously, could they be any good? I was intrigued when Nichole Simpson, the company’s senior wine buyer, claimed that the chain’s $11 to $16 bottles “drink like they cost $30 or $40.”