23 Popular Wines To Buy At Costco, Ranked

Costco is a go-to shopping destination for stocking up on paper towels and laundry detergent. And who doesn't love Costco's rotisserie chicken? But there are more reasons than chicken to go to Costco, like shopping for wine. Due to its membership-driven business model, Costco keeps its wine affordable by limiting its product price markup to no more than 15%. 

As a major retailer of wine, it also benefits from the ability to bulk buy, keeping prices low. Costco's pricing structure is an indicator of this. Most wine prices end in $0.99. However, if you see a price ending in $0.79 or $0.49, for example, the wine is either on sale or the company negotiated a lower-than-usual price with the distributor. Additionally, if you see an asterisk on the price tag, the product's availability will be discontinued in the future, so if you like it, buy now.

The likelihood of finding small, boutique-production wines is low. Instead, many of Costco's popular wine brands are recognizable and well-made. Drawing upon my training as a Certified Specialist of Wine and Sommelier tasting, reviewing, and writing about wine, this ranking is based on varying qualities, including taste, provenance, cost, and a winery's environmental focus. Still, enjoying wine is a personal, sensory experience, and every palate is different. The beauty of wine is that there is a style to fit everyone.

It is easy to love a glass of pinot grigio. It is juicy, lively, and best enjoyed very chilled, preferably with a platter of fritto misto, antipasti, or fresh oysters on the half shell. Santa Margherita is one of the variety's most recognized wine brands. The wine comes from high-elevation vineyards in Alto Adige, in the Italian Alps foothills. Here, grapes maintain freshness thanks to the region's cool climate, creating a refreshing wine. 

The wine's average price is around $25. However, Costco sells the selection for $17.89. While we love the wines of Alto Adige, we find comparable Italian options for a lower price, even with Costco's discount. For this, the wine ranks last on our list.

Josh Cellars is one of the top-selling wine brands in America, and certainly a popular Costco wine. The brand's creation came from a son, vintner Joseph Carr, as a gift to honor his father, Josh. One of the things we love most about Josh Cellars is the winery's dedication to giving back to various charities, including World Central Kitchen.

The brand has an extensive portfolio from vineyards throughout California and beyond, including Josh Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. The California appellation wine opens with ripe black cherry flavors intertwined with spiced vanilla and toasted oak. While the wine's uncomplicated style appeals to many wine drinkers, a preference for a more structured and finessed selection places this wine lower in our rankings.

Saint-Julien is one of the smallest appellations within Bordeaux. The French wine region is known for consistently producing high-quality red wines with black fruit, earthy, dried tobacco, and leather notes. Finding an affordable wine from the well-regarded commune within Bordeaux's Left Bank is always exciting, particularly for under $20. 

Well-priced at $17.99, Kirkland Signature Saint-Julien Bordeaux is an unlikely blend of 76% merlot and 24% cabernet sauvignon. Most often, Saint-Julien wines are cabernet dominant, placing it lower on our list for fans of the region's traditional style. Still, the Bordeaux displays a delicious combination of ripe blue and black fruits, smooth tannins, and 13% alcohol. Pair it with charcuterie or roasted duck.

New Zealand's Kim Crawford Winery is one of America's most favored sauvignon blanc brands. The brand's total sales exceed $26 million annually, of which 90% of the production is sauvignon blanc. Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is an energetic wine displaying fresh grapefruit, lemon-lime, and gooseberries. The wine's average retail price is $16. However, Costco keeps prices lower than other retailers. The wholesaler is almost giving away a bottle for free with its $34.39 three-pack. 

While we love a deal, Kim Crawford ranks 20th. Its lower placement is due to Costco's Kirkland Signature Ti Point Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc showing a striking similarity to the brand and costing only $7.49, making it a better option for sauvignon blanc fans. 

Prosecco is one of the most popular sparkling wines in the world. The Italian bubbly is appealing due to its fresh, approachable character that is delicious on its own or in cocktails, like a juicy peach mimosa. 

Another reason Prosecco is popular is its affordability, special even among Costco's popular wine brands. Kirkland Signature Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG retails for less than $8 a bottle. The wine fills the palate with citrus blossom and orchard fruit with a sweet note indicative of the Extra Dry production style. While fruity and lively, the wine lacks a crushed stone mineral note often found in Prosecco, balancing the sweetness. For this, the wine is lower in our ranking.  

Sonoma County's Imagery Estate Winery creates approachable wines with an artistic touch and a focus on sustainability. The winery's Monterey County Pinot Noir highlights a marriage between ripe fruit, oak, and tannin. The wine's aromas of soft herbs and ripe berries give way to plush layers of jammy raspberry, black tea, and spice flavors, enhanced by six months of aging in French and American oak. 

With 14.5% alcohol and a full-bodied palate, Imagery's selection suits heartier dishes like grilled pork chops or za'atar chicken. However, when tasting this bottle, we must search hard for the subtle nuances typically enjoyed in this variety and found in similar wines at Costco, including its Kirkland Signature options, which outperformed it as such.

Faustino I Rioja Gran Reserva DOCa captures the essence of the celebrated Spanish region reflecting Old World winemaking, creating a medium-bodied tempranillo with vibrant graciano and bold mazuelo combining to create a structured, concentrated wine. After a minimum of five years of aging, of which two years are in oak, the wine shows tertiary notes of aged wine with layers of dried red fruits, sweet spice, and savory balsamic. 

Costco carries several Gran Reserva Rioja wines with a similar, high-quality profile. These bottles may not be as well known, but they sell for less than Faustino I. Reputation isn't enough for us to select this when equal caliber products are available for less. 

Daou Family Estates' luscious Discovery Rosé reflects a style similar to the luxurious rosé wines of Provence with a blushing pink hue and a dry style. The Paso Robles rosé uses 100% grenache fruit, creating aromas of orange blossom, watermelon, and wild berries, giving way to strawberry, papaya, and nectarine flavors.

The wine has an earthy, crushed stone minerality lingering from the front palate to the back and a lovely bright acidity. The suggested retail price of this vibrant wine is $24, or $17.99, at Costco. We've ranked Daou's Rosé here due to its limited availability, despite it being an excellent wine brand to find at Costco. Restricted to the current release, we suggest you stock up now. 

In The Prisoner Wine Company's signature red wine, The Prisoner, an unlikely combination of varieties like zinfandel, charbono, and cabernet sauvignoncreate a full-bodied wine with widespread popularity. The California appellation wine ages in a combination of partially new French and American oak. The oak program lends toasted cedar, pepper, dark chocolate, and toffee notes to the wine's blackberry pie, licorice, and ripe Mission fig flavors. 

With an inky purple hue and high 15.2% alcohol, the wine engulfs the palate with a warming sensation of well-ripened fruit. It is best with fatty meat, sausage, or game dishes. We recommend pairing it with slow-braised short ribs. We appreciate the uniqueness of The Prisoner; however, its New World character reveals power over elegance. The popular wine's $38.89 price tag also displays an asterisk, ranking it lower on our list due to availability.

Decoy Winery crafts its smooth, well-balanced red blend from fruit growing throughout some of California's finest wine-growing regions, including Sonoma, Napa, and the Central Coast. The cabernet sauvignon and merlot-based wine opens with black plum, blackberry, and cherry notes that mingle with vanilla, pepper, and toffee. With 13.9% alcohol, the easy-drinking wine has a suggested retail price of $25. However, we'll shop at Costco for this wine as it is offering the selection for $15.89.

Decoy's wines are consistently reliable and widely available, delivering varietally correct representations of the fruit. While the red blend is appealing, Kirkland Signature Napa Valley Red Blend provides a similar profile and is available for $10.99. For this, Decoy places middle of the list.

The Paso Robles wine region is home to some of California's most diverse soils, elevations, and microclimates. As a result, 60 different grape varieties thrive within the Central Coast appellation, with 50% of the grapes growing in the region being Bordeaux varieties like cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc. 

Daou Family Estates Discovery Cabernet Sauvignon is a fine example of the region's ability to produce expressive, multi-layered wines from the variety. The wine's rich cherry and blackberry jam aromas lead to layers of red and black fruits, graphite, and dark chocolate, with a fresh note of acidity. Costco's $19.99 price is higher than other comparable (but not as popular) options at the wholesaler, like Precision or Swanson, causing Daou to plateau here.

Chardonnay is the most popular white wine in the world. La Crema Winery delivers a fan favorite for lovers of California chardonnay with its Sonoma Coast selection. It is ranked in the middle of our options due to its overall quality, taste, and overall appeal.  

The wine's production is from fruit grown within the Sonoma Coast appellation, where Pacific Ocean breezes keep the grapes cool throughout the year, locking in freshness. This bright acidity balances the medium-bodied wine's ripe fruit-forward characteristics, adding zesty energy to tropical, citrus, and orchard fruit flavors. The chardonnay finishes with a custardy creaminess.

Bodega Catena Zapata showcases elegance and restraint in its estate-grown malbec from high-elevation vineyards in Mendoza, Argentina. Catena has been a leader in the region for producing malbec wines, focusing on quality over quantity, and delivering wines that reflect the terroir. Its commitment to innovation, leadership, and quality wine earns Catena Malbec a spot in the middle of our ranking.

The wine is an easy crowd-pleaser. Its full body is smooth, fruity, and easy to drink with or without food. The wine leads with morello cherry, dried leather, and tobacco flavors. There is a well-rounded, concentrated palate to this available at Costco wine brand, perfect with a grilled flat iron steak.

Napa Valley's Duckhorn Winery was strictly a red wine producer until 1982, when it added a white sauvignon blanc to the portfolio. Utilizing grapes grown within California's North Coast with proximity to the Pacific Ocean, the wine reflects a Bordeaux-style white by blending 90.5% sauvignon blanc with 9.5% semillion, which adds weight and richness to the zesty, refreshing characteristics of the sauvignon blanc. 

The resulting wine shows fresh fruit notes of lemon, pineapple, and melon, with beeswax and white flowers. Combining a refined style and thirst-quenching, lively palate that is consistently well-made, ranking the wine a solid number 10 on our list. It is delicious with grilled fish or a tangy, warm goat cheese salad.

Caymus Vineyards produces 70,000 bottles of Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon every year. It is one of the country's top cabernet sauvignon brands. The wine's popularity is likely due to it being a definitive Napa Valley wine. Caymus' wine consistently delivers a New World unrestrained style that is striking, rich, and ready to be noticed with ripe black fruit, toasted marshmallows, tobacco, and milk chocolate. 

The palate is mouth-coating, and the $90 suggested retail price signifies it is a wine to save for a special occasion or at least a Saturday night. Though widely popular, the high-end wine's oak-forward style does not fit every taste, particularly if you prefer a terroir-driven option. For this, Caymus ranks 9th instead of on the top. 

Oregon's Willamette Valley is pinot noir country. The region's signature red thrives in the cool climate of the Pacific Northwest and the volcanic and marine sedimentary soils, lending acidity, minerality, and earthiness to the thin-skinned grape variety. 

The Four Graces Willamette Valley Pinot Noir blends Dundee Hills, Van Duzer Corridor, and Yamhill-Carlton appellation grapes. The winery creates a complete wine, sustainably farmed and with estate-grown fruit. The wine shows classic Oregon pinot noir characteristics, including layers of wild berries, forest floor, and toasted cinnamon. It does this while costing less than $20 at Costco. While authentic and delicious, it is not the most complex wine at Costco, keeping it from climbing any higher. 

In the southeastern corner of Uruguay near the Atlantic Coast, Bodega Garzon is crafting terroir-driven wines from mineral-rich ballast soils within the Garzon region. These well-draining soils, along with the cooling influence of the Ocean and the area's natural biodiversity, create energetic, complex wines with character. 

Bodega Garzon Tannat Reserva has an inky deep purple hue and layers of blue and black fruit, crushed stone minerality, toasted spice, and dried tobacco. The variety's naturally high tannin is balanced by the acidity and freshness of the wine, delivering 14% alcohol wine that costs around $12 at Costco. The variety may be unfamiliar, but trust us, this well-rounded option is a steal for red wine lovers, ranking it high on our list. We recommend pairing it with slow-braised lamb shanks.

One of Sonoma County's historic wineries, Seghesio Family Vineyards' story began with family patriarch Edoardo Seghesio planting a few zinfandel vines in what became the winery's Home Ranch Vineyard in 1895. Five generations later, the family continues to craft elevated expressions of the variety with a focus on sustainability and reducing the winery's carbon footprint. 

With a newly designed, California-produced, lighter glass-weight bottle made of 30% recycled materials, Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel opens with earthy, woody herbs and toasted spice with blackberry, black plum, and pepper notes. The wine blends fruit from 150 different vineyard blocks dotted throughout Sonoma County. Each lot of fruit ferments individually and then combines to create a multi-layered, complex wine representing the region. The production quality, the winery's commitment to the environment, and the affordable Costco price of under $20 a bottle rank Seghesio high.

Harvey & Harriet celebrates the love story of Booker Vineyard owner Eric Jensen's parents, Harriet and Harvey Jensen. The couple had a passion for life, wine, and each other — however, the costs associated with raising seven children superseded purchasing high-end wines for personal enjoyment. 

Harvey & Harriet is a cabernet sauvignon-based blend from Paso Robles using grapes grown with organic methods. The well-rounded wine combines red cherry, wildflowers, mocha, and cedar with a lovely balance of tannin and acidity and a lush, lengthy finish. The Bordeaux-style blend offers premium fruit at an affordable Costco price of $25.99, allowing every wine lover to enjoy a high-quality wine without breaking the bank. All are characteristics we can appreciate. 

The Gerard Bertrand Collection has a dedication to crafting exceptional wines while preserving the natural environment in the Languedoc region in southern France. With biodynamic farming, placing the vineyard's health as a top priority, the winery produces terroir-driven wines with respect for the land. 

Gerard Bertrand Cotes des Roses Rosé blends grenache, syrah, and cinsault from vineyards near the Mediterranean Sea. The water's influence gives the fruit-forward yet dry palate a slight salinity. With red berry, grapefruit, and wild herb flavors, the wine is a match made in heaven with seafood, like shrimp, clam, and white fish-filled French bouillabaisse. Gerard Bertand's dedication to environmentally healthy farming while providing quality wines at affordable prices, like its $12.89 at Costco rosé wine.

Dom Pérignon is arguably one of the finest vintage-only Champagne wines in the world blending pinot noir and chardonnay grapes aged at least seven years en tirage, giving structure and complexity to the sparkling wine. The natural acidity found in the cool climate grapes of the Champagne region balances the richness produced during aging. 

Dom Perigon epitomizes refined luxury and is one of Costco's most expensive wine offerings, costing around $270. As luxurious, well-rounded, and lovely as the Champagne is, its premium cost is unattainable for many, keeping its ranking a few spots from the top.

Since its founding in 1976, Duckhorn has been a benchmark for quality in Napa Valley. Its inaugural vintage included 800 cases of cabernet sauvignon from two prestigious areas within the valley, Howell Mountain and the Stags Leap District. Today, Duckhorn's Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon continues to reflect the region's essence by blending valley floor and mountain fruit to create one of the finest expressions of terroir-driven cabernet sauvignon from Napa and one of the best available at Costco. 

The elegant red wine balances ripe fruit and earthy minerality with red and black cherry, blackberry, toasted cedar, and toffee and a smooth, lingering finish. The wine's tannins are crunchy and well-integrated, making this a wine that can be enjoyed upon release or aged for several years.

Moët & Chandon is the world's top Champagne house, with a history that dates back to 1743. In 1869, the winery introduced what has become its signature label, Moët & Chandon Impérial Brut Champagne. The non-vintage, dry sparkling wine represents Maison's house style, providing consistent structure, character, and flavor profile by blending over 100 different wines from multiple vintages of pinot noir, chardonnay, and pinot meunier. 

The sparkling wine's dancing bubbles and aromas of orange blossom, hazelnut, and biscuits give way to creamy custard, honeycomb, and toasted brioche flavors. It is ideal for toasting any special occasion, particularly if purchasing at Costco. The Champagne's average price is $61; however, Costco sells the luxurious option for $43.89, which is cause for celebration and gives the opulent Champagne the highest ranking on this list of popular Costco wines.