I Tried 10 Sam's Club Wines & There's Only One I'd Drink Again
Many retailers offer discounted products under their own house brands. Sam's Club is no different. You'll find everything from diapers and vitamins to frozen foods and bottles of wine carrying the warehouse club's distinct Member's Mark moniker.
While it has yet to attain the popularity of rival warehouse club Costco's Kirkland Signature label, Sam's ever-expanding store brand appears to be striving toward that same level of prestige.
After trying various Kirkland-brand wines, conducting a similar taste test of Member's Mark varietals seemed only fair. After all, there may be a bit of stigma to bringing a random bottle of store-brand wine to your next gathering unless you know it's properly vetted.
I recently tasted 10 varieties, including sparkling, rosé, white, and red options, to get a good idea of the offerings in the Sam's Club portfolio. Like at Costco, there are many options at any given time. Unfortunately, none of these really brought the wow factor, but some were passable for the price point. All came in under $15—and, in some cases, under $10.
Here's how these wines fared, ranked in descending order from my least favorite to the best of the bunch.
Private Reserve Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2022
Sam's Club carries a few different varieties of pinot noir, primarily from California. I didn't try all of them, but they likely vary a bit in taste. This bottle is described as having a well-balanced acidity and bright red fruit flavors. At $12.98, it was the most expensive wine I tasted—and the worst-tasting wine in the entire survey.
The look: A really bright ruby color, reminiscent of a maraschino cherry.
The taste: Extremely oaky with a really bad aftertaste. Simply not good. I drink a fair amount of pinot noir and I will not be adding this to the list.
Sonoma County Chardonnay 2021
Like pinot noir, there were a few varieties of Member's Mark chardonnay to choose from. This bottle was described as having enticing flavors of green apple, pear, and melon with a creamy toasted oak finish. It's said to pair well with chicken, fish, and soft cheese. The bottle cost me $8.98.
The look: Yellow with a slight tint of green.
The taste: This one was a very stereotypical California chardonnay, with strong oaky
aromas, heavy vanilla on the backend, and a creaminess to it—very much as it's described on the bottle. It's not really my style, but there is certainly a group of people that would drink it.
Private Reserve Chardonnay, Carneros 2021
This chardonnay cost me $1 more than the other one I tried and came labeled "private reserve." It is vinted and bottled by Plata Wines in California's Napa Valley, which appears to grow and bottle wine for more than 70 different brands. This wine is described as elegant and indulgent, with "rich aromas" and a "creamy mid palate with hints of fresh baked pie crust."
The look: A medium yellow hue.
The taste: Sweet with little notes of vanilla, faintly reminding me of pie crust. Still, those notes were pretty muted and the wine was a little one note. It didn't fare much better than the other chardonnay. It is less oaky on the nose but there is also far less complexity.
Monterey County Pinot Noir 2021
This pinot noir is made by a winemaker that has roots in producing Burgundy wine and recently expanded into California regions like Monterey and Napa. It's described on the label as having notes of pomegranate, blackberry, and plum. A bottle costs $8.98.
The look: A luscious ruby red color.
The taste: Light bodied with subtle oaky notes and not-so-subtle booziness. It is certainly better than its undrinkable Russian River counterpart, but it still didn't taste like your classic pinot noir. It was hard to get past the very alcohol-forward taste to uncover any other flavors.
Cotes de Provence Rosé 2022
This bottle of rosé is a combination of cinsault, grenache, and syrah and hails from the uber-popular French region of Provence, where many top-notch rosé wines are produced. It is described as having a very pale pink color and a taste of "bright fruit flavors with spice." It cost me $8.98.
The look: A salmony, peachy orange hue. Not sure where the "pale pink" description came from.
The taste: Not too sweet, which is good, but very alcohol-forward with an almost lead-like aftertaste. I am a big fan of French provincial rosé, but this didn't cut it. It just didn't taste like you want a good summer rosé to taste. You can find better at just a few dollars more.
Cabernet Sauvignon California 2022
As you can probably guess from the vague California descriptor, this wine is sourced from different vineyards throughout the Golden State. It is said to have soft balanced tannins and hints of toasted oak to round the palate. The bottle cost me $7.98.
The look: A dark purple color.
The taste: More like a pinot noir than cabernet—flat and a little acidic with no tannins. It seemed like a nondescript table red wine that you'd get as the inexpensive option at an old-school Italian restaurant.
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023
This wine comes from New Zealand's popular Marlborough region and is described as a classic example of the area's specialty: sauvignon blanc. According to Sam's, the wine is "exuberantly fruited on the palate with a zesty finish." The bottle cost me $7.98, a great price if you guzzle sauvignon blanc on the regular. It's also a sustainable choice, something you don't often find with inexpensive wine.
The look: A nice pale color like a good sauv blanc should be.
The taste: Tart. It had all the elements that a New Zealand sauv blanc should have, but the acidity was just a bit too amped up. It is very fragrant on the nose, which is nice. I could see this pleasing the people that really love a "zesty finish," as the retailer described.
Rioja Reserva Tempranillo 2017
This Spanish red is aged for a minimum of three years and offers "flavors of plum, red fruits and dried herbs that finishes with well-balanced acidity and polished tannins," according to the retailer. The bottle cost me $9.98.
The look: A very deep purple color.
The taste: Jammy with lots of strong berry flavors. This is a wine that needs a minute to open up. On first sip, it's extremely alcohol forward, but once you let it sit for a bit, the fruit really comes through.
Asolo Prosecco Superiore
If you need a celebratory bottle, this Prosecco fits the bill. It's described as offering tastes of apples and a hint of pastry and citrus fruits. The bottle cost me $7.98.
The look: A pale golden color with copious bubbles.
The taste: Although it does taste a little bit like sparkling apple juice, it's not cloyingly sweet. It has good effervescence and is the perfect inexpensive bottle for a "cheers" moment.
Columbia Valley Merlot 2022
At $7.98, this wine from Washington State's Columbia Valley was one of the cheapest bottles I picked up. Yet, it turned out to be the very best of the bunch. It was also the only wine from Washington State in the entire survey. The retailer describes it as "rich and velvety with notes of berries."
The look: A luxe, deep purple color.
The taste: Not as deep and complex as a merlot would normally be, but with its rich cherry finish, it's a good bottle—especially for the price point. Like many of these wines, it doesn't quite taste like I expect. It feels more like a full-bodied pinot noir than a merlot. Nonetheless, it was the best tasting variety and probably the only one that could entice me enough to take another sip beyond the initial tasting pour.
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