Value
bottle in a
By Annette Alvarez-Peters ANY LOVER OF WINE, spirits or beer knows this fact: There’s a lot out there. New variations arrive weekly to join styles and brands that
have been around for centuries. Where does
Costco’s Kirkland Signature™ label fit among
all these bottles?
Costco’s relationships with many of the
leading wine, beer and spirits producers
around the globe have given us opportunities
to create high-quality products at great prices.
Here’s a look.
A toast to Kirkland Signature
wine, beer and spirits
Great wines at Costco Premium: The 2008 New Zealand
Sauvignon Blanc Item #301904, 2007 Sonoma
County Chardonnay Item #514007 and 2007
Napa Valley Chardonnay Item #514014
(California locations only)
Super-Premium: The 2008 Russian River
Pinot Noir (mid-August) Item #555512
Ultra-Premium: The 2007 Cabernet
Sauvignon from Napa Valley (mid-August)
Item #444410
Each Kirkland Signature
wine is designed to be a step above in
terms of quality and a step below in terms
of price as compared to industry standards.
PHOTOS BY FRANCE FREEMAN
Kirkland Signature wines
About every 10 years, a wine glut, caused
by increased planting in key wine regions, hits
the market. This increases the availability of
quality wine, and Costco takes full advantage
of increased supply by working closely with
top domestic and import producers to
develop the Kirkland Signature wine program. Only the grape varieties that offer great
taste, complexity and the best expression of
their region or appellation for that vintage
make the final cut.
Kirkland Signature wines are positioned
in three distinct tiers: Premium, Super-
Premium and Ultra-Premium.
Each wine is priced a
step below typical
retail while reaching a
step above in quality as
determined by comparisons to industry
standards. Kirkland
Signature wines are
produced in relatively
small quantities to
ensure quality and value.
Premium wines come
from relatively large areas, such
as Sonoma County, Columbia Valley, Southeast
Australia or New Zealand. Super-Premium
wines come from smaller, more defined growing areas (sub-appellations) that are recognized
for unique growing conditions. Examples
include the Rutherford and Russian River districts in California, the McLaren Vale area in
Australia or Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
Ultra-Premium wines feature a “Signature
Series” label, indicating that they come from
some of the finest growing areas, often with
artisan producers. Champagne, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and some of the best vineyards of
the Napa Valley are represented in Signature
Series wines.
Kirkland Signature beer
Kirkland Signature beer, available
in a variety case of four styles (six bottles of each), was introduced to the
West Coast in December 2008 and
arrives on the East Coast in the fall.
The Amber Ale has a rich, malty
character and is moderately
hopped; the classic American-style
Pale Ale is crisp, golden and
robustly hopped; the German-style lager is a deep gold, smooth-bodied and moderately hopped;
and the American-style Hefeweizen is a
crisp, light-bodied wheat beer.
Kirkland Signature beer is produced
by a top independent brewer using traditional craft methods and only the very best
hops and grains.
For information on Costco’s Kirkland
Signature wines, go to Costco.com, click
on “Costco Connection Magazine,” then
“Kirkland Signature Wine Connection.”
Kirkland Signature spirits
Vodka is the largest-selling distilled spirit
in the U.S., so naturally our first Kirkland
Signature spirit was vodka. We worked
countless hours with our supplier to
achieve a super-premium taste profile
that combined some of the best characteristics of the world’s bestselling
vodkas. Kirkland Signature vodka is
made in France from 100 percent
wheat and Gensac Springs water,
and is distilled five times. It’s
clean and smooth, with hints
of citrus and vanilla.
Kirkland Signature
single-malt Scotches have
been very successful, thanks
to bottling opportunities
with independent brokers
and bottlers in Scotland.
They purchase surplus
spirits produced in the
stills of the Macallan distillery, which is named
on our bottle. Kirkland
Signature single-malt
Scotches have been
available in various ages
in limited quantities.
The latest Kirkland Signature spirits venture is Añejo tequila, scheduled to hit Costco
warehouses in the fall. The hand-selected and
handpicked 100 percent blue agave tequila is
aged for an average of 36 months in bourbon
barrels. This double-distilled gem is ultra-smooth, with a smoky wood character and
sweet spice and pepper flavors.
Because of a maze of laws regulating the
sale of alcohol, Kirkland Signature wines,
beers and spirits are not available in all markets. When you do run across a bottle with a
Kirkland Signature label, you can be assured
we’ve put every effort into making it the finest
product available at a great price. C
Vodka is the largest-selling distilled spirit
in the U.S., so naturally our first Kirkland
Signature spirit was vodka. We worked
countless hours with our supplier to
achieve a super-premium taste profile
that combined some of the best characteristics of the world’s bestselling
vodkas. Kirkland Signature vodka is
made in France from 100 percent
wheat and Gensac Springs water,
and is distilled five times. It’s
clean and smooth, with hints
of citrus and vanilla.
Kirkland Signature
single-malt Scotches have
been very successful, thanks
to bottling opportunities
with independent brokers
and bottlers in Scotland.
They purchase surplus
spirits produced in the
stills of the Macallan distillery, which is named
on our bottle. Kirkland
Signature single-malt
Scotches have been
available in various ages
in limited quantities.
The latest Kirkland Signature spirits ven-
Annette Alvarez-Peters oversees Costco’s
national wine, spirits and beer program.
