The wine may already be finished and bought in bulk for bottling, or the subscription service or retailer may just buy bulk grapes or juice from growers, producers, or wineries and use it to make their own wines. So this wine is more customized (Trader Joe’s Charles Shaw wine line, aka “Two Buck Chuck,” is a popular example). Private-label wines are typically contracted with the winemaker according to a retailer’s specifications (sometimes distributors will even commission these wines). With white-label wines, a retailer buys finished wine in unlabeled bottles (also known as “ shiners”) from producers or wineries and then rebrands them with their own labels. The terms “white label” and “private label” are often used interchangeably when referring to wine, but there’s a slight distinction between them. What are white-label and private-label wines? Here’s what you need to know so you don’t inadvertently overspend. That said, you deserve to get good-quality wines for your money-regardless of whether they’re private-label bottles. Everyone’s tastes are their own, and you should drink what you like. If you subscribe to a club that sells white- or private-label wines and you’re happy with what you’ve been drinking, don’t stop. Many producers are counting on people not knowing a lot about wine labeling, since this enables them to sell mediocre wines dressed up in flashy, eye-catching labels. But when it comes to white- or private-label wines, figuring out the quality and value you’re getting can be a lot more complicated. Many shoppers at grocery or big-box stores have come to associate white- or private-label items with a certain level of quality and value-especially from places such as Costco and Trader Joe’s. Most well-known wine clubs are selling wines this way-and they may be overcharging you for them.

Wine subscriptions sell private- and white-label products too. These items are made by a separate company and rebranded with the retailer’s name and logo. Even if you’ve never heard of a “private label” or “white label” product, you’ve likely bought one: Target Good & Gather Whole Peeled Tomatoes, Kirkland Signature UltraClean laundry detergent, and almost anything from Trader Joe’s.

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