A simply quaffable wine from Trader Joe’s, we review the latest vintage of the Delicious Monster from McGregor Winery.
A white blend of 60% Chenin Blanc, 20% Chardonnay and 20% Muscat from Robertson, Breede River Valley, Western Cape, South Africa. The wine has 5.3 g/L of residual sugar.
The Delicious Monster from McGregor Winery is available exclusively at Trader Joe’s for just $6.49 (up 50 cents from the last time we reviewed it). It is imported by D’Aquino Italian Importing Co.
From the winery:
2025 Delicious Monster
This wine is produced exclusively from the McGregor grapes where the vineyards are nestled between the foothills of the Riviersonderend mountains and nurtured by sun soaked soils and fresh mountain water.
WINEMAKING: Grapes were destemmed, crushed and mashcooled before draining. Free-run juice was settled overnight at low temperature. Clear juice was inoculated with selected yeast for cold fermentation. It is a perfect blend of Chenin (60%), Chardonnay (20%) and Muscat (20%).
TASTING NOTES: Aromas of tropical stoned fruit finishing of with a slightly sweeter note from the Muscat.
FOOD PAIRING: Thai style chicken salad, butternut and goats cheese tartlet and basil persto and pinenut pasta.
Total acid g/l: 6.1
Residual Sugar g/l: 5.3
Total SO2 mg/l: 142
pH: 3.29Would You Like To Save This?
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Produced by McGregor Winery
12.61% Alcohol
The 2025 Delicious Monster begins with pleasing aromas of citrus (lemon mostly), apple, tropical fruit and a touch of honeysuckle. It even smells refreshing.
Taking a sip reveals a simply quaffable wine. And while it’s not overly complex, it does have some nice layers to it. It features crisp acidity, lots of tasty tangy fruit and similar flavors to the nose with a bit more tropical fruit in the mouth.
This is a great blend with the excellent Chenin Blanc South Africa is known for leading the way, some nice sweet tasting fruit notes (in this dry wine) from the Muscat and the Chardonnay adding some body and mouthfeel.
It is also a treat example of a dry wine with sweet tasting fruit. I’ve seen lots of people referencing this as a sweet wine but in reality it only has 5.3 g/L of residual sugar which is only 1 gram per glass.
It ends dry with a medium long, lip-smacking finish. If you’re going to name your wine the Delicious Monster you better be able to back it up and this one does.
As always you can find an updated list of our recommended wines from Trader Joe’s as well as more info on their pricing model and some tips and tricks for shopping the store in our giant guide.
You can also find more of our favorite White Blends here!
Review Summary
Delicious Monster – Truth in Advertising • Reverse Wine Snob
A simply quaffable wine from Trader Joe's, the Delicious Monster. 60% Chenin Blanc, 20% Chardonnay and 20% Muscat from South Africa.
7.8
Pros
- 87-88 Points, Highly Recommended
- A crowd-pleasing wine that lives up to its name
- Great price
Cons
- Only at Trader Joe's
