The Best Kirkland Signature Wines

Kirkland Signature is, of course, Costco's private label brand covering all types of products, including wine. And just like the other products in this line, while the overall quality is high and they tend to be priced very competitively, there are a handful of products that really stand out.

So, before we get to our top wine picks, let's tackle the most common questions people ask: why are the wines so inexpensive, who the heck makes them for Costco and when are they available?

Why Are The Kirkland Signature Wines So Inexpensive?

Just like in many other product categories, these labels represent some of the best value in wine section.

Part of the reason for this is Costco's tremendously slim mark-ups on all products - a maximum of around 15% - thanks to their membership model. (This is much, much lower than other retailers.)

This level of margin holds true for the Kirkland Signature products which have the additional advantage of a lower cost structure by cutting out the middleman. Add to that Costco's immense buying power and tremendous volume of sales you can begin to see how they can offer their wines for so little.

Don't let these lower prices fool you into thinking the Kirkland wines aren't any good, however. While many falsely equate price with quality, we know better.

Who Makes The Kirkland Signature Wines For Costco?

The answer is that it varies, but generally the Kirkland wines are made by very reputable producers. While this info used to be kept hidden, more and more we are finding the producers, or at least the winemakers, right on the front or back label. A little googling from there fills in the rest. If this info is available, we include it in all of our reviews.

If the info isn't prominently displayed on the label, sometimes the small print gives it away -- look for the "Bottled by" info that is usually printed above the government warning.

And then there are the wines that require a bit more sleuthing. Check out our review of the Kirkland Signature Brunello to see how we determined that this wine was made by one of our favorite Brunello producers!

When Are The Kirkland Signature Wines Available?

One of the biggest questions we get asked is why people can never find many of the Kirkland Wines in store. The reason is simply because many of these wines get snapped up quickly, which means you need to know when to look for them. To make that super easy we've outlined the top Kirkland Signature wines to look for each month, based on the last couple years of history on when they appear. (Note that the timing below could change in the future and not all wines will be available in all stores.)

Recommended Wines That Are Almost Always Available
- Kirkland Signature Champagne
- Kirkland Signature Asolo Prosecco
- Kirkland Signature Prosecco Rosé
- Kirkland Signature Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
- Kirkland Signature Friuli Pinot Grigio

JANUARY RELEASES
- Kirkland Signature Bordeaux Superieur
- Kirkland Signature Sonoma Old Vine Zinfandel
- Kirkland Signature Series Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon

FEBRUARY RELEASES
- Kirkland Signature Barolo
- Kirkland Signature Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
- Kirkland Signature Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
- Kirkland Signature Sancerre
- Kirkland Signature Sonoma Chardonnay
- Kirkland Signature Rioja Reserva

MARCH RELEASES
- Kirkland Signature K-Vine Chardonnay
- Kirkland Signature K-Vine Rosé

APRIL RELEASES
- Kirkland Signature Carneros Pinot Noir
- Kirkland Signature Suscol Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

MAY RELEASES
- Kirkland Signature Provence Rosé
- Kirkland Signature Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
- Kirkland Signature Russian River Valley Chardonnay
- Kirkland Signature Chateauneuf du Pape

JUNE RELEASES
- Kirkland Signature K-Vine Cabernet Sauvignon

JULY RELEASES
- Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Riserva
- Kirkland Signature Series Columbia Valley Red Blend

AUGUST RELEASES
- Kirkland Signature Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
- Kirkland Signature Toscana

SEPTEMBER RELEASES
- Kirkland Signature Brunello
- Kirkland Signature Napa Red Blend
- Kirkland Signature Cotes du Rhone Villages

OCTOBER RELEASES
- Costco Wine Advent Calendar! (Not really Kirkland Signature but always highly anticipated.)
- Kirkland Signature Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

NOVEMBER RELEASES
- Kirkland Signature Malbec
- Kirkland Signature Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon
- Kirkland Signature Premier Cru Chablis

DECEMBER RELEASES
- Kirkland Signature Gigondas
- Kirkland Signature Tawny Port

Answers to those questions out of the way, let's get to the wine, shall we? And don't forget to check out our larger Costco list that includes many of the other excellent wines you can find there besides these Kirkland Signature selections.

Read on for our picks for The Best Kirkland Signature Wines!