As the temperature drops and the nights get longer, there’s increasingly one more sign that fall is on the horizon: pumpkin spice variants on nearly everything. There are some cases where this flavor works pretty well combined with something else: pumpkin spice coffee is a given at this point, and pumpkin spice beer has also become pretty ubiquitous, with some breweries expanding the gourd selection in their repertoire.
Beer and coffee is one thing, but pumpkin spice has expanded its purview. Pumpkin Spice Malört exists, and Southern Tier has expanded the Pumking name to include a flavored whiskey. And now, as VinePair’s Pete O’Connell revealed, Trader Joe’s has answered the question, “What if you added pumpkin spice to a Chardonnay?”
Was anyone asking this question? The answer to that is unclear. Still, the grocery store in question is indeed offering this unlikely combination this fall. Trader Joe’s describes it as made using “a blend of lightly oaked, California Chardonnay wine, delicately sweet Chardonnay grape juice, and a touch of natural Pumpkin Spice flavoring.” Your reaction to that combination is probably a good sign of whether or not you’re the target audience for it.
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Turns out it’s actually great. Don’t believe us? There’s only one thing to do…O’Connell gathered a few online reviews of the Pumpkin Spice Chardonnay that were, let’s say, less than enthusiastic. In a Reddit thread, user emptyhumanrealms observed that the wine “feels more like a cider than a chardonnay” and speculated that it “[h]as potential when served chilled or maybe as a mulled wine?” Influencer Ashley Sims also reviewed the wine on TikTok, noting that it tastes like apple cider.
That also raises the question of whether some enthusiasts might not be better off just seeking out actual apple cider, but that’s an argument for another day. That said, Trader Joe’s might have made a splash with pumpkin spice wine, but they aren’t the only company getting in on the action.
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