Another Grocery Outlet wine sale! Aug 22-24, 2025

There’s another surprise wine sale coming up at the Grocery Outlet – 20% off all wines from Aug 22-24, 2025. I’ll feature some wine picks that I’m excited about – they are some of the best wines I’ve found all year. First I just want to mention that the Grocery Outlet has changed quite a bit over the last year or two – in good ways!

Changes at the Grocery Outlet

Wine sale

First off, there used to be two wines sales a year – spring and fall – and they were announced well in advance. This is already the third sale of the year and we haven’t had the fall sale yet. So there was the normal spring sale in April, a surprise summer sale in June and now another sale in late August. So it seems to have gone from a frequency of every six months to every two months – at least for now.

Flash sales

There was also a flash wine sale a few weeks ago – only certain wines were included but the offer was BOGO (buy one get one free), so that’s a big discount – 50%, to be exact! The wines I’m picking today were not featured in the flash sale so I’m not too bummed that I missed it. But I did pick up some Momofuku noodles yesterday on a BOGO deal and will write about them in my next post. : )

The Grocery Outlet App

The new Grocery Outlet app serves a few useful functions. It allows you to search inventory at different stores, which is pretty handy as inventory is really variable at GO stores. The app isn’t comprehensive but is accurate about what’s in stock. In other words, if you see a specific wine listed in the app for your local store, then it’s almost definitely in stock (unless it sold out in the middle of the day). But if your favorite wine is not listed, it could still be in stock as the app doesn’t list every single item in a store’s inventory.

The app also contains contests and bonus deals – they had a recent competition to win Groceries for Life with the grand prize worth something crazy like $200 k! Okay, enough about all of that – I’m not even paid by the Grocery Outlet but I figure some of this info is useful.

Wine picks for the Grocery Outlet sale

I have several wine picks from two wineries: Sebastiani in Sonoma (north of San Francisco) and Firestone in the Santa Ynez Valley (north of Santa Barbara). Here are my picks, starting with Sebastiani.

Sebastiani wines

I’ve tried several wines from Sebastiani and all of them were rebuys – especially the first three here:

Sebastiani Gravel Bed cabernet sauvignon, Alexander Valley, 2019. Reviewers who have been to Sebastiani for tasting have listed this as their favorite, and I can’t disagree. This wine normally retails for $75 but it’s only $12 at the Grocery Outlet and under $10 during the 20% off sale. It scores an impressive 4.3 out of 5 on Vivino. A big wine with intense dark fruit flavors.

Sebastiani Old Vines cabernet sauvignon, Sonoma County, 2018. The numbers for this wine are the same – originally $75 but on sale at the GO for $12, and it also scored a 4.3 on Vivino. I’m not sure which of these two cabs I prefer – they are both excellent so I’d be happy to take either should I see them again. It’s another intense red with blackberry and blackcurrant flavors.

Sebastiani merlot, Alexander Valley, 2018. I haven’t had merlot in quite a while but I really warmed to this wine. This Sebastiani wine is also $12 at the GO – it scores 4.0 on Vivino, and originally retailed for $48. So while it doesn’t seem like as much of a bargain as the two cabs above, I thought it was just as enjoyable. Definitely a top pick if you’re lucky to find it – especially during the wine sale where it’ll be under ten bucks.

A scene from the film Sideways in which Paul Giammati's character is pointing accusingly at Thomas Haden Church's character. The subtitle at the bottom of the frame reads, "No, if anyone orders merlot, I'm leaving." — From the Alexander Valley to Alexander Payne – a scene from his very funny 2004 film, *Sideways*.

Sebastiani Gravel Bed Red, red blend, Sonoma County, 2016. A blend of 44% cabernet sauvignon, 33% merlot, 10% malbec, 9% petit verdot, 3% syrah and 1% zinfandel. Like the merlot, this wine originally retails for less than the two Sebastiani cabs – a mere $50 – and also scores 4.0 on Vivino. I preferred the two cabs and the merlot but at the same time they were exceptional and this is still a very good wine. In fact, The Press Democrat named it wine of the week in 2019, with a much more professional assessment than I can muster:

The Gravel Bed Red is a complex blend with generous fruit – blackberry, cherry and currant – and a streak of peppery spice. Notes of sage and black tea are also in the mix, and it has a seamless texture. This is gorgeous and a steal for this caliber of wine; it’s truly a smart red blend.

Four bottles of wine from Sonoma-based winery, Sebastiani are pictured. They are sitting on a wooden floor with a white wall behind. The wines, listed in the caption, are available on discount at the Grocery Outlet. — Four great Sebastiani wines available on discount at the Grocery Outlet. Left to right: Old vine cabernet sauvignon, Gravel Bed cabernet sauvignon (Alexander Valley), merlot (Alexander Valley) and Gravel Bed Red.

There are other Sebastiani wines available at the Grocery Outlet (if you’re lucky to find them in your local store) and although these four were among the most expensive (originally) and highest-rated, I imagine that some of the others (e.g., the Malbec) are worth taking a chance on too. Happy hunting!

Firestone wines

As of last night, I now have three wines from the Firestone Vineyard, but I’ve only tried one of them so far. I’ll post an update on the other two if I get around to trying them before the sale starts.

Firestone Lineage red blend, The Chairman Series, Santa Ynez, 2020. This 2020 red blend is mostly malbec (88% malbec, 11% cabernet sauvignon, 1% merlot) but the composition varies a lot from year to year. Malbec is one of my favorite grapes so it’s not too surprising that I like this wine, but it really is one of the best malbec-based wines that I’ve ever had. $90 originally but only $12 at the Grocery Outlet, The wine scored a 4.2 on Vivino and here’s what the wine club seller has to say about it:

On the nose, roasted spiced plum pie with hints of espresso, vanilla and toasty oak intermingle creating a mouthwatering aroma. Layers of dense flavors mimic the bouquet with strong support from a perfectly balanced tannin-acid structure.

A bottle of wine is pictured - Firestone The Chairman Series Lineage 2020 red blend from the Santa Ynez Valley. On either side of the bottle are graphics announcing "Extra 20% off wine sale."

The other wines I bought from Firestone (also $12 – the theme of this post!) are the petit verdot and cabernet franc. I’ll post an update here when I try them 🙂

Good luck with finding some wine that you love in the sale!

If you don’t come across any Sebastiani or Firestone wines, look out for this great red blend from the McBride Sisters:

McBride Sisters Collection, Red Blend, Central Coast, California, 2020 (Normally $19; a steal at only $4)

Female winemakers Andréa and Robin McBride ‘crush’ male dominated industry with the country’s largest Black-owned brand. – Good Morning America (McBride Sisters)

Also, check out my last wine post for some background on the environmental footprints of wine.

This blog normally focuses on ethical finds at the Grocery Outlet. Recent posts covered Beyond Steak, Earthbound Farm, and Parmela Creamery.

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