Our take
Cupcake Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon California Red Wine
- Style
- Red wine
- Size
- 750 ml
- Grape
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Region
- California
- Shelf barcode
- 0081308591872
Our take
What we make of this bottle
The name puts the origin in California. Cabernet Sauvignon is a red grape grown in many regions and a frequent presence in blends; grape guides describe it as often firmly built and tie it to dark fruit like currant and plum, along with tannin, and note that climate and ripeness decide how lean or full a bottle turns out. Among the reds we follow, this is one of the least costly, starting at $9.99 in our September 2026 checks.
Shoppers have been generous with it. 22 of them scored the wine. That gave an average of 4.59 out of five, which lands just under 4.71, the median rating among the 483 wines we have rated. At the upper end, those same September 2026 checks found it at $13.99 across three stores. The Wine Group says it started Cupcake as one label within its wider portfolio.
Cupcake names its winemaker: Jessica Tomei, credited on the producer's product page with the wine's style. Her notes describe California's sun and Mediterranean-like climate as the reason the grapes ripen fully, and state that the winery extracts "soft, silky tannins and rich color" during fermentation before what the page calls aging on oak "for heightened richness and complexity," the producer's own words. The same page's tasting note calls the finished wine "bold and rich, with notes of blackberry and espresso," and recommends it with braised short ribs. A serving, 5 fluid ounces, lists 120 calories; the producer's page still does not state an alcohol percentage.
Our call: a fit for the shopper who wants a California Cabernet priced among the least expensive reds we track, from a brand that The Wine Group says it started as one label in its wider portfolio and that now names its own winemaker, Jessica Tomei, along with her winemaking choices, including time in oak. Walk past it if you choose by shopper ratings; the average comes in below the middle of the rated wines we cover.
The Grocery Store Wine Desk · written Sep 16, 2026 from our research file for this wine. Numbers reflect our latest checks.
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Read our take →The prices we checked
Dated store checks, not a promise about your store.
- Kroger, Atlanta suburbs, GA$10.99
- Ralphs, Long Beach, CA$13.99
- Kroger, Richmond, VA$9.99
The regular price can vary by store and date.
From the producer
Brand ownership
The Wine Group says it launched Cupcake as part of its wine portfolio.
Research status
What we are still checking
Our overview above draws on the dated store feed, shopper ratings, our region and grape research, and any sourced producer facts. We are still working to confirm the current release, the full producer record, and the bottle itself, and we update this page as we learn more.
Getting to know California.
California on the label is useful provenance but weak detail about place. For these wines, sourcing disclosure, blend construction and house-style consistency carry more decision value than a generic climate paragraph.
What the name means
A state-level appellation, broader than an individual American Viticultural Area. It permits a multi-region blend and does not by itself identify one climate or soil.
How grapes grow here
The state spans cool maritime zones and hot inland valleys. A California designation alone does not reveal which conditions shaped the fruit.
What lies under the vines
At state scale, sourcing and house-style construction matter more than any single soil story.
How large the region is
- Reusable question
- Which counties or AVAs supplied the blend, and did that mix change by release?
Places within the region
- Resolution limit
- County, AVA and vineyard claims begin only when the release names them.
Getting to know Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cabernet Sauvignon is a red grape grown in many wine regions. It often makes firmly built wines and is also a common part of red blends.
Category guide
What to expect in the glass
Regional authorities describe black currant, cherry and plum as common fruit references, with noticeable tannin and possible spice from oak. Ripeness, climate and winemaking can move the wine from lean and herbal to broad and fruit-led.
Sources: Napa Valley Vintners. Checked Aug 10, 2026. See all 163 Cabernet Sauvignon wines we cover →
Where this information comes from
- Store listing
- Price, package, product identifier, and shopper rating. Checked Aug 10, 2026.
- Barcode
- The shelf barcode shown here is computed from the store product identifier. It has not been checked against a bottle.
- Method
- Every price, rating and fact here is a dated observation. How we check.