Our take
Cupcake Vineyards Pinot Noir California Red Wine
- Style
- Red wine
- Size
- 750 ml
- Grape
- Pinot Noir
- Region
- California
- Shelf barcode
- 0081308001241
Our take
What we make of this bottle
Everything verified about the producer fits in one sentence: The Wine Group says it launched Cupcake as part of its wine portfolio. That one line has to cover a wine that sells for $10.99 to $14.99 across four stores, last checked August 12, 2026. 210 shoppers have scored it, more raters than nearly any other wine in our catalog, and their average is 4.16 stars.
The grape comes with more verified detail. Pinot Noir is a red grape with relatively thin skins, used for still red wine and as one of the main grapes in many traditional-method sparkling wines. Regional category guides commonly describe red cherry, berry and plum, with lighter color and less tannin than Cabernet Sauvignon, and the same guides note that site and ripeness can shift it from bright and delicate to darker and fuller. California is the confirmed region in this wine's listed name.
Cupcake names a winemaker for this bottle too: Jessica Tomei, whose notes describe "bright sun and cool fog" in the California vineyards as the source of the wine's structure, the producer's own words. The producer states the fruit is harvested at peak ripeness, fermented cool to hold onto fruit flavor, and given time in both French and American oak before bottling. Its own tasting note calls the finished wine "silky and elegant, with notes of strawberry and cherry," and pairs it with chocolate mousse. A serving, 5 fluid ounces, lists 120 calories; the page still does not state an alcohol percentage.
Our call: most shoppers should pass, because this wine carries one of the larger rating counts we track and its average sits below the middle of the rated wines we cover, a signal from enough shoppers to take seriously. It still suits a buyer who wants a very inexpensive California Pinot Noir, priced among the least expensive reds we track, made under a named winemaker, Jessica Tomei, and content with the range the category guides describe for the grape, from bright and delicate to darker and fuller.
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
- Kroger, Cincinnati, OH$11.99
- Kroger, Knoxville, TN$10.99
- Fry's, Tucson, AZ$14.99
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 Pinot Noir.
Pinot Noir is a red grape with relatively thin skins. It is used for still red wine and as one of the main grapes in many traditional-method sparkling wines.
Category guide
What to expect in the glass
Regional category guides commonly describe red cherry, berry and plum, with lighter color and less tannin than Cabernet Sauvignon. Site and ripeness can shift it from bright and delicate to darker and fuller.
Sources: New Zealand Winegrowers; Napa Valley Vintners. Checked Aug 10, 2026. See all 105 Pinot Noir 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.