Our take
Sterling Vintner's Collection Merlot California Red Wine
- Style
- Red wine
- Size
- 750 ml
- Grape
- Merlot
- Region
- California
- Shelf barcode
- 0088692860249
Our take
What we make of this bottle
Sterling Vineyards, the name on this bottle, says it was founded in Napa Valley in 1964; this Merlot itself carries California as its origin, so the founding place and the wine's origin are not the same. In our September 2026 checks, the price ranged from $10.49 to $15.99 across the four stores we found it in, which lands it near the bottom of the reds we track on price.
We do not have a shopper rating for this bottle. Merlot, our grape research notes, ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon and tends to come out rounder, with plum or darker fruit and, in many examples, less forceful tannin than Cabernet Sauvignon, though it adds that climate and blending can leave it fresh and medium-bodied or push it richer and broader.
Where this particular bottle falls in that range is not something the evidence settles.
The Grocery Store Wine Desk · written Sep 16, 2026 from our research file for this wine. Numbers reflect our latest checks.
More from the desk.
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Read our take →The prices we checked
Dated store checks, not a promise about your store.
- Kroger, Atlanta suburbs, GA$10.49
- Kroger, Cincinnati, OH$12.99
- King Soopers, Colorado Springs, CO$10.99
- Kroger, Richmond, VA$15.99
The regular price can vary by store and date.
From the producer
Founded in Napa Valley
Sterling Vineyards says the winery was founded in Napa Valley in 1964.
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 Merlot.
Merlot is a red grape that can make a complete wine or soften a Cabernet-led blend. It generally ripens earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon and often has a rounder structure.
Category guide
What to expect in the glass
Regional guides describe plum and other red or dark fruit, with less forceful tannin than Cabernet Sauvignon in many examples. Climate and blending can make it fresh and medium-bodied or broader and richer.
Sources: New Zealand Winegrowers; Napa Valley Vintners. Checked Aug 10, 2026. See all 28 Merlot wines we cover →
Where this information comes from
- Store listing
- Price, package, product identifier. 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.