Three top U.S. retailers—Costco, Trader Joe's and Aldi—came away with awards for their private label wines in PLMA's 2018 International Salute to Excellence Awards, which reviewed more than 300 wines from 39 supermarket chains in 13 countries.

The U.S. retailers were honored in three of the most competitive and popular wine categories: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Sparkling wines.

The winners were:

• Aldi's Broken Clouds Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2016 ($8.99)
• Trader Joe's Reserve North Coast Brut Sparkling Wine ($9.99)
• Costco's Kirkland Signature Series Stag's Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 ($21.99)

All three won for best quality, with the Aldi Chardonnay also winning for best value. The wines were selected by panels of judges that included masters of wine, sommeliers, wine writers and retail industry professionals. Wines selected for the judging were submitted by retailers or purchased off the shelves of retailers as would be available to typical consumers. Judging took place in Amsterdam in The Netherlands in April.

"The recognition of these three US retailers by the judges again confirms the growing sophistication and competitiveness of American private label brands, even when placed up against some of Europe's best known and most popular supermarket wine programs," said Brian Sharoff, president of PLMA, which created the Salute to Excellence wine competition three years ago.

With offices in New York and Amsterdam, PLMA (Private Label Manufacturers Association) is the industry trade association devoted exclusively to private label.

Founded in 1979, PLMA today represents 4,000 companies who are involved in the manufacture and distribution of store brand products, including food, beverages, snacks, health and beauty aids, over-the-counter drugs, household supplies and general merchandise.

Source: PRNewswire