Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven Inc. announced that it is expanding its selection of private brand wines with the launch of two white wines — Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. The convenience retailer created the Trojan Horse brand for this new line of wines.
With a suggested retail price of $6.99 for a 750-ml bottle, Trojan Horse wines can be found chilled in the vault, at ambient temperature on store shelves or both. The Trojan Horse wines come with a Stelvin closure, a type of screw top that is easy to open and preserves freshness, the company says.
Trojan Horse Chardonnay is described as having delicate aromas of ripe pear and stone fruit with balanced oak notes of vanilla; luscious fruit flavors are complemented with subtle hints of caramel and toasted oak, it says. Trojan Horse Pinot Grigio is bursting with bright citrus and green apple aromas, with the citrus fruit flavor leading to a crisp and clean finish, it adds.
The two white wines are the first 7-Eleven private brand wines to carry vintage dating and California appellations, designating that all the grapes were grown in California and harvested the same year, the company says.
"To create the flavor profile we wanted, the Trojan Horse wines were custom developed with grapes from different California valleys," said Tim Cogil, 7-Eleven director of private brands, in a statement. "We benchmarked both the Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio against some of the most popular brands, and in taste tests, they came out on top. As with all our private brand products, our goal is to exceed quality expectations when compared to national brands while offering a great value."
Dennis Phelps, 7-Eleven vice president of vault, added: "With Trojan Horse, 7-Eleven customers can enjoy higher quality Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio wines at an affordable price. We believe these will be a hit with wine-loving millennials, and customers can still enjoy our Yosemite Road branded wines, which make up four of the Top 10 selling wines at 7-Eleven."