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The new go-to for Napa Valley wine lovers? Costco

Lower demand has winemakers turning to Costco to get their bottles in front of customers — at a discount.

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Winemakers from local Napa Valley vineyards and high-end French chateaux are now selling at Costco. Customers have fun hunting for discounted treasure in the wine aisle.
Winemakers from local Napa Valley vineyards and high-end French chateaux are now selling at Costco. Customers have fun hunting for discounted treasure in the wine aisle.
Kevin Carter/Getty Images

In the past, many winemakers may have turned their noses up at the proposition of selling at a discount retailer like Costco, wanting to protect their high-brow reputations — and their prices.

"But now that they're really being squeezed by these shifting drinking tastes and this oversupply, a lot of wine makers are now calling Costco back," said Georgia Wells, a reporter at the Wall Street Journal.

Americans are drinking less wine these days, but those wine enthusiasts still on the hunt for discount gems are finding them in Napa’s local Costco.

“Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal talked to Wells about why Costco has become the go-to for Napa wine lovers, and what selling in a discount store means for wine producers.

To listen to their conversation, use the audio player above.

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