Cheap wine at Stew Leonard, naturally raised bacon at Trader Joe's

You'll have to run the gauntlet of more expensive bottles to find drinkable reds for under $5 at Stew Leonard's Wines in Paramus, above and below.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

If you are only interested in bottles of drinkable red wine for around $5 each, Stew Leonard's Wines in Paramus will make you work for them.

On Monday, I walked past hundreds of more expensive bottles before I found what I was looking for in the farthest corner of the store -- on a bottom shelf.

The bottles of Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Chile carry the Los Caballos label ($4.99 each).

I also found 1.5-liter sizes (equal to two bottles) of Sangiovese and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from Italy for $9.99 and $8.99, respectively.

Whole Foods Market in Paramus and any Trader Joe's with a liquor department have a wider selection of inexpensive wines.

The Stew Leonard's Wines Web site says the stores are independently owned and operated, not part of a cooperative buying group and not part of Stew Leonard's food chain. 

Stew Leonard's Wines, 396 Route 17 north, Paramus; 201-649-0882. 

Web site: Stew Leonard's Wines 

Trader Joe's in Paramus is offering an organic version of Costco Wholesale's Kirkland Signature Natural Peanut Butter, made only with Valencia Peanuts and sea salt. A 16-ounce jar of Trader Joe's Organic Peanut Butter is $3.49, compared to $10.99 for two 40-ounce jars of Costco's Natural Peanut Butter, which should be stored in the refrigerator to prevent separation.

Trader Joe's and antibiotics

Trader Joe's won't say "no" to antibiotics.

The specialty grocery store still hasn't heeded the call of Consumers Union -- the policy and advocacy arm of Consumer Reports -- to stop selling meat and poultry from animals raised on human antibiotics, as any visit to the Paramus store shows.

On Monday, I drove out of the Stew Leonard's Wines parking lot and into the Trader Joe's lot next door to shop for the meat eaters in the family.

I found antibiotic-free Trader Joe's Uncured All Beef Hot Dogs, but Trader Joe's Jumbo Uncured Beef Franks contain meat raised on antibiotics (16 ounces, $4.99 each).

W brand Uncured Bacon is all natural pork raised without antibiotics ($5.49 for 12 ounces).

However, Trader Joe's Uncured Apple Smoked Bacon is pork that received antibiotics and possibly growth hormones ($4.99 for 12 ounces).

Consumers Union believes "the overuse of antibiotics by the meat and poultry industries on healthy animals is promoting the spread of drug-resistant super bugs that threaten public health."

Trader Joe's, 404 Route 17 north, Paramus; 201-265-9624. Open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.