How do Kirkland Wine Prices in the US Compare With Japan?

Yeah, we're nerds for this stuff. Last year we wrote up a large feature story on shopping for wine (and other interesting things) at a Costco store in Japan.

That story was popular with readers, so we decided to give it another go here after a return visit to that same Costco in Kawasaki just last week.

This store is in south Tokyo, really close to Haneda airport for anyone who is traveling through there.

Amid the super interesting food that we could write ten more stories about, we always love visiting this wine aisle.

On this visit it was 70% wines we see in the U.S., give or take. There's a nice top shelf (literally) area with some heavy hitters from Champagne and Bordeaux. That's always fun to look at.

But on this trip, we thought it would be interesting to compare the prices of the Kirkland wines we found to what we see in the U.S.

Keep in mind the exchange rate right now with the Japanese Yen is very favorable to the US Dollar. 154 to 1 (as of writing this on 11/15), which is really insane if you look through history.

The locals will hate us for saying this, but it is a remarkable time to visit to Japan from a currency strength perspective if you're coming from the U.S. or EU.

Let's get into some of the pricing even with the favorable exchange. Plus it's fun to see what Kirkland wines are available half way around the world.

First up: 2023 Kirkland Signature Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon

We love this wine so we were happy to see it in Japan. 92 points from us, big thumbs up. The price in the U.S. was $22.99, which is where it was last year.

In Japan it was 3988 yen which converts to $25.80, so a few bucks more. Also, note a semi-similar but not the exact same item number. (US: 505081, Japan: 556017).

Next up:

Kirkland Signature Napa Valley Red Blend

We left the vintage off the title because interestingly enough, we have the 2022 vintage in the U.S. but in Japan we found the 2020 vintage.

We actually preferred the 2020 vintage giving it 90 points vs 88 points for the 2022.

Again the item numbers are different. Price-wise, this bottle has been $10.99 for most of the past vintages. The 1998 yen comes out to about $12.93, so pretty close for this wine.

And now a classic Kirkland wine: Kirkland Signature Champagne Brut

Always a favorite and always a bargain for real Champagne. Costco has done a nice job holding this one steady at $19.99 in the U.S. for many years.

In Japan the 3498 yen converts to about $22.63, so again pretty close to the pricing in the U.S.

And the last Kirkland wine for this list is the 2023 Kirkland Signature Series Columbia Valley Red Wine.

Readers know we love this wine and it was cool to see it in Japan. It used to be $16.99 in the U.S but with this latest vintage it dropped to $14.99.

In yen that 2698 price lands at about $17.46/bottle, so closer to that older, elevated price.

And because we know a few of you are wondering the same thing we did: is the famous Costco hot dog deal the same? Well, price-wise, that's the item that takes the cake in this comparison.

The price is 180 yen, or about $1.17 USD, which is insane, and of course, it was delicious.

If you ever have a chance to visit a Costco in another country it's always a fun experience. There are many similarities, but the differences are where the intrigue lies.

Here's that in depth story we did on Costco in Japan last year.

Cheers everyone.