Sheba's Wine Blog: Step away from the "Two Buck Chuck!!"

Marketing in wine, just like in any industry can make anyone believe anything. Now don't get me wrong, I love an inexpensive bottle of wine. Especially one worth more than the price tag. There are tons of good wines for under ten bucks. Anything by Hoodsport, or Columbia winery, Chateau Ste Michelle, and Fat Bastard to name a few. They are decent wines that won't give you a headache and won't hurt your pocketbook.
But "Two Buck Chuck" drives me crazy. A couple years ago everybody got wind that this wine was a good two bottle dollar of wine. No, its not. I'm not judging, but Charles Shaw wine sold exclusively at Trader Joe's is made from the same Gallo grapes we all hate. Here is a quote from CBS News' site about the cult of "Two Buck Chuck."

It's a wine label owned by Fred Franzia, a distant relative on the Gallo family vine. He's a reclusive businessman considered a pain in the neck to California's wine establishment.
Franzia controls scores of brands and labels including Charles Shaw that under-sell the prestige vineyards. And "Two Buck Chuck" is just his latest broadside: "We have others up our sleeve we think are even better coming out."



Here is more information about Charles Shaw wines from ABC News;

But Napa winemakers claim it's not the price of the wine that has them teed off. Rather, for one ex-winery owner, it's the name "Charles Shaw." For others, it's the claim "Two Buck Chuck" makes to a Napa Valley origin.
"I like the guy; I just despise his business practices," said Tom Shelton, the CEO of a Napa Valley-based premium label, Joseph Phelps, and part of a group of Napa winemakers suing Franzia to protect the "Napa Valley" name.
"I don't have a real argument with … the existence of Two Buck Chuck," Shelton said. "My argument really is when producers like two buck chuck try to pass themselves off as Napa Valley wines."
The label reads "cellared and bottled in Napa" which is true, but Shelton says Franzia doesn't make Two Buck Chuck with Napa-grown grapes, and that's misleading to consumers.

Remember Franzia and Gallo? Those disgusting box wines we make jokes about, same stuff but in a bottle. Marketing my friends. You see, there is amazing wine out there with no PR budget and can't afford to get rated by Wine Spectator. You just have to taste and decide for yourself.
Look if you want to buy "Two Buck Chuck" for a party because its cheap, I could care less, just don't pass it off as "Good Wine."