Two Buck Anecdote

[Floandgary]

Always fun reading about a thorn in the backside/Underdog ::


http://vinepair.com/wine-blog/the-mystery-of-charles-shaw-better-known-as-2-buck-chuck/

"We know there are those who swear by it—and those who swear at it.
Still, it drops into our shopping carts as if from a friendly wine cloud in the sky, asking so little in return. It’s our benevolent wine friend for the ages, who just wants us to save our money and have another glass. Right?"

 

[JohnT]

Thanks for the article..

So, to sum up....

Those that purchase/drink 2buck...

Purchase bulk wine
in thin bottles
from grapes grown "who know actually where"
that are processed so quickly...
that they ferment in a truck while on it's way to a
assembly line facility in Napa.

The price is cheap because the wine is cheap!

I have had two buck chuck. I suspect that the word "Quality" will never be seen on any of their labels or ads.

For just $8 more, I can find something much, much better! Life is too short to drink cheap wine...


As resident Wine Snob, I need to bring forward my point of view...lol

 

[TonyR]

I have drank my share of 2 buck chuck and if they sold it in Pa i would still buy it. And no, the bottles are the same thickness as any other bottles, I have at least 10 cases that i use. I make wine and i also buy wine. Some i have bought is very good and some i have poured down the kitchen sink and they have cost a LOT more the chucks. I also think that MOST people if served a glass and had not seen the bottle would say it is a good wine.

 

[JohnT]

I have drank my share of 2 buck chuck and if they sold it in Pa i would still buy it. And no, the bottles are the same thickness as any other bottles, I have at least 10 cases that i use. I make wine and i also buy wine. Some i have bought is very good and some i have poured down the kitchen sink and they have cost a LOT more the chucks. I also think that MOST people if served a glass and had not seen the bottle would say it is a good wine.

I have tired several. I asked myself "how bad could it be?".

Well, i found out. the wines were overly acidic and lacked even a hint of
character.

I would have been far better off putting the $3 toward something better.

 

[Julie]

I have tired several. I asked myself "how bad could it be?".

Well, i found out. the wines were overly acidic and lacked even a hint of
character.

I would have been far better off putting the $3 toward something better.

Welches? ::

 

[dralarms]

Even welches is better that that 2 buck chuck. On a side note, I have a friend that drinks about 6 cases a year. Saves his bottles for me.

 

[Brian55]

Back in the fall of 2003, my mom and dad brought back a couple bottles of wine from their visit to my uncle in CA. They had me do a blind tasting at his request. Both were good at the time, but it was clear to me at that point that one of the two was going to get significantly better with age, while the other was clearly a "drink now" type. After the unveiling, the "drink now" turned out to be Charles Shaw two buck chuck. The other wine I don't recall the specific details of, but it was $20 vs. $2. $3 here in the midwest at the time. Two buck chuck went significantly downhill in subsequent years, to the point of undrinkable, but it was quite good for a short time, which is how they were able to build such an amazing reputation in such a short time. I'm not sure what it's like these days as I haven't purchased a bottle of it in at least the last ten years...

 

[cmason1957]

And I do have to disagree with one statement in the article, it has never and will never make it into my cart. Looking, just at the economics of it. They have to have spent not much more than $1 on bottle, cork, label, juice, etc. It can't be made from very high quality anything.

 

[FTC Wines]

Trader Joes does use" cheaper " bottles, at least in Florida. A few years back they went to a "Eco Bottle" which is noticeably thinner & lighter. We used their wine to cook with & ( ok drink just for the free bottle), now just to cook with. I won't re-bottle in the thin bottles. Roy

 

[JohnT]

And I do have to disagree with one statement in the article, it has never and will never make it into my cart. Looking, just at the economics of it. They have to have spent not much more than $1 on bottle, cork, label, juice, etc. It can't be made from very high quality anything.

I agree! It's a simple matter of economics.. You get what you pay for...

 

[toneill]

So might I raise the question, in the Cabernet world, would say the Wincxpert World Vineyards Australian Cabernet, a lower end kit, exceed the quality of Chuck's cab? I'm newer to this and have about 9 kits in production, from Lodi Cab to Aussie cab. I'm certainly hopeful that both exceed and or greatly exceed Chuck's cabernet. I'd value some real world expectations as mine won't be ready for quite some time.

 

[TonyR]

Why dont you buy a bottle and see for yourself, I always found that is the best way for personal taste. The last time i bought 2 buck chuck was about 7 years ago and at that time i though their Cabernet Sauvigon was very good. I bought several cases and i though it was on par with Walnut Crest ( Chile). Not as good as Beringers founders estate.

 

[Brian55]

So might I raise the question, in the Cabernet world, would say the Wincxpert World Vineyards Australian Cabernet, a lower end kit, exceed the quality of Chuck's cab? I'm newer to this and have about 9 kits in production, from Lodi Cab to Aussie cab. I'm certainly hopeful that both exceed and or greatly exceed Chuck's cabernet. I'd value some real world expectations as mine won't be ready for quite some time.

The Eclipse Lodi Cab, assuming proper procedure and aging, will absolutely crush Two-buck. As you move down the line towards the cheapest kits (without adding any major tweaks), the margin of difference will narrow significantly.

 

[knifemaker]

I've never seen it, but in the 70's I was buying Annie Green Springs, and Boones Farm for $2 a bottle, Is it as good?

 

[toneill]

Why dont you buy a bottle and see for yourself, I always found that is the best way for personal taste. The last time i bought 2 buck chuck was about 7 years ago and at that time i though their Cabernet Sauvigon was very good. I bought several cases and i though it was on par with Walnut Crest ( Chile). Not as good as Beringers founders estate.

I've plenty of Charles Shaw, not far from the descriptions above. My question was more geared towards comparisons to the wine kits mentioned.

 

[dralarms]

Well I picked up 4 more cases of empty bottles. From the 2 buck chuck. They are slightly shorter and fatter than normal but I've got some that have been recorded 6 times so far.

 

[Floandgary]

And finally ,, back to the whole point of "2 buck!!!!!!". To show the elitists and regular consumer alike that a drinkable product CAN be had for far less than the price of a NAPA or SONOMA label. Never claiming to be "World Class", it has never claimed anyone's taste buds either

 

[salcoco]

I think the article to be tongue in cheek . In actuality The wine maker for two buck chuck has cut many of the costs in harvesting wine and processing wine. first he purchase grapes that is in excess of contracts and thus warrant a cheap price. what he does harvest is done mechanically and not using a bloody claw. Mechanical harvest is used everywhere possible. bulk fermentation and large bottling facility keeps driving the prices down. Franczia bottling plant is so huge is used by many others at NAPA and elsewhere. there is a lot of controversy in his use of Napa on the label. But his purpose is to thumb his nose at the wine slobs of the world and show that a good wine can be made cheaply.

 

[NoSnob]

I would only add that major name winemakers spend a lot of time and money ensuring a measure of consistency in their product from year to year, despite what are sometimes major variations in rainfall, temperature, and humidity. We come to expect a certain flavor profile when we buy well-known tested brands.

I'm speculating here that Two Buck Chuck has no need to do that and is likely a major purchaser (scavenger?) when it comes to buying up odd lots, ends and tails in the grape business. Consistency is not a consideration. As a result it can occasionally be surprisingly good but then your next bottle of the same varietal next year may be totally different. But hey, nothing ventured nothing gained! BTW, I'm told that the Cab Sauv is a big seller.

NoSnob