Cheap Wine Reviews

Charles Shaw (Two-buck-chuck) Cabernet

When people find out that I enjoy cheap wine enough to devote a website to it, they usually ask me if I have been to Trader Joe’s. My response, until last week, has always been “No, not yet”.

Well, I finally caved and took a trip to Detroit, the nearest Trader Joe’s location for me here in Lansing. Ann Arbor might actually be closer, but as an MSU Spartan, I try to stay out of there.

Trader Joe\'s - Home of Charles Shaw Wines

I’d like to preface this review of Charles Shaw Cabernet with a synopsis of Trader Joe’s. If you have one near you, go there. If not for the wine, then for the thousands of food items that pack the small market. I spent 80 dollars, which sounds like a bit much especially for me. I ended up leaving with 2 cases of wine and enough food for a week. Fresh mozzarella, fresh gnocchi, fresh salsa (notice a pattern?), Guacamole chips, Trader Joe’s Marinara, soups, veggies…. I was in heaven. They have got all kinds of cheeses, breads, meats, micro-brewed beers, and their wine selection was out of this world. What a great store!

Trader Joe’s is the exclusive retailer of Charles Shaw Wines, better known to most as “Two-buck Chuck”. In California these wines sell for $1.99, which is just amazing. Here in Michigan, though, the price was $2.99.

Did we like it? Was it worth the trip?

Hell yes it was! For 3 dollars, I don’t think it could have been any better. The Cabernet was great. At first, I found it to be a little sweet, but looking back, I was actually enjoying the salsa with the wine, which probably wasn’t a great combination. Along with the Cab, I also purchased some of the Shiraz, Merlot, and Chardonnay (reviews coming soon).

Congrats to Two-Buck-Chuck and Trader Joe’s for achieving the highest rating available here on Cheap Wine Reviews. Hats off to you!

Rating: 10/10
Price: $2.99
Place of Purchase Trader Joe’s

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215 responses to “Charles Shaw (Two-buck-chuck) Cabernet”

  1. Bob Avatar
    Bob

    Europeans drink more wine than us because it is a staple. And that is what Two Buck Chuck represents, a staple wine. Never had it myself because we don’t have a TJ in San Antonio. Wish we did. I believe that Crane Lake is “Two Buck Chuck” under a different label and I do drink it frequently. Oh by the way, Europeans have been drinking boxed wines for years and Americans are finally catching on. Why do we Americans choose to be such pretentious jerks – particularly when most of us haven’t a clue what we’re talking about.
    Does your old man having a PHD in wine history make you a wine steward? Don’t think so.

  2. Chad Avatar
    Chad

    Let me start off with a few identifiers:

    I am from the Midwest, which does seem much disparaged.
    I currently live in Milwaukee, where cheap beer and bad fashion run rampant.
    I am a homebrewer, and fervently oppose the notion that beer is for the common masses, although I don’t drink cheap American brews or bland imports that masquerade as quality beer (Heineken).
    I started drinking wine about 3 years ago, and on a budget.
    I am NOT a wine snob, but I do have taste buds.

    I’ve never lived near a Trader Joe’s until recently. It never seemed worth my while to commute to a location that sold 2BC, but seeing as I live in a city where it is readily available, I decided to give it a try. The wine sells for $2.99 here, so it seemed imprudent to buy a single bottle. My favorite wine is cab, so I bought a couple bottles.

    When I opened my first bottle, I poured out a glass and tried to swirl and smell. Granted, I don’t know much about for which to look, but I could barely notice the typical aromaticity of other reasonably priced cabs I have tried.

    If I have to describe the flavor, the most lucid word I could use is “fresh.” It did not remind me of any other cab I had ever tasted, although it did seem a tad better than the awful Barefoot wines.

    My final verdict: not mediocre. By this I mean that this wine is not good. I think this can be universally accepted as believable. As a non-wine snob, even I could tell this barely tasted like a cab. If drank by itself, this wine serves the purpose of getting intoxicated. This could perhaps go along with greasy food, like pizza.

    I have read all the comments above, and it seems like many people are insulted by comments by “wine snobs.” I myself took offense, particularly when it seemed like bragging had occurred, but thinking rationally, I am in agreement. If one would like to expand one’s knowledge of different types of wine on a budget, there are other brands at equivalent (well obviously slightly more) prices that serve as actual representation of their respective varieties. 2BC is alcohol that claims to be wine. Spend $2-3 more and realize that YOU are wrong. Splurge occasionally and taste what mid to high-quality wine actually tastes like. It IS in our budget as recession-hardened Americans if you do give a damn. If your contention is, “Who cares, it’s $2,” go ahead and add some grain alcohol to your red grape juice, or better yet, drink Night Train. Oh, and enjoy your Alka-Seltzer the next morning.

  3. Bish Avatar
    Bish

    I started drinking Chateau Cheval Blanc in 1965; It is, unfortunatety, off my menu now. I started drinking CShaw Cab in 1998, a bottle a year, I’ve had a lot of expensive overpriced wine. Was unimpressed until 2000, when I started buying it by the case. I bought the last 6 cases in North Scottsdale, crowded out by the 2001’s. It’s Oct 26, 2009 and I’m enjoying a lovely smooth medium cabernet. I’d have a hard time matching this under $50-60. I’ve tasted the 2008. Have to try another bottle; the years inbetween were not savers.

  4. Patrick Q. Avatar
    Patrick Q.

    I am impressed with all you guys opinions.
    You get what you pay for!!!

    Can not expect Filet Mignon and Lobster dinner as a Room service at a Motel 6, or get a Centerfold when you pay for a $50.00 Whore.
    None of the cheap wine are to be taken to a friend’s dinner as a gift, then you become the same as the wine “CHEAP”!!

  5. Gary Williams Avatar
    Gary Williams

    Any chance 2BC will be boxed any time soon? Wow, even more of a savings!

  6. Rick Sterner Avatar
    Rick Sterner

    When our budget is tight, we buy Charles Shaw merlot and cabernet. We also shop at Whole Foods, and when they started selling their exclusive “Quail Creek” wines at $3.99, we switched to it. It was a good price from such a high-quality natural foods chain. A little snob appeal, I guess.

    But I started getting suspicious. Was it be possible that Quail Creek was just two-buck Chuck with a fancy tux?

    I bought a bottle each of Charles Shaw and Quail Creek merlot. We studied the labels: they were of identical size and looked like they both could have come off the same bottling line. The bottles also looked identical and had the same markings. The stoppers and foils also looked as though they came from the same factory.

    As for taste, we did a blind test. My wife and I found subtle differences, but not enough to be able to detect much of a difference.

    While I have no solid proof that they both come from the same Bronco Winery bottling plant, I’ll bet that they do.

    Needless to say, while our favorite winery is Bogle, when we’re buying on a budget, we’re back to Charles Shaw.

  7. Ben Avatar
    Ben

    Being a moderately experienced budget wine drinker, Charles Shaw wine has been very educational for me: It has shown exactly what quality of wine I and others consider drinkable. The Cab-Sauv is irritatingly semi-dry, with a cloying saccharine sweetness, the Merlot is bland and a bit too sour, but at least dry, the Shiraz is the only red that I would buy again. The Chardonnay was fine, showing that decent white wine is clearly easier for vineyards to produce…less hard to screw up. So when I see someone hauling a case of Shaw in to a party, I hope for the white, and if it’s a red, my mouth starts puckering up in fear of the Cab or Merlot!

  8. Steve Avatar
    Steve

    99 Cent store wine is only 99 cents… and it’s better than charles shaw

  9. Eric B Avatar
    Eric B

    Re: 1st commentor,

    I agree with everyone on the negative aspects on CS. I have almost stopped drinking it, presently can only take it in v small quantities.

    This is a great thread because I have picked up many new wineries to try.

    Got kick out of the one poster who said 2$Chuck was a step up for their mom from the box wine, excuse pls – it’s the same Franzia stuff people!

    Why am I on this site – to buy the better gift basket – comparing wines from a catalog. Works out easy.

  10. thor Avatar
    thor

    The Merlot is decent. It reminds me of the Algerian Red I had in my student times back in the old world. Of this stuff a bottle would be (converted) 45 cent.
    And guess what: The stuff was so honest, no chemicals, no sugar, no sulfur, they didn’t simply have the money for that. Bad mouths said it would pull the wrinkles out elsewhere to your tongue. But is was dead honest, similar to the stuff they drink in Spain with a dinner. (Also very good, even if packed in a tetrapak)
    Rumors were that the farmer would throw an old boot in to start the fermentation. Absolutely worth the money. It is simply a table wine of decent quality, as everybody in south Europe and North Africa drinks it. Americans have mostly lost the taste for really simple unadulterated and unrefined products, they rely on the results of complicated product definition phases by marketeers. make a vacation in Europe, at some cheap spot in the backwoods, where everything is still genuine.

  11. thor Avatar
    thor

    For the guys being concerned about looking cheap:
    The good old Algerian would really taste well with a huge bowl of spicy lentil soup with cubed pork snout and feet for 50 Cent (converted) or a super size Baguette with baked cheese and Spanish Salami for a buck, or a square foot paella with seafood for $1.50.
    Why is everybody concerned about looking cheap in the US? Something wrong with a good meal and a bottle of wine for a total of 1-2 bucks? Is this for the eating or for the social status?

  12. Michael Moore Avatar
    Michael Moore

    Two Buck Chuck is what is known as in France as table wine. It exists in all of the former French colonies. It is a beverage that is consumed on an everyday basis with food. It is an “everyman’s beverage”, the same as the Peugeot 404 or the Citroen DS 21 are “everymen’s car.
    These “things” were created for the “common man”. I have spent several years working and living abroad in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia and have consumed alcoholic beverages in these places. They all have the equivalent of a “Two Buck Chuck”. Anyone that claims that “Two Buck Chuck” is not a
    wine worthy of being called wine is an IGNORANT snob. Get the hell out of California and get into the “real world”
    A Californian.

  13. Canadadry Avatar
    Canadadry

    $2 a bottle wine! America truly is the land of the (almost) free.

  14. CHUCK GORSKI Avatar
    CHUCK GORSKI

    GREAT WINES MY WIFE LOVES IT ….

  15. BD Avatar
    BD

    Would it be wrong to put a few ice chips in my 2$C cab just to cool it a bit when I take it out of my closet on a hot day? 😉

  16. BD Avatar
    BD

    …I really like the cab with White Cheddar Cheez-Its – really! …actually, in truth, I have tasted much worse at a higher price – you really can do worse. I know, not exactly a glowing endorsement – damning with faint praise and all that, but as a change from cheap beer… not a bad choice if you don’t have expensive tastes.

  17. Alan Schwarz Avatar
    Alan Schwarz

    I just moved to Lake Elsinore Ca which has nothing but tacos & fast food so I took the 15mile drive to the closest TJs to make myself a meal.
    I cooked up a packet of TJs artichoke ravioli,topped with their tomato basil marinara & their Parmesan/Romano cheese and a baguette.
    Just for S’s&G’s I decided to forgo my usual Boont Amber and try the 2$C cab.I thought it went well with my meal and ended up finishing the bottle whilst reading all these posts about my plonk purchase.
    The Shaw sure seems to be alot more agreeable to me than people are on this blog.
    I’m glad I tried it and will do so again.

  18. Jenna Avatar
    Jenna

    When I’m feeling in a “classy” mood I actually like to dump some Coors into my Two Buck. Makes a nice sparkling wine.

    Yes, I’m kidding you pompous fucks.

    It kills me that some of you actually believe that most of America – no, forget that – the WORLD would actually be beating down your door for your opinion on what makes wine great. The only people that care about opinions like this are either just as annoying and pompous OR hopeful to look like it.

    Great blog post to the original poster, I just think a lot of your readers really have absolutely NO REASON to come to a website called “cheapwinereviews” in the first place. It’s absurd.

  19. Marie Avatar
    Marie

    RIGHT ON JENNA!
    I was about to thrash the FAKE WINE SNOBS, but you beat me to it. Your post was on the money. Might I suggest to the FAKE SNOBS, take a course in READING AND COMPREHENSION. I did not visit this website to read diatribes. To the original blog poster, thank you for your evaluation on Charles Shaw wines.

    P.S. To the Wine (Fake) Snobs, try looking up the term, DECANTING.

  20. Margaret Avatar
    Margaret

    Fun reading! I was never familiar with TJ prior to a TJ store opening in my neighborhood. Folk had said it had great wines at low prices, so I explored. I purchased something called Charles Shaw wine at ridiculous prices. Thought I’d give it a try. I had heard about some wine sold somewhere called Two Buck Chuck, but never made the connection. It was not the greatest wine in the world, but very drinkable as a quick sip (much like a previous poster called it “pizza wine”), and bought it again. I thought it was great for the ridiculous price. (and I was happy to be content with it for only $3 when my husband, who does have a wine pallat, pays $40 for most of his bottles)

    I gave it to several people, informing them I had found a great little everyday wine, not knowing that this was the famous 2$C. Clueless, but at least my reaction to this, and my content to buy more, was honest.

    Glad to have other posters explain the scientific reasons for the chance one could get some really bad batches.

    Thanks for the recommendations of consistently good, cheap wines that were posted! (our wine storage in the basement has a section for “Margaret’s cheap wines” and another section for my husband’s $40+ wines. )

  21. Matthew Avatar
    Matthew

    Here is what I tell my friends who have never tried 2-buck Chuck: “It’s better than it ought to be.” By that, I mean that it is better than the $2 price tag would suggest. And at that price point, it is easy to buy and sample all CS varieties.

    It is still a cheap wine, but if you find a variety you like then DRINK IT! Dont let anyone else tell you what to like and what not to like.

    -matthew-

  22. Russ Avatar
    Russ

    I like it! Some are better than others. It is a great addition to the cellar where I keep my 4 liter jugs of Carlo Rossi Light Chianti, another great value.

    I do not keep it with the Cain 5s or American Eagle’s, but that is not it’s purpose.

    It is also great for making sangrias for those summer occaisons…

  23. Scott Avatar
    Scott

    An affluent host served the Cab with supper. I immediately asked him where he had gotten it. He said a friend had given it to him. I told him it was barely drinkable. He seemed shocked, saying that it was an expensive wine. I reaffirmed my distaste. By the second bottle I was able to coax out a slight retraction, to his approval. I’d rather drink sour owl piss.

  24. CrustyC Avatar
    CrustyC

    Well it had to happen, Charles Shaw, (yes the real Charles shaw) is getting back in the business in Michigan. He has developed a great little wine, Has his name back and will be doing something very soon based on his well received taste from years ago.

    this we have been waiting for… congrats Chuck!

  25. natalie Avatar
    natalie

    I am an Aussie(of European descent) living in the US. Recently I visited some friends who introduced me to two buck chuck red. I didn’t understand what they meant by ‘two buck’ – surely this couldn’t be in reference to its price?! I was soooo hesitant but accepted a glass to be polite especially as I am a white wine migraine person. I feared this seriously cheap wine would give me a doozy in the morning. Anyway, America has motrin so that would be my backup plan.
    So I took a bite of my meal and followed (politely smiling) with a sip of Two Buck Chuck and I liked it a bit! Maybe I was so worked up with the fear of drinking $2 wine that it wasn’t as bad as I expected. Like some people above mention it is difficult to describe. It’s just a red wine. It’s a table wine. It’s a conversation piece for sure.
    Today I was in Trader Joe with my husband and I saw the 2BC display and told him we should try it. Today’s Cab Sauv was much sweeter than what I shared with my friends so I also agree that it is not very consistent. But now I know how to describe it and I know why it’s a bit of a feel good wine for me. My uncle used to illegally make red wine when I was a kid which he was very proud of and quite notorious for, which was pleasant to drink but you never knew exactly what you would get from one batch to the next…yes, my parents used to let us have a sip of wine with our meals when we were kids. I also vividly remember the smell. Drinking 2BC tonight took me back two and a half decades. And it hasn’t given me migraines in the two times I’ve had it. I’m pretty sure the head will be ok in the morning too. Hey, follow your 2BC meal with a piece of Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate with Hazelnuts. It will offset the overly sweet taste.
    Goodnight all. Happy dreams.

  26. Sizzler Avatar
    Sizzler

    Charles Shaw is not buying or producing anything. He has been running up the flag pole all over the midwest for 10 years claiming he’ll buiy this or buy that to begin his “uinique winery. He was last in up-state Michigan wine country. They didn’t bit.

  27. George Avatar
    George

    the wine (if you want to call it that) is not even worth $3. i drank a whole bottle of it last wedneday nite & ddn’t even get a buzz. it taste more like water with a white wine flavor. & by the way, i didn’t even see the alcohol content on it either.

  28. Diane Avatar
    Diane

    We’re in a recession folks! So let’s get real. I cannot afford to drink Ferrari-Carano Siena (my very favorite red) or Christine Andrew Viognier (my very favorite white) every night, or even more often than once a week (date night wine, or special guest night wine). My husband likes to keep the Coppola’s in quantities as our “house wine,” but tonight, the Princeton Trader Joe’s began selling wine! So I tried my first bottle of 2$C ($2.99 in Princeton). It’s perfectly OK, quite reasonable actually. It definitely does not deserve the disdain that I have read in this slew of commentaries. No, it’s not as complex, and cannot stand alone, but it’s absolutely drinkable with a meal; and at this price, I won’t cry when I use it for cooking. I won’t serve it to guests whom I’m trying to impress, but for good friends who can value a good bargain and are sharing a pizza, yes, they may just get some! And they will like it too…

  29. Wineman Avatar
    Wineman

    If you spend $2 on a bottle of wine, then you might be a Redneck. You would really be better off making a glass of grape kool-aid mixed with a half shot of gin and and half shot of vodka.

    Do yourself a favor and find the cheapest bottle of wine from Chile. For a few bucks more you will get something worth drinking.

    Salsa with wine? What kind of hillbilly are you?

    Don’t answer! (I already know. You are toothless, shoeless and have a big stain on your shirt)

    Next time you indulge yourself with tortilla chips and store bought salsa grab some limes and a Tecate as it’s a much more appropriate companion.

  30. Tonya Avatar
    Tonya

    It’s really not that bad, dare I even say kind of good? Considering the quality of most cheap wine that’s dollars above the 2 Buck Chuck. All i can say is at least it doesn’t have that sickeningly overpowering flavor of alcohol like many cheap wine do.

    It’s not something I’d sip with a fine meal or dessert, but certainly not something I’d turn my nose up to with a nice plate of pasta or burger (red wine only of course, I don’t actually like white wine, so I don’t have clue about those), or if offered a glass.

    The Shiraz is actually quite mellow, not harsh at all in my opinion. Granted it doesn’t taste anything like a Shiraz should taste. But come one people, for 2 dollars you can’t be expecting the world you know?

  31. Louis Cunningham Avatar
    Louis Cunningham

    Why can’t there be wines for the masses? The whole “Wine is only for the rich” is offensive to me. Just because you make something accesible to the middle class doesn’t make the high end of the spectrum less high end. They make wonder bread but it doesn’t mean artisan rolls are no longer apprecaited right? The responce article was just pompous self serving ego endulgement..came off as arrogant, egotistical,and elitests. I’ll never try and wine on that persons recomended list for sure resentment of having been brown beaten into it. Thanks for saving me a few bucks.

  32. dg Avatar
    dg

    My first wife was a wine drinker even before I met her 35 years ago. She was actually one of the most knowledgable people on the subject that I’ve ever known, and that knowledge came mainly from experience, although she read about wine a lot, too, trying to learn what new to buy. She actually preferred Reislings to any other wine, and I think she always had that preference, but we were not wealthy in our early years together, so value was important to us. Sometime early in our marriage, Cabernets and Chardonnays became THE BIG NEW THINGS and were generally beyond our means, but as the years went by, Cabernet and Chardonnay production apparently surpassed demand and very good good wines in these varietals that would have cost an arm and a leg ten years earlier became ubiquitously availiable at very affordable prices. My wife discovered that regarding the Chardonnays in particularl, the quality of the wine did not fall with the prices , so we drank a lot of very good, very inexpensive Chardonnay. There are no Trader Joes around here, wish there were, because I’ll bet you that their $2 Chardonnay is good, even if the rest of their stuff is crap.

  33. Fred Avatar
    Fred

    OK, its July 2010, posting this from about 15 miles South of Napa. I found this blog/post because I was trying to do some research on the Charles Shaw I just drank.

    Full disclosure, middle aged guy, primarily beer drinker in the past, have seen my share of wine snobs, and have never seen what the dealio is with wine.
    Que my recent decision to jump on the slow-carb lifestyle ( search for Tim Ferriss), and Tim’ suggestion to consider drinking wine for its Resveritrol (sp) properties.

    I was at TJ’s and picked up their Cab Sav. and Shriaz.

    Opened them both the other night, and let them breath a while..

    Went to taste them, and damn if both of them didn’t just taste like kerosene. Seriously, I think this is what happened the first time I had wine, and it put me off of it for decades.

    Now as someone with an admitted bias against wine, I have in the past several weeks been out with wine friends and had some of the $50-80 wines at dinner. Nice, but no cacaphony of tastes, undertones, overtones, etc. But nice.

    These Charles Shaw, seriously, one note sharp, acrid burning taste. The Cab was moderately more tolerable, enough that I finished it off by the next night while dumping the Shiraz.

    For all the folks who swear by 2BC, I can only assume the consistency is god awful, and you lucked out.

    Funny thing, I din’t want to give up on wine as I refuse to pay $8-10 for decent wine to drink on a daily basis.

    Went to Napa today for a couple of reasons, and hit the Whole Foods, right next door to a TJ’s.
    Ran across their version of 2BC, which this week I guess is Quail Creek. I picked up their 2008 Shiraz, and have it opened right now with dinner.
    This, is what I would consider a decent, cheap, table wine.

    And, doing some research, it is also ultimately put out by Bronco, who does Charles Shaw, according to Wikipedia. Also, seems to be a shady company, which perhaps I shouldn’t patronize.

    My wine friends were horrified when I mentioned it, however I may give E&J Gallo’s $6/gallon a shot.

    Go figure.

  34. Fred Avatar
    Fred

    Diane, speak for yourself.

    OK, its July 2010, posting this from about 15 miles South of Napa. I found this blog/post because I was trying to do some research on the Charles Shaw I just drank.

    Full disclosure, middle aged guy, primarily beer drinker in the past, have seen my share of wine snobs, and have never seen what the dealio is with wine.
    Que my recent decision to jump on the slow-carb lifestyle ( search for Tim Ferriss), and Tim’ suggestion to consider drinking wine for its Resveritrol (sp) properties.

    I was at TJ’s and picked up their Cab Sav. and Shriaz.

    Opened them both the other night, and let them breath a while..

    Went to taste them, and damn if both of them didn’t just taste like kerosene. Seriously, I think this is what happened the first time I had wine, and it put me off of it for decades.

    Now as someone with an admitted bias against wine, I have in the past several weeks been out with wine friends and had some of the $50-80 wines at dinner. Nice, but no cacaphony of tastes, undertones, overtones, etc. But nice.

    These Charles Shaw, seriously, one note sharp, acrid burning taste. The Cab was moderately more tolerable, enough that I finished it off by the next night while dumping the Shiraz.

    For all the folks who swear by 2BC, I can only assume the consistency is god awful, and you lucked out.

    Funny thing, I din’t want to give up on wine as I refuse to pay $8-10 for decent wine to drink on a daily basis.

    Went to Napa today for a couple of reasons, and hit the Whole Foods, right next door to a TJ’s.
    Ran across their version of 2BC, which this week I guess is Quail Creek. I picked up their 2008 Shiraz, and have it opened right now with dinner.
    This, is what I would consider a decent, cheap, table wine.

    And, doing some research, it is also ultimately put out by Bronco, who does Charles Shaw, according to Wikipedia. Also, seems to be a shady company, which perhaps I shouldn’t patronize.

    My wine friends were horrified when I mentioned it, however I may give E&J Gallo’s $6/gallon a shot.

    Go figure.

  35. Fred Avatar
    Fred

    Diane, you can speak for yourself, I think it may in fact deserve the derision its gotten for good reason.

    OK, its July 2010, posting this from about 15 miles South of Napa. I found this blog/post because I was trying to do some research on the Charles Shaw I just drank.

    Full disclosure, middle aged guy, primarily beer drinker in the past, have seen my share of wine snobs, and have never seen what the dealio is with wine.
    Que my recent decision to jump on the slow-carb lifestyle ( search for Tim Ferriss), and Tim’ suggestion to consider drinking wine for its Resveritrol (sp) properties.

    I was at TJ’s and picked up their Cab Sav. and Shriaz.

    Opened them both the other night, and let them breath a while..

    Went to taste them, and damn if both of them didn’t just taste like kerosene. Seriously, I think this is what happened the first time I had wine, and it put me off of it for decades.

    Now as someone with an admitted bias against wine, I have in the past several weeks been out with wine friends and had some of the $50-80 wines at dinner. Nice, but no cacaphony of tastes, undertones, overtones, etc. But nice.

    These Charles Shaw, seriously, one note sharp, acrid burning taste. The Cab was moderately more tolerable, enough that I finished it off by the next night while dumping the Shiraz.

    For all the folks who swear by 2BC, I can only assume the consistency is god awful, and you lucked out.

    Funny thing, I din’t want to give up on wine as I refuse to pay $8-10 for decent wine to drink on a daily basis.

    Went to Napa today for a couple of reasons, and hit the Whole Foods, right next door to a TJ’s.
    Ran across their version of 2BC, which this week I guess is Quail Creek. I picked up their 2008 Shiraz, and have it opened right now with dinner.
    This, is what I would consider a decent, cheap, table wine.

    And, doing some research, it is also ultimately put out by Bronco, who does Charles Shaw, according to Wikipedia. Also, seems to be a shady company, which perhaps I shouldn’t patronize.

    My wine friends were horrified when I mentioned it, however I may give E&J Gallo’s $6/gallon a shot.

    Go figure.

  36. Arwandizumab Avatar
    Arwandizumab

    Great for Kalimotxo and sangria.
    Great for cooking.

  37. Powerbottom Avatar
    Powerbottom

    I tried to like this wine…

  38. David Avatar
    David

    This sounds like a must drink. I cannot believe it’s so cheap.

  39. Jason Avatar
    Jason

    Two buck Chuck isn’t a great wine, but it isn’t a horrible wine. If you put it up against a good wine, it will obviously lose. However, I’ve had much worse for much more. I’ve bought $10 bottles of Cab that were worse when trying different wines. With that said, if you want a low end, drinkable wine, this is a safe bet. Especially if you are trying to drink a glass or two a night for health reasons. Would I serve this to friends or family, probably not. But, if you are going to a sangria party, this is a great wine to bring.

  40. John Avatar
    John

    “If you are new to wine tasting and you can’t taste the fine subtle differences of one wine versus another, then you’re throwing your money away if you don’t buy Charles Shaw.”

    My wife and I love Charles Shaw. We have purchased, and I kid you not, hundreds of bottles of Shaw, especially the Cabernet Sauvignon since 2002.

    We are everyday regular wine consumers, enjoying a glass or two with every dinner.

    What we have discoverd, for those who object (and can discern) the flavor of a newly released bottle of TJ Shaw Red wine, is that by aging the bottle a few years (yes, a few years), the flavor competes with wines costing much much more.

    And we have a wine cellar to prove it.

    John & Catherine
    Southern California

  41. maxie Avatar
    maxie

    @Daniel Clayton: I know you probably won’t see this, but…

    Since TJ’s has been in California for 45 years (over 50 years if you count when they were Pronto Markets), I’d like to know where you got this info?

    “But we shouldn’t overlook the fact that it has , in fact, put out of business most of the small specialty food stores here in California, and I’m sure the same is happening elsewhere.”

  42. birdman Avatar
    birdman

    Putting down others is simply a way of trying to elevate your own flattened ego. With tax its like 2.19 a bottle. You have to be crazy to deny how sweet a deal this is. Instead of stopping yourselves from enjoying it, just go with it. You can’t beat chuck.

  43. J CO. Avatar
    J CO.

    Reading this thread is like reading Bourdeui a snobbish french theorist whose pompous writing earned him the award of “most unnecessary use of commas” at the imaginary Dead Theorist Awards That said, I love wine. I love good wine regardless of rating or price point. I know the history of wine making in France the rise in California and was introduced to sweet, high elevation grapes found in the Malbec loooong before it became popular in the U.S. That said people cannot always afford to have their noses so far in the air its up God’s *** and I didn’t come here to find out about this wine only to be accosted by dissertations on wine. That said it seems like a good choice for providing over a hundred people with something to drink. Thanks to all of you who took the time to review this based on simply your experience with this wine.

  44. Branko Tomas Avatar
    Branko Tomas

    Vine it is a mazing, some of us drink by the glass, some by the bottle each night.
    Charles Shaw for the price, is the best vine in the world, you will get each day one bottle free on M.Y Daniela motor yacht when you crusing on Adriatic Sea in Croatia and Italy.
    Welcome

  45. DJ Rizzotto Avatar
    DJ Rizzotto

    I grew up Sicilian, even as toddlers wine was a staple drink served in drinking glasses and reds kept in the refrigerator. Yes, we had wines reserved for guests but simple Chianti, Valpolicella and cabs were just fine. Charles Shaw is a staple wine drinkers wine I’ve never had a problem with and with our average make age into the 90’s, not a one of us ever had bad health. Drink wine, live and laugh. If you’re so pompous that you treat wine as a religion, you’re not invited.

  46. Doug Avatar
    Doug

    Hell’s Bells – it all makes me want to try some of the Chuckster’s offerings! Good, bad, or worse – what the hell…?

    Have drunk a lot of expensive and middling-priced wine over the years, but nothing has been like the Villa Banfi Lambrusco, which was exceedingly cheap in the early 1980’s, when I happened to drink 6 or 7 liters of it one day. Now that was a hangover – damn thing lasted 2 days.

  47. Austinbirdman Avatar
    Austinbirdman

    I really appreciate Daniel Shaw’s lengthy comments on Two Buck Chuck. Thanks Mr. Shaw! That’s great insight, and helps explain the divide over this wine. It’s essentially no different than the millions of gallons of other cheap red wine that’s been available for years under various jug and box wine brands. Trade Joe’s has just done a great job marketing it — which is somewhat ironic, since their cachet such as it stands comes from positiong Two Buck Chuck as a cheap wine without the puffery of more expensive red.

    There are a number of good, bargain red wine options available in local grocery stores, Costco, and so forth for people who don’t like Two Buck Chuck.

  48. NewtoWine Avatar
    NewtoWine

    Oh my goodness. It doesn’t get much better than this thread. I am dying laughing here! So glad I stumbled on this site.

    And to see that it’s been added to over the years…hilarious!

    By the way…I’ve never had Two Buck Chuck but I’ve had Trader Joe’s other wines. Tolerable, but not great. Definitely not solo wines, unless you’re looking to get a little tipsy on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

  49. Louisa Avatar
    Louisa

    I think it’s hilarious that the wine snobs have taken the time to come here and slam Two Buck Chuck. Why? We just got a new Trader Joe’s, open today, and I can’t wait to get in there and enjoy the good life as we had it at our Trader Joe’s in LA. I just want something drinkable with that lovely mellow wine feeling to it in the evening. It doesn’t have to be high art. I like Trader Joe’s olive oil too. That’s a whole other category of fussiness for some, olive oil. I can appreciate the food and drink as art form thing, but I have the highest of low standards, and Trader Joe’s hits that sweet spot.

  50. Tonja Avatar
    Tonja

    I’m a poet and host a monthly poetry event at a very nice art gallery. Since art galleries are allowed to serve wine during art exhibits and events, I purchase two buck Chuck. I set out a tip jar to get enough money to buy next month’s bottles of two buck Chuck, which you all know is very affordable! Having wine just adds a special touch to the evening’s festivities. Imagine being in an art gallery surrounded by beautiful paintings and other art, listening to poetry and/or music, and drinking two buck Chuck. Trust me, it is an evening to be envied by those who may spend a ton of money to attend a concert, opera, play, or other event, spend lots of money on wine or cocktails, and they have to get dressed. If you want a great evening of entertainment FREE of charge and good wine FREE of charge, come on out. Two buck Chuck is the perfect additive to this night of entertainment as it gives the event the right touch of class!

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