292597 Wed Apr 23 10:00:56 -0700 2003 20 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1597446 The NY Times just has an article about Two-Buck Chuck (Charles Shaw) wine, sold at Trader Joe's stores, apparently selling like mad. I'm skeptical about $1.99 wine. Has anyone tried it? Is it good? Wed Apr 23 10:00:56 -0700 2003 0 sunshine 1 1597453 Yes, I did, and no, it's not. Wed Apr 23 11:10:06 -0700 2003 1597446 0 AlanH 1 1597459 It is awful. Worth about $1.99 Wed Apr 23 11:29:06 -0700 2003 1597446 0 dinwiddie 1 1597461 Disagree. The Sauvignon Blanc is respectable at the very least. The Chardonnay and Cab, however, are pretty mediocre. Wed Apr 23 11:48:04 -0700 2003 1597446 0 brian h 1 1597462 I believe there has been a lot of conversation about this on the LA Board (and maybe SF, too). I have not tried it, so cannot offer my opinion. Curiously, here in Phoenix, it's 3-buck Chuck-TJ's sells it for $2.99. Wed Apr 23 11:57:53 -0700 2003 1597446 0 kjhart 2 1597519 It's 3 buck chuck here in MA as well. I thought it was nothing special, but good enough to cook with. Wed Apr 23 16:41:43 -0700 2003 1597462 0 Chris VR 1 1597463 I have only had the cabernet. I liked it fine. The writer of the article described it pretty much dead on. A pretty non-descript wine. Break it out for a nice dinner? No. But good all around sipping. For 1.99 you could do a lot worse. Wed Apr 23 11:57:54 -0700 2003 1597446 0 baruch 1 1597466 The term "swill" comes to mind. Wed Apr 23 12:09:00 -0700 2003 1597446 0 JudiAU 1 1597467 Here's the latest furor. Another winery has received approval to sell under the trade name "Two Buck Chuck", the unofficial and non-trademarked nickname for Charles Shaw $1.99 wine. Link: http://www.sacbee.com/content/lifestyle/taste/story/6424138p-7376240c.html Image: http://www.sacbee.com/ips_rich_content/716-0409wine01.jpg Wed Apr 23 12:09:16 -0700 2003 1597446 0 Melanie Wong 2 1597620 Marketing folks frequently amaze me with their tastelessness and predeliction for deception (for examples, just look at the spam in your email or the junk mail pouring into your mailbox.) Nicknames should be naturally-occuring handles fondly bestowed upon someone or something by others. It feels wrong for someone to nickname himself. For example, his pals could call him "ol' blue eyes" or "Chairman of the Board" but if Sinatra referred to himself that way, it would sound awkwardly self-referential. Also, it's no excuse that the name "Two Buck Chuck" hadn't been registered. The "Chuck" refers to the name "Charles Shaw", and its use by a different outfit constitutes a ripoff. This may be legal, but it is not honorable. Thu Apr 24 14:04:03 -0700 2003 1597467 0 Sharuf 3 1597648 The winemaker claims he was not aware of Charles Shaw or it's nickname when he was asked to make the wine: "Beverages & more asked me to make a 'Two Buck Chuck' a couple of months ago," Coleman said. "I'd never heard of Two Buck Chuck before and they didn't tell me it was a nickname, so I filed with BATF (the former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) and they gave me the name. I figure it's a one-shot thing." Link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/04/10/WI298411.DTL Thu Apr 24 17:23:41 -0700 2003 1597620 0 nja 4 1597660 That has got to be a flat out lie that Coleman told some reporter. He's a California winemaker and he's never heard of Two-Buck Chuck?! Yeah, right. He must be taking his cues from Donald Rumsfeld (oops!). Either that or he seriously needs to get out more. Or, like, read a newspaper. I agree with Sharuf. It's outrageous. Thu Apr 24 19:11:34 -0700 2003 1597648 0 Missy P. 5 1597685 Are you kidding? I wish I had thought of trademarking the name. This is America the land of capitalism and free enterprise. Hoo Rah for anyone who has the wits and uses them, in this time of fads and one hit wonders! And look at all the free advertising for both Charles Shaw and Two Buck Chuck... a marketers dream. Fri Apr 25 05:50:49 -0700 2003 1597660 0 The Rogue 6 1597727 If you re-read my post, you will see that my beef is actually with the fact that Coleman innocently claims that he had never heard of Two-Buck Chuck, which is simply preposterous. It would be far more honorable, in my mind, for him to acknowledge that it was, as you say, "a marketer's dream" and a good way to get rid of some overload. And, as I said, if he has indeed never heard of ole Two-Buck Chuck, then clearly he's not very aware of what's happening in his business. As for the trademarking thing, clearly Franzia's people didn't jump on that fast enough. And as for this being the land of capitalism and free enterprise, I guess we can think the great minds behind the New Leaf potato (talk about one-hit wonders) and Star Link corn and the tasteless tomatoes at your local mega-chain, not to mention Two-Buck Chuck, for providing us for such inspiring foodstuffs that make me proud to be a member of our nation's industrial-agricultural 'food' chain that has nearly run family farmers out of business and dumbed-down our national palate. They have the wits and know how to use them. Fri Apr 25 14:12:13 -0700 2003 1597685 0 Missy P. 2 1599157 I visited with Dave Coleman, owner of the Two Buck Chuck brand, Friday afternoon and had a chance to ask how Franzia was reacting to his potential infringement. He laughed and said that poking fun at Franzia had made him more famous than he'd ever imagined! There won't be any more Two Buck Chuck, he signed a settlement agreement with Franzia on Wednesday, and got what he wanted. He said he'd had many calls from reporters and we'd read about it in the next day or two. Link: http://www.northbay.com/lifestyle/voices/050103_mann.html Sat May 10 03:11:40 -0700 2003 1597467 0 Melanie Wong 1 1597481 I tried the Merlot once and it was PLONK. This wine received my rating of DNPIM (Do Not Put In Mouth). Wed Apr 23 13:49:43 -0700 2003 1597446 0 Carmel Curly 1 1597486 Nasty. Actually, I haven't found any wines that I like at Trader Joes - and a high proportion of the ones that I have bought have been 'corked', and I've returned them. It's too bad, since I Love their food selection. I get my wines at Cost Plus. Wed Apr 23 14:14:41 -0700 2003 1597446 0 krissy 2 1597711 krissy, I don't quite understand how the wines at Trader Joe's are not as good as at Cost Plus because they sell the same labels; like Estancia, Clos du Bois, Meridian, J. Lohr, Coppolla, etc. Are these labels not available at your branch of Trader Joes? Or how do you explain the difference if they are the same label wine? Fri Apr 25 11:33:35 -0700 2003 1597486 0 kc girl 3 1597716 I don't actually see the labels you cite at my local TJ's. And like I said, a high proportion of the wines I have purchased there have been corked - a very unpleasant thing to discover when you're opening wine with guests in the house. So, I choose to avoid the hit and miss experience provided by TJ's, and buy my wines where I've never bought a bad bottle - Cost Plus (as well as other shops). As I said, I DO love TJ's food selections. Their wine just doesn't work for me. I've heard the same comments from others who shop there, so maybe there's a storage problem at that particular store. Fri Apr 25 12:02:13 -0700 2003 1597711 0 krissy 1 1597507 Look, it's simple, varietally correct bulk wine from the Central Valley. If $2 and no palate is all you've got, go for it. But for a few dollars more, $5-$10, there is a world of much better made wines with some actual character. The only coup here is in marketing what would otherwise become Gallo "Hearty Burgundy" or "Chablis" in 750 ml bottles and convincing people who usually spend more on wine to drink it. Wed Apr 23 15:49:55 -0700 2003 1597446 0 DonnyMac 1 1597543 I have had a sip of the Merlot, Cab, Sav Blanc & most God-awful of all, the Chard - it's all truly horrendous - but what do you expect for $1.99? I am still trying to track down the fiend that brought a bottle of it to our Christmas party - and cross them off all further invite lists! Wed Apr 23 18:19:31 -0700 2003 1597446 0 torta basilica