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Are You Aware Of The Two-Buck Chuck Phenomenon?
Surely,
you’ve at least heard the name Charles Shaw wine before;
this wine has exploded onto the wine industry in a way that’s
never been seen before. And has been affectionately coined ‘Two-Buck
Chuck’, a reference to its amazing affordability. Depending
on the region it’s being sold, ‘Chuck’ sells for
$2, $3,or $4. It’s only available at Trader Joe’s, but
that hasn’t stopped them from selling 5 million cases per
year. It seems like everyone can buy Charles Shaw wine no matter
what your budget or taste.
The
man behind the cheap wine sensation is Fred Franzia, a California
vineyard owner who is not always well received in the wine growing
industry. Fred owns Bronco Wine Co., which he started with his
brother, John, and cousin, Joe. Together, they have re-invented
the way we view wine. Good wine no longer has to be expensive,
and cheap wine no longer has to taste awful. As a matter of fact,
some of Fred’s wines are award-winning, such as the California
Chardonnay. This wine won Best Chardonnay at the 2007 California
State Fair, over much pricier competition. The 2002 Shiraz won
a double gold medal at the 28th Annual International Eastern Wine
Competition. The Sauvignon Blanc is wonderful, especially at this
price.
Rumors
abound about Bronco’s fastest seller. Some accounts claim
that the wine was dumped by airlines, after corkscrews were made
illegal on aircraft. Some say a divorcing Shaw was trying to lower
his vineyard’s assets by flooding the market with cheap wine.
This is simply not true. Bronco Wine Co. is able to sell inexpensive
wine because they own a lot of land, more than any other wine
company in California. They bought an enormous amount of unwanted
wine from competing wineries when demand slowed. It also doesn’t
help that Fred hates pretentious wine-growers. In his view, he’s
waging a war on the wine industry.
For
those that wonder, yes, there was a real Charles Shaw. He owned
a small wine company that he started in the 1970’s. The winery
produced excellent wines, and gained a solid reputation. After
a divorce in the early 1990’s, the company was sold to Bronco,
who revived the name in 2002 for the Charles Shaw brand.
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