I always did think that Denny Hastert looks like he's got a drinking problem...oh wait; note to self - read before posting.
Posted on 06/30/2007 2:05:16 PM PDT by DogByte6RER
'Two-Buck Chuck' wins wine competition
By: BRADLEY J. FIKES - Staff Writer
Vin d'Expensive? Meritage Snooty? If that's the kind of name you were thinking would grace a winner of the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition, get ready for a shock.
Try "Two-Buck Chuck," more formally Charles Shaw, the brand beloved of bargain but palate-sensitive wine shoppers. It's sold by Bronco Wine Co. exclusively through Trader Joe's.
Shaw's California Chardonnay took first place for Best Chardonnay from California. To some in the clubby California wine community, that must seem like a Michelin's Red Guide giving three stars to a roadside hamburger stand.
The Chardonnay received 98 points, a double gold, with accolades of Best of California and Best of Class.
"Since we judge all wines totally by variety without different brackets for price, this double-gold achievement by the Bronco winemakers is astounding," G.M. Pucilowski, chief judge and director of the competition, said in a Bronco Wine Co. press release.
While the complete results of the competition are to be announced July 12, Renata Franzia, from Bronco's Franzia family received the results Thursday.
Richard Peterson, veteran winemaker and a State Fair judge for 20 years, said in the release, "We have the most open judging I know. There is nothing to bias judging. We get numbered glasses. We don't know the region, brand or price. We evaluate the judges frequently to make sure they're tops in the field. Charles Shaw won because it is a fresh, fruity, well-balanced Chardonnay that people and wine judges ---- though maybe not wine critics ---- will like."
Bronco president Fred Franzia said in an interview that customers have proven to be discerning, buying more than 300 million bottles of Charles Shaw brand wines over the years.
"The consumers are way ahead of the judges here, and now the judges have figured it out," Franzia said in the interview. And there's more of this vintage on the way, Franzia said, so there will be a plentiful supply.
Franzia's next challenge is winning over the restaurant industry. "The restaurants are overcharging consumers for wine. If we could just get restaurants to sell wine at $10 a bottle, or $2.50 a glass, or less, heaven forbid. If I can sell 'em to Trader Joe's for $2 a bottle, and they can get five glasses out of it, you'd think they could sell it for $2.50 a glass and make consumers happy."
And yes, Franzia said, Two-Buck Chuck will remain $2 ---- the price isn't going to increase.
I always did think that Denny Hastert looks like he's got a drinking problem...oh wait; note to self - read before posting.
Good for you. Wine, like art, is in the eye of the beholder.
Yes, there is a fair amount of knowledge and science involved in getting the best out of mother nature but sometimes it's also just dumb luck.
One of the locals had a popular wine during prohibition. He was tight lipped about his success but in the 70s, after leading a growing industry for years, he admitted that he had allowed his chickens to roost over the fermentation tanks.
2 Buck Chuck Rocks!
Serve it any your next party - It’ll be a HIT!
You're dating yourself. But it was a good year.
The Aprihop (sp?) Apricot IPA is phenominal.
What a devolution Hastert has undergone! From Speaker of the House to a cheap wine wino... 
I love it.
I am partial to Beringer as well along with Talus varieties which here at the intersection of the Rustbelt, Cornbelt, and Biblebelt can be had for a fiver.
Nothing wrong with that. What opened my eyes to beer was not surprisingly, Germany. I was stationed there, so I availed myself of everything I could lay my hands on.
At that time it was fairly cheap due to favorable exchange rates, and beer is still somewhat subsidized over there. What I mean by that is the bars and clubs/beer joints are setup the way the US was prior to prohibition.
A particular biergarten will be sponsored or have a contract with a specific braurei. They don’t offer competitor brands. That is apparently illegal somehow today. Another casualty of prohibition was “running a tab”, which is a much saner way of doing business. You can walk into just about any bar at random and run up a tab that night, and they don’t even know you. Here, they bring out a 5oz glass, charge 3 bucks, want a hefty tip, rinse, lather repeat. What’s truly astonishing here in the US, an appreciation for good beer has become the realm of “snobs”, which is most certainly not the case in Europe. Even the bluest of blue collar workers drinks very good mass-produced beer in Europe, at a price that is very reasonable.
Prohibition really kicked us in the nuts, and we haven’t really recovered.
I like Dog Fish Head but I don’t care much for any other beer.
surely_you_jest:You're dating yourself. But it was a good year.
Ha! If you think that makes WildWeasel look dated, then I must be ancient. When I read the UB40 comment, my thought was "yeah, but Neil Diamond recorded it first in Hot August Night. (My mom used to listen to that album when I was a kid).
I bought a bottle of 2buck (Carbernet and it actually cost me almost three bucks)at Trader Joes, I wasn’t impressed
But for that price, I have no complaints.
Weiheinstephan is my favorite followed by Hoegaarden and Paulaner is a distant 3rd. I’ve yet to find a domestic wheat beer worth it’s salt. The only one that comes even close (and it’s still pretty far off) is Sam Adams Summer Ale.
Best beer I ever had was brewed privately by a restaurant near Padova, Italy. It was bottled in champagne style bottles with corck stoppers and had the consistency of champagne with bubbles forming on the inside of the glass. They would not sell me a bottle to take home and it is not available anywhere except in the restaurant. These people are sitting on a gold mine.
One of the best things about Italy is the wine. You can get a bottle of very good wine for 3 euros which would cost over $35 US.
2 buck chuck!
Unfortunately the Trader Joe’s in Massachusetts are not allowed to sell wine and that’s a bummer because I’ve had the TJ’s wine in other parts of the country and for the price, it is very decent.
I’m a fan of good Port Wines ... Whidby’s and Graham’s Six Grape are the two best Ruby Ports I’ve found. But you can buy a marginal Ruby Port and mix it half-n-half with cranrasberry juice over ice for a good Summer cooler.
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