Charles Shaw wine

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Charles Shaw wine is displayed in a Trader Joe's grocery market.

Charles Shaw is an American brand of "extreme value" wine produced in California.

These wines are currently Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and most recently Shiraz varietals and Valdigue in the style of Beaujolais nouveau, all from California vineyards. They are distributed exclusively by Trader Joe's grocery stores, and in California sell for $1.99. Because of this, the Charles Shaw wines are affectionately known as Two Buck Chuck.

Due to the three-tier system, in other states the price can go up to around $4. As such, the wine is often referred to as "Three Buck Chuck" or "Four Buck Chuck" relative to the price.

Charles Shaw is an example of the recent trend of economy-minded wine drinkers seeking the greatest value. In particular the brand stands out not only for the low cost, but also for the respectable packaging and semi-frequent high ratings at wine tasting events; at the 28th Annual International Eastern Wine Competition, for example, Shaw's 2002 Shiraz received the double gold medal, besting the roughly 2,300 other wines in the competition. [1]

[edit] Ownership

The Charles Shaw label is owned by the Bronco Wine Company, headed by Fred Franzia (formerly of Franzia Brothers wines). There once was an actual, eponymous winery owned by Charles F. Shaw, dedicated to producing Beaujolais-style wines in the Napa Valley, but it went out of business and the name was sold to Bronco. Bronco achieves its low prices in part by taking advantage of the overplanting of wine grapes in California in the 1990s, but also by growing huge quantities of its own at extremely low cost. The result is put in a respectable, 750mL package, sealed with real cork. People who might shy away from box wine, screwcap, and jug wine can drink equally inexpensive wine without the stigma attached to its usual packaging.