Two Buck Chuck
 

This is an odd one. I don't live in the states anymore but I've had multiple friends raving about a wine called "Two-Buck-Chuck" and that I must try it on my next visit. Is it really possible that a $2 wine could not only be drinkable but not bad? When I heard that name all I could think of was Boone's Farm. If I bought a two euro bottle of Bourgogne Rouge here I'd be saving the world by dumping it out.

It is at Trader Joes and not bad but not a everyday wine.IMHO

Two buck chuck is actually $3-4 here in Seattle. It can be decent if you get a good batch, but I generally only buy it when I need some to cook with.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3076201/ns/today-food/

I just polished off a bottle of the Charles Shaw (the Trader Joe's brand) Shiraz, and it occurred to me that it was better than any of the "free" house wines I've had at the airport lounges recently.

No, it's not the best, but when I'm home alone it's nice to have a glass or two (or three) after work without carting out the good ($$) stuff, and at $2 a bottle, it's an excellent value for me. YMMV depending on how particular you are about wine.

That's an interesting discussion in and of itself and deserves it's own thread. I generally like the free wines in the lounges here in Europe, particularly in LIS where they often have a Monte da Cal Reserva I like. Do any lounges in the states still have free wine, or were you overseas?

As for Two Buck Chuck, it is hard to argue with the mostly positive responses so far. If it is really decent I wonder why they don't charge just a little bit more to avoid the stigma. Seems like the demand is there.

a few years back, there was a glut of high quality california grapes on the market and charles shaw snatched them up. they really were $2/bottle, and they really were good. the good grapes are long gone, but the reputation lives on.

Make sure you shake it in a cocktail shaker (or use a whisk).:)

This. ^

The myth lives on but the reality isn't so great. I'd rather get a higher-end box wine for when I want a glass or two.

Two previous threads on the vino:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/dinin...expo-gold.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/dinin...uck-sucks.html

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Not necessarily - there are good grapes that can come and go. But one bottle can be, i.e., as good as a $10+ bottle, and the next, not so much. "Charles Shaw" is merely one of Bronco Wine Company's 50+ labels. Some of them are actually available in airport lounges and restaurants, and aren't available for retail sale, so you have no idea what the price point is. And, it isn't any better than the $2 Chuck. And some of the brands are much better.

For $2, you could do worse. On the other hand, I do not remember the last time I bought it.

I'm thinking of the "free" wines in domestic U.S. airline lounges. For whatever reason, the self-service wines in lounges outside the U.S. are usually much better.

Don't tell Trader Joe's, but I wouldn't mind paying an extra buck for their Chuck. I like being able to open a bottle without worrying about the cost; I'm essentially getting a bottle for what a glass is worth.

It's 3.99. It may taste 5.99, but never 9.99.

Think UA lounge wine.

OP, I've never had the wine you mention, but you may be surprised to find what some Trader Joe's stock in the alcohol section. (Varies widely by store and state)

Some have a pretty big range of German beers, not surprising considering the ownership of Trader Joe's.

As implied above everyone outside of California pays an extra $1 for the Chuck, $3 chuck doesn't rhyme so well though ;) I haven't had a decent "higher-end" box wine since the wine grape glut passed either so for the price $2 is alright enough. Particularly for cooking or mulling.

Regarding beer the German beers I've gotten at chez TJ didn't transport well and ergo aren't worth purchasing imo. The annual Christmas beer is very good, and at $5 for an ale on lees, well worth it. Brewed by Unibroue of Quebec.

I've never bought beer there either, just interested to see the wide range some of the stores carry. I like to try and determine which items are hiding under the Trader Joe house brands. They have a lot of items from western Europe in the stores. Latest new product is Lotus speculoos spread ie Biscoff spread, hiding under something such as 'cookie spread'.

But this year they really seemed to cut back on the German and French Christmas products (although admittedly I was only in two stores in two states recently)