# 2 Buck Chuck- Yay or Nay? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 21, 2005, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127 "2005-02-21T05:02:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/1 "2005-02-21T05:02:37Z")
The infamous Trader Joe’s “2 Buck Chuck” (Charles Shaw) wine- cheap swill or a tasty bargain? What say you? \*Say ‘yay,’ I want to win this argument with my husband. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/2 "2005-02-21T05:06:44Z")
tasty bargain. Although it’s three buck chuck around here. Did it used to be two bucks? ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/3 "2005-02-21T05:10:11Z")
Cheap swill. Bought several bottles to sample the varieties, tried a glass or two from each, decided that inexpensive != value, dumped the rest. Might be okay for cooking, though. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/4 "2005-02-21T05:16:03Z")
Oh yeah. I’d like to amend my answer to only include the Cabernet Sauvignon. ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/5 "2005-02-21T05:17:56Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > tasty bargain.Although it’s three buck chuck around here. Did it used to be two bucks? Here in Northern CA, it’s $1.99 as of a week ago. ---
**Author:** ![DrLoveGun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@DrLoveGun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrLoveGun)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/6 "2005-02-21T05:22:21Z")
> [@inkleberry](#): > > The infamous Trader Joe’s “2 Buck Chuck” (Charles Shaw) wine- cheap swill or a tasty bargain? What say you? > > \*Say ‘yay,’ I want to win this argument with my husband. Husband always wins. Cheap vinegar. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/7 "2005-02-21T05:50:42Z")
Meh. No better or worse than many $8 or more bottles. I can certainly scare up a $20+ bottle of Cab that’s similar quality to Herr Chuck. Chuckles is certainly not swill: it’s a $10-ish bottle (meh) at $2 (wow!). It’s great by comparison, but only by comparison. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/8 "2005-02-21T05:51:43Z")
Good value. Cheap decent plonk. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/9 "2005-02-21T06:03:51Z")
> [@inkleberry](#): > > The infamous Trader Joe’s “2 Buck Chuck” (Charles Shaw) wine- cheap swill or a tasty bargain? What say you? Not to be a snob, but it tastes mildly of lighter fluid to me. (Seriously.) I try to find good, low-priced wines, but Chuck just ain’t in my cellar. But it’s a consumer product, a beverage. Drink what _you_ like. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/10 "2005-02-21T06:05:54Z")
> [@DrLoveGun](#): > > Husband always wins. Cheap vinegar. Don’t make me squirt you with my breasts again… :wally ---
**Author:** ![Merhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Merhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merhouse)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/11 "2005-02-21T12:08:51Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > Not to be a snob, but it tastes mildly of lighter fluid to me. (Seriously.) Sorry, no opinion on the wine in question (never had it), but I **am** somewhat curious as to why you know what lighter fluid tastes like 😉 P.S. I’ve not tasted lighter fluid either. I guess there’s a bunch of stuff I’ve never had 🙂 P.P.S. I should really go back to sleep now. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/12 "2005-02-21T18:53:48Z")
I’d rather spend a few dollars more and drink something that doesn’t taste sour. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/13 "2005-02-21T19:36:40Z")
Good bang for the buck, IMHO. It’s allright if you’re drinking it yourself, taking it to a party where no wine snobs are present, or for guests at home when it’s intended as a social lubricant more than an accompaniment to a gourmet dinner. It makes a better impression than a Gallo or Widmer wine. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/14 "2005-02-21T19:48:52Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > It makes a better impression than a Gallo or Widmer wine. Unless, of course, it’s a bottle of **Gallo of Sonoma**. Gina is making world-class wines under that label. 😃 Yes, I am a wine…well, I can’t be a snob, because I like \*\*Carlo Rossi Paisano \*\* with spaghetti. But I also appreciate a good wine, and I have had a few great ones, too. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/15 "2005-02-21T19:50:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Sorry, no opinion on the wine in question (never had it), but I am somewhat curious as to why you know what lighter fluid tastes like during my partying drunk phase, one spectacular (but incredibly stupid) party trick was to spray a mouthful of lighter fluid across a lighter… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/16 "2005-02-21T19:56:19Z")
Tasty bargain. I like the merlot better than the cabernet if I’m just having a glass of wine, but the cabernet does better with deadcow. I’ve had $25 bottles of wine that I didn’t like as much as Charles Shaw. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/17 "2005-02-21T20:02:41Z")
A slight hijack (because the only Trader Joes I’ve ever been to doesn’t have a liquor license). Just how strong is the correlation between price and the quality of a wine? At what price point should I expect there to be a reliably clear distinction between paint thinner and tasty beverage? And at what price point would the difference in quality become imperceptible to the average non-wine-snob? What drives the difference in wine prices? I’m guessing that the work to grow a grape is pretty much a constant, and the cost of processing is probably also constant. So is it just the rarity of a particularly good vintage? Do they taste the result of the fermentation and say “This is too good for the peons. Make it $30.00/bottle!”? ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/18 "2005-02-21T20:18:17Z")
Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but what I’ve been told is that Charles Shaw has unique business model. He basically goes around and buys up the excess grape harvests of the other Napa valley vineries. He then makes his wines using those grapes and then undercuts the competition. Yes? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stranger\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@The\_Stranger\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stranger_1)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/19 "2005-02-21T22:16:27Z")
I bought two bottles, although I did not find the taste to be absolutely horrible…I can’t say that I would buy it again. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127/20 "2005-02-21T22:21:24Z")
Works for me. I don’t like wine anyway, so what I’ve had of 2-buck Chuck was pretty much indistinguishable from every red wine I’ve ever had. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-buck-chuck-yay-or-nay/291127.md?page=2)