Two buck chuck

In the USA, Two buck chuck is the nickname for wine produced by the Charles ("Chuck") Shaw winery. These wines--currently limited to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc varietals, all from California vinyards--are distributed exclusively by Trader Joe's grocery stores, where they sell for anywhere from $1.99 (whence the "two buck" moniker) to around $4. Trader Joe's says that a Charles Shaw beaujolais and Shiraz are forthcoming.

The Two Buck Chuck is an example of the recent trend of wine drinkers seeking the greatest "bang for your buck"; these wines have often been rated higher than wines costing considerably more in blind taste tests. The Charles Shaw label is owned by the same company as Franzia wines. It achieves its low prices by taking advantage of the overplanting of wine grapes in California in the 1990s, buying excess grapes off of the market and putting them in a respectable, 750mL, corked package so that people who might shy away from bag in a box, screwcap, and jug wine can drink cheap wine without the stigma attached to cheap wines' usual packaging. Shaw's wines are generally unexceptional but unobjectionable, quite suitable for use as a cooking or table wine.