Evaluating the taste and cost of “Two-Buck Chuck”

For the last ten years, the supermarket chain Trader Joe’s has been selling its Charles Shaw Wines – better known as Two-Buck Chuck – for two bucks. It’s been a great success.
In fact, a recent editions of Trader Joe’s “Fearless Flyer” newspaper says: “We do think we know why these wines have struck a chord – they’ve proven that wine doesn’t need to be expensive to be good, drinkable wine. These are not expensive, they are good, and they’re very drinkable.”
Charles Shaw Wines are made by the Bronco Wine Company based in Ceres, California, near Modesto. The brand in its present form was born just over a decade ago, when Bronco and other producers found themselves harvesting too many grapes. One of the company’s founders, Fred Franzia, came up with the idea to undercut the competition: he’d make a two-dollar bottle. “He was able to kind of go in and name his price, and come up with this ridiculously inexpensive wine. And over time he just had to figure out how to keep supplying it. Not the least of which is, frankly, planting his own vineyards,” says San Francisco Chronicle wine editor Jon Bonne.
Now Bronco owns a lot of land in California – more than 40,000 acres of vineyards – mostly in the San Joaquin Valley. And Charles Shaw wine is just one of more than 90 different Bronco brands, most of which sell for less than ten dollars per bottle.
“Fred [Franzia] is very adamant that no one should pay more than ten dollars for a bottle of wine ever,” says Bonne. “Although, even he has broken that by offering some reserves. But he simply believes in cheap wine.” Cheap wine is not something new for California. In fact, there is a long tradition of making cheap wine that is sold just as table wine, Bonne adds.
But economies have changed, and after ten years and 600 million bottles, how is Two-Buck Chuck still just two bucks? I went to Bronco’s bottling facility to find out.
Charles Shaw Wine is produced in Napa, at an average speed of 245 bottles per minute. Fred Franzia’s son Joe runs this recently built factory. He gave me a tour, and says he’s really proud of how it’s changing the industry.
Franzia says that Bronco was one of the first to pioneer lightweight glass. That’s big. Here is why: a typical case of wine weighs about 36 pounds, while a case of lightweight bottles weighs 30 pounds. Which means Bronco can ship more at a time. “Basically in a truckload of wine, instead of shipping 1200 cases, you are shipping close to 1440 cases. So, basically one in every five trucks is paying for itself, reducing carbon footprint,” says Franzia, adding that it’s a win-win – good for environment and the profit margin. “It’s really starting to become a standard in the industry because the fuel is going up and when you are dealing with products under ten dollar a bottle, you are very sensitive to gas prices affecting your bottle of wine,” he continues.
Another example is cork. Bronco prefers not to use plastic cork for any of its wines. Some have screw caps, known in the industry as “Stelvin closures”. But for Charles Shaw, Bronco uses one of the cheapest forms of natural cork. It’s a mold of small pieces with a real cork veneer at the bottom. “We believe cork to be the primary closure method for wine, so we want to maintain the high quality of cork with a natural tip as a barrier between the composite and a wine itself,” says Franzia.
The San Francisco Chronicle’s Jon Bonne says such production details are important to understand, particularly when it comes to cheap wine: “Quite honestly, the bigger part of the cost is glass, cork, and distribution. It’s one of the reasons that anywhere else outside California, Two-Buck Chuck is actually $3.” Bonne explains that the cost of shipping Two-Buck Chuck anywhere out of California becomes too high to support it. “In terms of the actual wine, the wine is not terribly expensive. I would say, it’s probably 30 to 40 percent of the cost, if that,” Bonne adds.
That means the actual wine inside a bottle of Charles Shaw has a retail value of about $0.75. Bonne says that Bronco is using really cheap grapes that are almost entirely grown in the San Joaquin Valley, where land is cheaper than in Napa or Sonoma. Moreover, he adds that “Fred Franzia, who runs Bronco, is an absolute master of leveraging the bulk wine system to kind of pick up bulk wine where it’s available.”
Which means a bottle of Two Buck Chuck could come from almost anywhere. “This was sort of the genius of it. They made it feel like it was a real bottle of wine. They made it looks like this was a real bottle of wine. And what was in it was sort of incidental. And honestly, no one has much complained,” says Bonne.
While, Joe Franzia believes that’s because his wine tastes good: “You don’t sell on average 5.5 to 6 million cases a year for ten years if you are selling a product that people didn’t enjoy.”
Many people like it, indeed. But of course, not everyone is a huge fan of Two-Buck Chuck. One of the most common complaints that I’ve heard from the Trader Joe’s customers in San Francisco’s SOMA district was the inconsistency of flavor.
For those people of course there are other fairly inexpensive wines with a more consistent flavor, like Bonterra, a wine made by the large California winemaker Fetzer. Bonterra sells for about 12 dollars a bottle – still ten bucks more than Two-Buck Chuck.
Ann Thrupp is manager of sustainability and organic development at Fetzer and Bonterra vineyards. She says that the price point depends on a lot of different factors. According to company literature, Bonterra is the top selling wine made of organic grapes in the U.S. “Many people really love what that means and feel confident of what’s behind it,” Thrupp says.
Bonterra grapes come from sustainably farmed vineyards in Mendocino and Lake Counties. The company practices water and energy conservation, it composts, and even uses sheep instead of tractors to control weeds in the vineyards.
Thrupp says that such practices involve “a little bit more manual labor for doing things like pulling leaves and additional monitoring that goes on for pest management.” And in Mendocino County, that means slightly higher production costs. Other additional costs have to do with certification of organic practices, which involve additional time and labor. And then there is the labor itself.
“In order to do farming for grapes that are that cheap, you need to find labor that is as cheap as you can get,” says Bonne, adding that it’s “not a surprise that most of vineyard work in California is done by migrant workers, often undocumented.”
Fetzer Vineyards offers a program for its workers to learn English. They also reimburse tuition fees and do various in-house trainings. But for less expensive wines “the cheaper your grape farming is, the more you are going to run into the possibility of labor violations,” Bonne says.
Records show at least one public scandal around working conditions at vineyards owned by one of Bronco’s subdivisions, West Coast Grape Farming. In 2008, a pregnant 17-year-old undocumented worker named Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez, was working for one of West Coast Grape’s labor contractors. On a hot day, she collapsed on a field and later died of heat exhaustion. Bronco’s spokeswoman Lisa Adams Walters said she could not comment when asked about the labor practices of the company.
So production, quality, land, labor. The other thing determining the cost of wine in California is prestige. I joined wine consultant Fred Daniels in the aisles of the San Francisco Wine Trading Company. I asked him to explain the difference between two bottles of Pinot Noir ¬– one $12 the other $46.
“For something like Poppy, it could be a wine that is very well made, but it’s made from Monterey county so the vineyards don’t have that prestige,” Daniels explains. While the $46 bottle comes from the Russian River Valley. “The wines there are typically run in this price range. If I go to Russian River and buy grapes from that area, the wines automatically will be priced in this price range,” he adds.
None of that applies to brands like Charles Shaw. The label only says the wine comes from California, which is one reason why critics like Bonne say that it almost doesn’t make sense to discuss the quality of such lower shelf bottles that cost less than $15.
“Probably, a great chunk of what you are tasting there could be a grape concentrate: could be sugar, could be a sort of residual flavor from oak products. So, part of what you are doing when you are making wine at that level is simply to come out with something that tastes okay,” Bonne says. Which, for millions of wine drinkers, is good enough.
http://sonoma.patch.com/articles/last-chance-to-drink-like-a-reserve-local?ncid=newsltuspatc00000001

Good hotel accommodation in Clark is available for Manila residents and tourists looking for good resorts in Pampanga for vacations and holidays in Philippines. Clearwater Resort is one of the best resorts in Pampanga that is lauded by Manila residents for its safe and clean outdoor facilities that are perfect for family bonding or for stressed out Manila residents to relax and unwind during a weekend in the north. Many guests of this hotel in Clark Pampanga enjoy fishing in the lake or their fishing pond located next to the outback tents hotel accommodation. Clearwater appears frequently on the top of a list of the best hotels in Pampanga. Function room for meetings and seminars is also available in this popular resort in Clark Philippines.

Families with small children prefer outdoor resort in Manila clean and safe place in Pampanga Clark to bring kids to relax and unwind. Highly recommended resort for family reunion near Manila is Clearwater Lake Hotel Clark Pampanga.

Philippines Travel Guide just unveiled recommendations and tips for Holy Week and Easter Holidays in Philippines. The report covers highly recommended resorts and hotels in North Luzon, nice getaway destinations for families with children, safe and convenient place for tourists to relax and unwind, good restaurants, resto bars, pubs and fine dining establishments in Pampanga, frequently visited places as well as historical sites in Angeles City, Pampanga, Clark Philippines. Clearwater is one of the best hotels in Clark. This resort in Pampanga is a very popular venue for rest and relaxation especially for golfers after a round of golf at one of the best golf courses near Manila. Clark is home to some of the best golf courses in Pampanga.

Highly recommended summer vacation destination outside Manila is Clearwater Beach Resort in Clark, a safe and convenient tourist spot that offers natural ambience for visitors to enjoy the outdoors with no stress. Generally regarded as the best hotel in Clark Philippines, Clearwater Resort gives its guests a sense of safety, peacefulness and security, things that families and tourists look for when they plan a trip to Pampanga. These are some of the virtues that tourists coming to the Philippines and visitors of Pampanga Clark Philippines look for. That’s why most visitors prefer to stay at this top rated hotel in Clark whenever they make a trip out of town from Manila towards the north, Pampanga, Subic or Angeles city.

Residents or Manila travel out of town to head north to Pampanga to relax, unwind and spend a few nights in the new hotel rooms situated right on the lake of Clearwater Resort in Clark Airbase. Many visitors and tourists enjoy the feeling of waking up by the lake. The sunrise produces a spectacular sight with the sunlight reflection on the calm surface of the three-hectare fresh water lake of this famous resort in Clark. This hotel in Clark Philippines is generally considered by Manila residents to be a good and safe destination and vacation spot for family trips in Pampanga.

Where to go during Holy Week and other holidays in Philippines? Highly recommended private resort in Pampanga is popular destination for Easter Holidays and other celebrative occasions. Manila residents travel out of town on holidays to relax and unwind with families, children and friends in private resorts in Pampanga. These exclusive hotel resorts are frequently visited by tourists and residents of Manila for vacation or even a day trip out of town to the north in Subic, Pampanga Angeles City and Clark Philippines. Clark Pampanga is where tourists and families can enjoy the laidback leisure lifestyle that is so relaxing for people who feel the stress from city living. Event organizers laud this resort in Pampanga for its great outdoor venues ideal for team building and company outings near Manila.

Top rated destination for family reunion, bonding, retreat, picnic and getaway out of town from Manila is Clearwater Beach Resort; frequently visited spots are lake, picnic grounds; water sports, boating, swimming, kayak, camping. The private resort’s child friendly facilities are attractive to Manila residents and family tourists also.

Located inside the ring of the lazy river is one of the largest herb gardens in North Luzon. The Herb Garden of this private resort in Pampanga also serves as an event venue for company outings, family picnics, team building and other outdoor corporate and social functions. The river provides a high degree of privacy for this venue making it an attractive option for wedding planners to consider the Herb Garden Picnic Grounds as a possible choice for garden style wedding receptions also.

What really defines the ambience and lifestyle of this private outdoor resort in Clark is its spacious picnic grounds. The largest one is called the Brunello Garden which can easily accommodate functions and events for 3000 or more. Being several hectares in area, this amenity of Clearwater Resort is frequently visited for family picnics. Visitors from Manila travel to Clark to unwind and relax underneath old Acacia trees in the Brunello Gardens. This is one way for stressed out city residents to spend quality time in a leisure laidback pace.

Quiet place for rest and relaxation near Manila, in Subic, Angeles City Pampanga and Clark Philippines is something that residents of Manila travelling to the north for a short getaway are looking for.

For inquiries and bookings, Please click here to contact Clearwater Resort for inquiries and reservations now

Clearwater Resort and Country Club, Clark Pampanga
Creekside Road near Centennial Expo,
Clark Freeport, Pampanga Philippines 2023
(045) 889-5151 0917-520-4403 0922-870-5177
Joanne or Jeremy or Loydha

Getting to this lake and beach resort in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Philippines

After entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway MA Roxas, passing the stand-along wine shop called Clark Wine Center on the right, continue to bear right making no turns at all, go past Mimosa Leisure Estate on the opposite side of the road, one will hit a major intersection. Go straight and the road becomes Creekside Road. YATS Clearwater Resort and Country Club is on the right just 200m down.

Family Bonding by the famous lake of Clark Pampanga

http://www.ClearwaterPhilippines.com

Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay

Email: Inquiry@ClearwaterPhilippines.com

Please click here to contact Clearwater Resort to reserve a venue for your upcoming event now

Wedding couples looking for wedding reception venues and beach wedding venues can log on to this Philippines Wedding Venue web site for free information and assistance:

http://www.PhilippinesWeddingVenue.com

While in Clark, it might be a good idea to enjoy an evening of wine-and-dine in the fine dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar that features an award winning 2700-line wine list. It is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Freeport Zone. For more information, visit http://www.YatsRestaurant.com

YATS Leisure Philippines is a developer and operator of clubs, resorts and high-class restaurants and wine shops in Clark Angeles Philippines http://www.YatsLeisure.com

While in Clark, one might as well add to the itinerary a visit to the famous Clark Wine Center, the largest wine shop in Philippines which offers over 2000 selections of fine vintage wine from all wine regions, vintages spanning over 50 years covering all price ranges.
http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Looking for famous tourists spots, places to visit and see, relax and unwind in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines? You may want to check out these sites also:

http://www.LondonPubClark.com

http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com

http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com

http://www.YatsWineCellars.com

For jobs and business investment opportunities in the Philippines please visit http://www.yilp.com

Hot Line for what’s happening in Clark: 045 889-5151 or 0927-940-2669 ask for Loydha

0915-542-6250 (Jeramie)