195 Responses

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1. about a week ago

   Jesse Porter

   My experience with the Chuck was different — after avoiding it like the plague for years (because how could a $2 wine possibly be worth drinking?), I was shocked and intrigued by the results of the ‘07 California State Fair, where the 2005 Chardonnay got a double-gold. I bought a few bottles and, while I certainly didn’t think it was a 98-point wine, I knew I’d found a great value. All summer long the Charles Chardonnay was my beach wine, a role in which it excels.

   I definitely agree with other bloggers that there has to be some batch variation involved (which makes sense, given the quantities produced). From time to time, a bottle I’d had one week wouldn’t taste the same as the one from the previous week, despite sharing the same vintage. Likely the bottle you tasted wasn’t the same as the one those California judges tasted.

   My advice is to keep trying the CS year after year. You’re not wasting your money…. what money?? It’s two bucks. Who knows, you might discover the perfect beach wine. That alone is well worth the paltry investment.

   Keep up the good work—

   JP

2. about 3 weeks ago

   ChrisClark

   I have a bottle of the Merlot that was given as a housewarming gift back in 2005 (it’s an 03 or an 05, methinks… doesn’t have the Trader Joe’s label, though). I’m the only one in my house that drinks and we don’t have company often, but I’ve been wondering about opening it up anyway. Now that I know it smells like a dirty Gremlin, I’m not so sure.

   Thanks for the episode!

3. about 3 weeks ago

   Philippe

   you should have tried the cab before the Shiraz, that’s the right drinking order. maybe it would have not been so bad! thank for doing this for us all!

4. about 4 weeks ago

   vegascloud

   as an employee of TJ’s, i have to agree w/ you on the “chucks”. it might be the best-selling American label ever, but sometimes it lacks in substance. vintage to vintage is different–as to be expected–but it is a cost-effective solution. in blinds it always does well, but most people dont realize the factors that make a decent wine. its good, if for the only reason, to turn more people on the the fact that you dont have to pay lots of $$$ for a reasonable bottle of wine.

5. about a month ago

   Karen

   Hey Gary–Just thought I’d check out this episode–almost a year ago. Crazy! QOTD: Probably the Roble wine that I bought from WLTV. I think I’ve bought that one a few times and loved it every time. Cheers!

6. about a month ago

   Rachel

   so… You’re the reason Target and K-Mart are now so anal about returns? Thanks a lot.

   The best deal I think I’ve had and seen on wine would be Sebastiani’s Aquinas Merlot. I believe it ended up being about $4.00 after discounts and rebates. You might have described it as a ‘FRUIT BOMB!’ but its nose was bursting with blackberries; for the price, I’ve never had a smoother, cleaner finishing Merlot. It would put TJ’s to shame. On that note, while you always tell us to trust our own pallet, I think I’ll save my fifteen dollars and buy a bottle of good wine instead of six bottles of mediocre wine. Thanks for the heads up.

7. about a month ago

   Lawrence Leichtman

   I have had a lot of CS wines because my friends thought they were getting this great deal and they wouldn’t tell me so I was blinded. I was never blinded because I have never had one that tasted like real wine. And even if you got one, the next bottle of it would be different. These wines and using the term loosely for most of them would have no possibility of aging into anything but vinegar.

8. about 2 months ago

   Whirl

   Hey whirl man, why don’t you give it a whirl or maybe just give it a whirl. I’ve got a good idea, how bout giving it a whirl. You left out a whirl on the shiraz tasting. New drinking game, every time you say whirl we all have to drink a bottle of “Shaw”. We’ll Whirl to that!!! Hiccup

9. about 2 months ago

   Lisa

   I stumbled across you in iTunes and have watched a couple episodes and finally had time to sit down and check out the website. Glad to see you do the Chuck, as it is a staple in my kitchen. I buy a case every month or so, usually all Shiraz. I am learning, by watching you, that I know almost nothing about wine or tasting, but I’m trying to figure it out!

10. about 2 months ago

    Daniel

    Right on about the cabernet sauvignon.

11. about 2 months ago

    thefanjestic

    How about a 2 Buck Vaynerchuck? What would that wine taste like?

12. about 3 months ago

    mrobleto

    Great work on reviewing the Bronco wines. Results were like many suspected with a couple surprises. One comment, you bag on Captain Crunch as being a negative when actually the guy that invented Captain Crunch (no joke) has an awesome line of wines under the label C.G. D’Arie (out of Sutter County in Nor Cal I beleive).

    Check em out, should make for a great show and a new impression of the label Captain Crunch!

13. about 3 months ago

    Filip

    How can i buy ‘charles shaw’ in Polnd. Please send me answer on my e-mail: filisco@op.pl

    Regards from Poland

14. about 3 months ago

    April

    Can’t wait to use the “gremlin who needs a shower” line when I lead one of my next wine classes…

    Good stuff!

15. about 3 months ago

    April

    I lead some wine classes in my area…and can’t wait to bust out your line about the gremlin who needs a shower! Love it.

    Hopefully I won’t need to use it refer to any of my wines.

16. about 4 months ago

    winecountrytripping

    we have a Trader Joe’s down the street and buy a case of Cab when we’re there ($24). We drink it while we’re eating nachos and watching the game. It’s like a twinkie. if you want cake you go and make your self a cake from scratch, or go to the bakery… but when you want a twinkie, you go to the corner store and buy a twinkie. Both are, technically, cake… but not really. Both are good for what they are. Thats how we feel about two buck chuck.

17. about 4 months ago

    Ed Katalbas

    I am not impressed. I think wine tasting should be done in a blind manner, without exception.

18. about 4 months ago

    Brandon T.

    I believe that drinking Chuck is a good one, especially when it winds up scratching its scabby hemroids

19. about 4 months ago

    Mark

    My best wine bargain is probabaly Les Hauts de la Brune 2004 Coteaux du Languedoc. I couldn’t believe that this was a 9.00 dollar bottle of wine. Again with the Southwest France region. Gary I’m seeing where your going with the impressive value in these wines. Very few fail to deliver.

20. about 5 months ago

    Linda Blakely

    Brutal honesty. I love it! I’ve always wondered about how this wine tasted, now I know. I’m going to link this vlog episode on my blog. So many of my former customers wanted us to carry “Two Buck Chuck”. They’ll be able to see why we never carried it.

21. about 5 months ago

    ev

    QOD——–2001 Hogue Genesis Merlot 1.5l for $9.99 in 2006

22. about 5 months ago

    Joey

    Great episode. I’ve tried all of them, and agree that the S.Blanc is the best of the bunch, and a pretty decent wine for the $. The Shiraz was barely okay in my book. The Chardonney was not very good, but not as bad as you thought. The Cabernet and Merlot are simply train-wrecks.

23. about 5 months ago

    Mario Salas

    Best bargain? For 10 bones, the Villa Maria Merlot/Cabernet blend from New Zealand is great stuff and damn tasty….if it was double the price, I would still buy it and enjoy it.

24. about 5 months ago

    Lindsey

    Even though I live in Spain and Trader Joe´s wine is not available “in this market”, still watched and loved this episode. Especially the anecdote about buying the Shaq action figures at the dollar store in the mall. GV, I heart you.

25. about 5 months ago

    K

    I had the “2 buck chuck” while visiting family in CA. I’m not sure which one it was but for $2 it wasn’t bad, and I mean for $2, maybe $2.50. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, unless your getting a bit tippsy off a good bottle then swiching to this.

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