2 Buck Vaynerchuk – Episode #212

April 10, 2007

Wines tasted in this episode:

Trader Joe’s

Links mentioned in todays episode.

Today Gary Vaynerchuk attacks the question that has been asked of him over 100 times a month.

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225 Responses

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May 26, 2009

looper
Funny show. Ironically, it doesn’t make me want to boycott Charles Shaw. It makes me want to go Shiraz instead of any of the others. But overall, brutal scores for these wines. They might as well be in boxes with the franzia name on them.
May 12, 2009

VIC in BAMA
You can like it or hate it but I dought you could pick it out of a group of four more higher priced wines. We are talking about a wine that cost 2,3 or even four dollars someplaces that has won double gold , not once but on several different occassions and even in the state of California. I was at Trader Joes last week and if you could see the wine leave that store by the case you would think that the experts are simply jealous of the fact that TBC is selling 5 million bottles of wine through only one small merchant distributor like Trader Joes. I tried it and it’s as good as any other wines out there, I am not a wine snob and would not pay $50 dollars a bottle for grape juice but I will pay $2.79 a bottle for a great little table wine as Charles Shaw.. Thanks Mr. Franza
May 8, 2009

Bobbie Smith
Loved this. I use this stuff to cook, especially the merlot, but that is about it. There are much better wines in the under $10 price range that still make you feel like you got a deal. I guess though if you can get 5 bottles for the same price that feels like more of a deal. I like to enjoy my deals though. A friend once told me, if you wouldn’t buy it a full price, don’t buy it on sale. I feel like these are sale wines. Good to know about the Sauvignon Blanc with summer coming. Hope that they haven’t changed who they are buying grapes from.
Best deal I have ever gotten: Nothing like any of these but it included wine. Spent three months in Europe, drinking great wine, eating great food, meeting wonderful people etc. for less than $3000 including my plane ticket and Eurail Pass. I did sleep on some benches, but that was in Pamplona and everybody does that during the run of the bulls. It wasn’t too long ago and I am very frugal.
April 28, 2009

Karen
QOTD: A few years ago, I legitimately got a $120 electric toothbrush for $12 when the price came up wrong because the store policy was if that happened and you pointed it out to them, you got the item for 10% of it’s cost. Not too shabby!
April 21, 2009

DannyG
I sell artificail heart valves for a living…but your webshows absolutly make me want to chuck everything and become a wine taste tester or conesseur(which ever comes first) for the rest of my life. You are hilarious….but right on!
March 22, 2009

Donna S
I so agree with you on the 2-buck chuck. The Syrah is the only one I could drink if fored, but then even many great cabs make me want to spit them out. I’m the Chianti lover!!!!!! Don’t even like Stag’s Leap or FC…etc…
March 18, 2009

Reg Underwood
My two best wine deals:

$6.99 for a bottle of 1987 Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon. Retailed @ $69.99 at the time. It was a cashier mistake.

$15.00 a bottle for 6 bottles of 2005 Pahlmyer Jason’s Red. Retailed @ $50.00. It was a close out deal at Safeway.
March 15, 2009

Jennifer Barfield
I cannot stand Charles Shaw. I like reds, and I’ve found the 3 buck Chuck (I’m in WA state) is one of the worst I’ve had. I’m no wine expert, but the best way I can describe it is “perfumy” and the alcohol taste is sometimes overpowering. Definitely off-balance. I don’t touch it anymore.
March 15, 2009

Tracey
My best deal was a pair of New Diesel Jeans off EBay for $9.99.
My best wine deal so far is a case of 2007 Domaine St. Pierre Cotes du Rhone for $179.
March 15, 2009

Lou Paglia
there have been wild swings in quality with TB Chuck. i haven’t had it this year or the Trader’s Joe private label, but in my experience, the years have much wider swings than the changes from one year to another in any other brand.
February 21, 2009

Murso
QotD – In the 1970’s, my older sister worked for an international charter airline, and their policy was Parents fly free. Anywhere they flew, worldwide. Family siblings flew for $25! (standby). I was 15 in 1976, and my dad and I went all across the south of Spain for 2 weeks. It was absolutely breathtaking, to say the least.
February 21, 2009

Murso
Fred Franzia has done alot in and for the wine industry. As others note, the whole debacle and hysteria over 2 Buck Chuck is nothing but a clusterfuck of a headache for those in the wine retail industry. I think it is shit,I wouldn’t drink it ,and I resisted with all my reasonable resources from bringing it into my sets. I had to constantly defend my actions, which were purely in the interest of protecting the consumer. Cheap assed stupid consumers yelled at me for not helping them save money ( actually, I’d bring in numerous other “glut juice” wines with similar costs, but much higher quality). Supervisors yelled at me for not making a buck off of it (losing potential ‘profit’. Yea, right.). I personally found it a bit unethical, verging on immoral, to knowingly make money off of total garbage. I’d liken it to asking them to block of the deli counter, and stock the store with potted meat product, or “commodity meat” as Hasil Adkins says. Close the bakery too, and just sell Wonder bread. “Howz that grab ya?”, I’d ask.
January 20, 2009

Chris Lotz
my two cents: stay away from chuck shaw. my best deal: knowing people and getting the preferred customer discount. because you’re no one without friends
January 18, 2009

Danl Cooney SpiritGuy
Gary, You had me, my wife and two sons cracking up over your reaction to the Trader Joes Gamay Bouj. The best wine deal recently was a close out on a South African table red wine I paid $4.00 for. I went back the next day and bought their last two bottles. Danl
January 13, 2009

Norm Schoen
Dude, totally was cracking up during the Gamay tasting……..(Hmmm, action figure from your underpants???).
Best deal EVER was buying Magnums of 1998 Staglin Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon for $75/ bottl/e
November 21, 2008

Toni
Wine:
4.15 EUR for a Clos Moulin Pontet 2005 (haut medoc). It easily rivals any 20+ EUR bottle. (That would probbably translate to 40 USD in californian wine…)

General:
Bought a condo for 178,000.00 german marks (translates to 89,000.00 EUR) in 2000. It was worth estimated at 225,000.00 EUR in 2007.
November 20, 2008

mikek
New to WLTV…been lurking for ~3 months. LOVE your show!

QOTD: Savory & James Cream Jerez…at 9 “bones” is really good sherry!(been drinking this for years!…used to be 5.99!) Blows Harveys Bristol Cream(which is terrible stuff, btw) AWAY!

Recently, I found the 2005 Capcanes Mas Donis for 10 bucks to be a great value from Spain! Open and decant for about 2 hours and this is a great bottle of wine!

Thanks for all the effort! You really ARE changing the wine world!
November 2, 2008

Ray Barnes
While visiting relatives in Granada Hills CA two years ago I sampled the Charles Shaw cabernet sauvignon, and I think the chardonnay. The red was execrable, the white somewhere between fair and mediocre. On a return visit to the local Trader Joe’s during that stay, I bought a few other bottles that costed a few dollars more, including a port-styled Zinfandel from Paso Robles, that were much more enjoyable.

The best bargain actually drank was a 1985 St. Josef’s (Canby OR) Cabernet Sauvignon purchased for $32 (only 20% off) in late 2005. The delightful couple who own this estate were very kind to let me taste this wine, and it was BEAUTIFUL. The cork bottom was rubbed on a plain piece of white paper, and the color was strong enough, it could have been used for calligraphy. When your glass has been empty for awhile but that jammy aroma is hanging on and on, and you can still taste it a minute after swallowing, you know you have found something special. I have one bottle of this left, and it likely still has plenty of life.
November 1, 2008

Mark
In the late 1970’s you could buy BV Rutheford Cabernet for $7. Glad I drank more than my share back then, ha ha.
November 1, 2008

Phillip (PhillyMac)
My wife and I were laughing out loud, I watched the whole episode. The catch? I don’t even drink wine but it was interesting enough to make me want to try and learn how to taste them Well done.
October 8, 2008

Daniel Kemp 4 Earth Emperor
The best bargain I ever got was a mini-tripod from the dollar store for a buck.
September 14, 2008

Victoria
I do drink the Charles Shaw, mostly because it’s all I can afford. Occasionally I will splurge on another brad, but I won’t (can’t!) pay more than $15 for any wine, and usually less than that.

I used to drink the Merlot because I liked the fruityness, but my friend got me hooked on Cabernet so now I stick mostly with that.
September 4, 2008

Withnail
Still one of my all-time favorite episodes.
August 28, 2008

DANIEL
Gary, Thank You for your opinion on Charles Shaw wines. You had me totally busting up as I drank a glass of 2Buck Chuck Cab 2005……….. Occasionally I will find a good 7 year old austrilian Cab. for 99 cents at the 99 cent store but I have to look for about a year to find a couple of cases. The store has 99% crap but The 1% is the real deal. My Favorite wine is Chateau Marguax by Lachien Vineyards.
Your super Fun and respect your numbers on the tasting. Take Care Daniel from Marina Del Rey, California sitting on a Yacht.
P.S. 3 cases on board and the 2 Buck Chuck was given to me, thats why I googled You to get another
Opinion of what the F–K I was drinking! Yup the 2005 is about 76 Points at Best. It’s Box wine Quality. Good for friends that don’t know good wine.
July 31, 2008

spyder47
I’ve had a few TBCs in the past – but much prefer to pool my $2, $3 and $4 to get some wine that is more memorable. Way to take one for the team GV.

Oh btw, David Cole … nice way to rip off Cost Plus AND your dad. 8~/