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.

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

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

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.

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. 🙂

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

Good stuff!

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

Regards from Poland

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!

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

Right on about the cabernet sauvignon.

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!

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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!

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

The best deal that I ever got was a Exp Syrah 2003 and 2004 for $13 in PA. Incredible wine. Unfortunately the RH Phillips no longer makes such wine. the 2005 was horrible and it is now no longer. Such a shame.

BTW: most hilarious episode I’ve seen thus far. Keep up the great work.

I’m sure I watched this episode last year, but didn’t comment. This was a full LOL moment reviewing this, the Gamay “Nouveau” was a classic moment.

Freaky to see that hairstyle as well, after so long! It may have been interesting to see these blind tasted, to check if you would have come close on the varietals (from what you said I doubt it!), but for these wines blind tasting would have been pointless.

QOTD – Not sure actually, maybe getting this job where they pay me to travel the world.

I buy this wine at the Trader Joe’s in Cary, NC and the labels aren’t the same. They don’t say “Trader Joe’s” just “Charles Shaw”…I wonder why that is…

I’m going back and checking out old shows and I REALLY LIKED THIS ONE! Funny how folks try to pass stuff off as wine!

QOTD: i was at Cost Plus once and purchased Domain Chandon White Star Champaign for $3.21 per bottle. The clerk agreed to help me and showed me the price, I knew what it was so i purchased three cases and left ASAP! Sold one case to my old man $120! My net-net was Profit $4.44, LOL!

The Sanchez Spanish wine at TJ’s for Six bones is an absolute steal!

Smell it first.

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~/