Two Buck Chuck wine returns to its famous low price at Trader Joe’s. Here’s why
Back in 2002, Trader Joe’s started selling Charles Shaw wines at $1.99 per bottle. These products, made south of Ceres by Bronco Wine Co., soon were nicknamed Two Buck Chuck.
The launch was a boon for consumers, who could enjoy decent varietals in cork-topped bottles at a price per ounce more typical of jug or box wine.
Fast-forward to 2014: A grape shortage forced the price up to $2.49, which was still a bargain but did not lend itself to a nickname.
The wine is now back down to $1.99, though only in California. Distribution and other costs increase the retail price in other states.
Two factors led to the reduction, said Kenya Friend-Daniel, public relations director for Trader Joe’s, in an email Wednesday. One is the large grape harvests statewide in 2018 and 2019. The other is tweaks to the glass and corks that made shipping Charles Shaw more efficient.
“We are always looking for ways to save our customers money on the products they enjoy, so we are thrilled to be able to once again offer Charles Shaw at $1.99 in CA,” Friend-Daniel said. “At this time, we don¹t expect the new price to go up in the foreseeable future.”
Trader Joe’s has a store on Dale Road in Modesto and 487 others around the nation. Some are in the Sacramento, Stockton and Fresno areas.
Charles Shaw is one of dozens of brands from Bronco, a major player in the industry. The 2002 launch created the “extreme value” category and prompted similar products from a few other wineries.
Bronco CEO Fred Franzia founded the company in 1973 with his brother, Joseph Franzia, and their cousin, John Franzia. Like much of the Modesto-area wine sector, they use economies of scale in the vineyard and winery to make a lot of affordable wine.
Two Buck Chuck has stood out amid all of this, surpassing 1 billion bottles sold since the launch. The sales had just topped 300 million when Fred Franzia hosted a fifth anniversary celebration in 2007.
“I think the consumer is looking for a reasonably priced beverage, and I think Charles Shaw is filling the glass,” he said at the time.
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 6:38 AM with the headline "Two Buck Chuck wine returns to its famous low price at Trader Joe’s. Here’s why."
