Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

So after all the hoopla in the press I finally had to put my wine snob hat aside and try out Fred Franzia's two buck creation marketed as Charles Shaw (Two Buck Chuck). Since we have no Trader Joe's in New York I asked my uncle to bring a bottle from Massachussetts, which happens to cost around $3, probably due to shipping and state regulations.

So we tried it on the blind, along with a cabernet dominated Grand Cru Bordeaux (D'Armailhac) and a Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon that goes for $10 (Cousiño Macul). Unfortunately, blind tasting was not enough to hide reality.

Here is an experiment. Take a bottle of cheap red wine vinegar and take a whiff. If you concentrate on its green grape juice, stems and leaves aroma while ommitting some of the acidic volatiles you'll get an idea as to what Two Buck Chuck smells like.

The taste? Sweet supermarket Concord grape juice interlaced with dried leaves and stems. The acidity was somewhat pronounced and there was an almost induced sweet aftertaste. Perhaps from the "residual" (how residual can added sugar be called) sugar in the wine. This wine cannot possibly be dry.

I do give a lot of credit to the marketing. That must be were most of the cost goes into. The bottle was nice; Bordeaux styled, heavy dark glass. Makes a nice addition to my bottle collection for home winemaking. The label? Simple, yet elegant, design; a typical design from a cult winery offering. And an almost real cork! So if you get a lot of pleasure from the packaging, good for you!

Overall, neither my uncle or I could palate it. It was funny. At least we had two whole bottles of the real stuff to go along with our dinner that evening! I wouldn't recommend this wine for a micro-second. Not even for a big party gathering. Stick to Yellow Tail.

If you want a cheap good bottle of wine for everyday drinking try some of the selections from Spain (such as Protocolo). For $5-6 bucks, you get a more seriusly structured wine. Can't afford it every day? Then drink it every other day...

Now, where did I put that wine snob hat... Oh.. here it is! It was on my head all along.