<p>At $1.99/bottle, I am wondering what am I getting? After came back, saw some rave reviews on the net, but still not certain. What’s your experience?</p>
<p>How is it fair with others @ much higher prices.</p>
<p>I haven’t had the Charles Shaw wines for quite some time, but they have always been worthy of more than 1.99. Probably not a $20 bottle, but equivalent to a $10 bottle often.</p>
<p>There is a great variability, even among the same varieties. Sometimes the Cabernet is great; other times not so much. Ditto with the Chardonnay. One strategy people us here is try a bottle and if it’s okay, go back and get a case. You just never know…</p>
<p>We love Charles Shaw Wine. Last summer we stayed at a beautiful inn on Martha’s Vineyard. We were sitting on the porch facing the ocean sipping our wine and we offered another guest who was there, if she would like to have some of our wine. It turns out she was visiting from California and was a Wine and Food writer. She told us that the wine was made from the more well known vineyards in California but were the “seconds” grapes that the vineyards were casting off. She has had a many blind wine tasting parties at her home and more often than not, the Trader Joe wines were picked as the better wines, beating out some of the more expensive wines. needless to say, it is the only wine we really buy now.</p>
<p>It’s 3 buck Chuck here … wish it was $1 less, but it is a perfectly fine wine at either price. I like reds, and the zin/cab/merlot are all good. My friends like the pinot grigio.</p>
<p>We had a blind wine tasting for choosing a white wine for a party. I slipped a Charles Shaw in among more expensive wine and it did not fare well.</p>
<p>My favorite is the white zinadel. My husband loves the pinot grigio and the carbenet is very good, better than the merlot.</p>
<p>I drink it at home, but I would never serve it to a guest, or bring it to someone’s home.</p>
<p>sorry, simply do not like it at all. I find the color often too grape juice like. I can buy super wines for $6 and enjoy it much more.</p>
<p>milkandsugar—I wanna be a “wine and food writer!” :)</p>
<p>Trader Joe’s sells any number of wines, most of which are better than 2 buck Chuck. For $2 or $3, I’d rather buy a few cans of Diet Coke.
The weekly tasting at my local wine store the other day had (among other selections) a box wine from Le Veille Ferme. It was $18 for the equivalent of 4 bottles and would have beaten the 2BC hands down. A nice, dry French white.
I can buy a good WA State Merlot or Argentinian Malbec for $10 and serve it to guests w/o hiding the label. It works for me.</p>
<p>Three Buck Chuck (as it is here) is fine for me. I wouldn’t bring it to someone’s house, except a last minute invite to close family (who also buy it), but it makes my habit affordable. ;)</p>
<p>for A dollar or two more, I buy Green Fin white and Blue Fin red. I prefer them to Charles Shaw, and it is great that TJ has so many wines under $5 that are worth drinking.</p>
<p>Yuck to chuck…just like colleges, choose the best you can afford…Also i read a funny comment on a wine thread on CC recently,buy no wine with animals on the label…i’d add also avoid all the knockoffs of good wines,with similar names to confuse you,think cupcake,cake bread, etc</p>
<p>MizzBee–I don’t think TJ has those other cheaper wines where I shop. Qdogpa–I say, choose the cheapest you like.</p>
<p>Garland, those wines come with headache/hangover remedies if i recall…the cheaper the wine,the larger the headache. ;)</p>
<p>I drank 2BC for years but agree that the Blue Fin chard is worth the extra dollar.</p>
<p>haven’t noticed that as an issue, Q. Obviously, that would change things. don’t actually drink enought to get into hangover territory.</p>
<p>I have found it to be true,lol…the finer the wine, the lower the odds of being dehydrated and wake up with a headache…perhaps i need to drink less!!!</p>
<p>I load up on 2 buck chuck when I make a Trader Joe’s trip. I only use it for cooking however. My husband will drink a glass occasionally but runs it through the aerator first.</p>