<p>I admit that I’ve been drinking 2-buck-chuck regularly over the last couple of years and have noticed no difference in the quality at all. (I also drink wines that cost a lot more, although $16 is usually my limit for regular drinking.) I doubt that they rely on random leftovers. It is far too big an operation. I believe that it is made by the Franzia people. I can assure you that it is not “bound to be a completely different bottle” in a few months. Urban legend is rife on this one, and some people are furious that a wine that cheap is actually drinkable.</p>
<p>I would imagine a lot of people in the wine business would benefit from spreading a rumor like that. If a drinkable wine can be sold at $2-3 per bottle, that calls into question what other wineries are charging for their wares. </p>
<p>There are a lot of liquor stores around here that market themselves as discount. How do I tell where I’m really saving money?</p>
<p>One thing you can do is look at Amazon, which links to the ultimatewineshop and some other discounters. Pick out half a dozen white wines and write down their prices. Go to the discount liquor store near you and see if you can find any of the same wines. Compare prices. (The discounters often charge for shipping, so keep that in mind.)</p>
<p>You can also google a few common wines and get a range of prices before you go.</p>
<p>Or you might just ask a friend or acquaintance who enjoys wine to recommend a good place .</p>
<p>Wait—can we go back to Bethievt having never ordered a keg? (Am just reading the posts I missed earlier.) I don’t think it would be a good idea for me to tally up the number of times or places I have ordered kegs.</p>
<p>When I ran my university’s fifth reunion, we all knew how to tap the kegs but no one knew how to make coffee in that giant percolator pot. </p>
<p>Julie–I am clearly becoming too invested in this (since I am meant to be researching colleges for my HS Jr), but while in Costco today, I couldn’t resist looking at the ribbons. (I know–no Costco nearby, but maybe a relative lives near one?) Anyway–they are targeting the bridal market. Beautiful 2.5 inch wired white lattice pattern ribbon, others in gorgeous 1.5 inch solids: celadon, aqua, deep pink, apple green, etc. And, one with Congratulations and a champagne flute printed in silver on white ribbon but I didn’t like that one as much.</p>
<p>Agree with jonri’s suggestion. Just find the local shop that has the best retail prices and then ask what sort of a case discount they will offer. I think 10% is standard, but I am not a big drinker and am usually ordering wine by the case for an event.</p>
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<p>I always thought that this rumor helped Trader Joe’s/ Two-Buck Chuck. You might just get lucky and get the bottle that was made with Screaming Eagle’s leftovers.</p>
<p>Getting off topic here, but there was a rumor going around one year that the owner of one of the most famous estates in Burgundy was so saddened by the death of her beloved husband that she decided to bottle all of her grapes – including those from some of the most famous Grand Cru vineyards in Burgundy – as “Bourgogne Rouge” (red table wine). The Grand Cru wines sell for close to $1000 a bottle; her regular Bourgogne Rouge is in the $30 range. People apparently went crazy buying up all of Bourgogne Rouge, and the prices on the secondary market skyrocketed. But the odds of any purchaser getting a Grand Cru bottle were infinitesimally small because those are tiny vineyards with small yields compared to her overall production of Red Burgundy grapes.</p>
<p>I always thought that Trader Joe’s was trying to instill the same sort of hopefulness – keep buying and you might get lucky with a really good bottle! (It’s like the Pokemon card marketing strategy that was outlawed in the '90s. The company was prohibited (I think) from having super rare (and thus valuable) cards in the packs because it supposedly encouraged gambling in little kids.)</p>
<p>nottelling - I never would’ve thought to look at it that way. I don’t really know any wine aficionados in real life so I’m pretty unfamiliar with wine marketing and the like. My knowledge is overall that wine is typically something expensive (given my income) and something that I also don’t like. </p>
<p>And on the topic of Pokemon cards - outlawed? I’ve never heard of this. I’m curious, too, because certain other games have somewhat of a same layout. Packs of Magic cards sell for $4 each (less if you buy a box) but you have so much of a chance of getting cards that are worth $20-40 (1/8 packs has a mythic, etc.).</p>
<p>"mother is a huge fan of a dry white riesling that’s about $10 for a bottle. "</p>
<p>While it won’t help if you don’t have a Costco nearby, for others looking, our Costco has had St Michelle dry Riesling for $6.50 per bottle lately. I have been shamelessly stocking up.</p>
<p>^So jealous of people who live in states where Costco and Trader Joe’s are allowed to sell wine!</p>
<p>Huh? I thought you lived in New York? I buy my wine at Trader Joe’s on 14th St. in Manhattan. It is a separate store but it’s right next door to the food Trader Joe’s.</p>
<p>I believe that TJ’s can’t sell wine in CT…which is “near” NYC. :)</p>
<p>Seriously, Julie, I don’t think that you should worry about getting wine that is “good.” I think that you should be looking at “good enough.” And I’m willing to bet that 2-buck-chuck will do just fine. And be infinitely kinder to your pocketbook.</p>
<p>BTW, having some pitchers of lemonade/ice tea available would be a great idea with BBQ. :)</p>
<p>If you serve pitchers of lemonade, you might want to make lemonade ice cubes ahead of time to keep it cold. That way when they melt, they don’t dilute the drink. That’s the extent of my expertise on the subject of throwing a wedding. Although I will add that I went to a fairly simple wedding recently and thought it was intimate and beautiful. I felt so honored to be asked and because it wasn’t a huge extravaganza, it felt like the beginning of a marriage, not like a Broadway show. I loved it.</p>
<p>Sadly Jonri, I don’t live or work in the city. The TJ’s in Manhattan got some sort of special dispensation, I guess by having it separate (our Fairway does that), but none of the TJ’s out here in the burbs have liquor stores attached.</p>
<p>If you want a really delicious lemonade make it Jordanian style and throw a whole lot of mint leaves in it.</p>
<p>She said she likes Arnold Palmer Ice tea/lemonade. :)</p>
<p>Is there someplace other than Trader Joe’s to go two buck chuck? Can it be ordered somewhere?</p>
<p>I definitely like the idea of having pitchers, myself. It also might take up some of the empty table real estate too which would be a plus. </p>
<p>And yes, Consolation, you’re correct. But throwing some mint into plain lemonade does sound nice. I don’t know if it could improve on Arnold Palmer, though. It’s kind of a perfect beverage. :D</p>
<p>No other real breakthroughs to report. Still planning on going with the original caterer unless the quote from the other place ends up being crazy different. I definitely don’t want to attempt to get out of a contract, find out I can’t, and then still go with the same caterer. I feel like that would have to impact my service in some way. Maybe that’s just me being paranoid.</p>
<p>Ordered save-the-dates today! I designed them using opensource image editing software (GIMP, in case anyone’s interested - it’s free). Using a printing site, I got the lot for around $30 including shipping. </p>
<p>As a sidenote, it brings me endless amusement online to see brides talking about their BMs and their STDs. Even though I’ve long since learned these acronyms it still makes me giggle. :)</p>
<p>Julie–maybe it is just b/c I am tired, but are there polite, wedding-related meanings for those acronyms?</p>
<p>Sorry I cannot be of help with $2 Chuck. It is not sold at my Trader Joe’s in CT. Our Costco does not sell alcohol either, but I believe a BJ’s elsewhere in the state does, so I don’t know if local zoning has anything to do with sales restrictions.</p>
<p>Bridesmaids and save the dates, of course! 
Results in a number of unfortunate thread titles.</p>
<p>Great job, Julie, on the Save the Dates!!!</p>
<p>ROFL at the acronyms. I don’t think I could ever bring myself to use those!!</p>
<p>Two buck chuck is only sold by Trader Joe’s.</p>
<p>Two-buck chuck may only be sold at Trader Joe’s, but my local Whole Foods had a quite nice $4 bottle of white at Christmas. I think there’s more inexpensive wine out there than people realize. Pour it in a carafe (or buy a box wine) and it’s not bad.</p>
<p>I don’t know where you live, Julie, but it may be worth a road trip to the nearest TJs, or a visit when you are in the vicinity of one in the nest few months.</p>
<p>But if you are going to use ribbon, do buy it from one of those web sites. You won’t find it for anything near that anywhere else.</p>