The Spyglass Spots: Two Buck Chuck fuels urban legends...

Two Buck Chuck fuels urban legends...

Since its debut in 2003, the insanely inexpensive Charles Shaw wine, better known as Two Buck Chuck, has fueled urban legends.

The fables persist because no one can image how a bottle of wine could cost $2 or $3.

Charles Shaw's bitter divorce, one story holds, ordered him to split winery profits with his ex. He responded by selling the wine at a loss, denying his wife a penny. Another tale holds that bankrupt airlines sold warehouses of wine at a discount to pay the bills.

The truth is less dramatic.

The man behind Two Buck Chuck is Fred Franzia. A nephew of Ernest Gallo and lifelong friend of the Mondavi family, he is perhaps among the most coarse and colorful people in the wine industry. He sells Charles Shaw so cheaply because he has taken advantage of the grape and wine glut. He started out purchasing grapes, juice and wine from desperate and anonymous growers and wineries. He still does that, but also owns about 80 square miles of vineyards.

I give part of the credit for the increasing quality of under-$10 wines, and the growing levels of wine consumption to Charles Shaw and Fred Franzia.


We love Fred!