I guess it is time that I finally throw my opinion into the
fray….This week, there has been a big “to-do” about the price of Charles Shaw
wine (known in California as “Two-Buck-Chuck”) going above the $2.00 mark at
retail. So many people have complained that this is the end of affordable wine.
Really? Is it that great of a value?
At the risk of sounding like a wine snob…it’s not that good
of a wine. I use it for making pizza sauce, not for drinking. Again, before you
go calling me a wine snob, I have thrown bottles of Charles Shaw into a number
of blind tastings, and in every case, it was picked as the worst, or cheapest
in the bunch. Again, that was a blind
tasting.
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| Fred Franzia |
For those of you who are not familiar with Two-buck-Chuck,
it is sold exclusively through Trader Joe’s stores. The wine comes in about six
or seven different varieties. The wine is made by the Bronco Wine Company, whose
president is Fred Franzia. You remember Franzia wine don’t you? The stuff that
comes in boxes (in fairness, the box wine is no longer associated with the
Franzia family, as they sold the business long before Bronco Wine Company was
formed). So, who is Charles Shaw?
There actually is a Charles Shaw, however he is not involved
in the current wine that bears his name. Charles Shaw was an investment banker,
who started a winery in Napa in the
1970’s. In 1991, he sold the brand to Fred Franzia. Charles Shaw now operates a
winery in Michigan, known as OertherVineyard.
Back to Fred Franzia, and the Bronco Wine Company. Fred
Franzia is the nephew of Ernest Gallo
(think Ernest & Julio Gallo). Fred started the Bronco Wine Company with his
brother Joseph, and cousin, John in 1973. Bronco owns vineyards throughout the
central valley of California. Land
under vine exceeds 40,000 acres. According to their website, they have over 60
domestic wine brands, and over 70 international wine labels. Some of the more
familiar would be: Crane Lake,
Salmon Creek, Rabbit Ridge, Rancho Sisquoc, Rusack Vineyards, and Red Truck.
Bronco Wine Company is the fourth largest wine seller in the United
States, behind E. & J. Gallo, Constellation Brands, and the Wine Group Inc.
The question arises, “how can they make wine so
inexpensively?” Fred Franzia has been quoted as saying that the other guys just
overcharge (to paraphrase). Since Bronco Wine Company doesn’t share much
information about their winemaking, one can only assume how they cut corners to
keep costs down.
First, their vineyards are located in the central valley of California,
an area known for bulk wine production and table grapes. This is a hot area,
and the soils are very fertile. Most fine wine is grown in areas “on the edge”,
that is poor soils, and stressful climatic conditions, which stress the vines,
and are thought to produce finer fruit. The "terrior" makes a difference. Secondly, most of the high end wineries
are hand picking their grapes, making sure the fruit is ripe, and handled gently.
Bronco vineyards are mechanically picked, which is a violent process, where the
grapes a shaken off the vine, along with everything else buried in the vine.
There is a term for this,,,MOG (Material Other
than Grapes)
The central valley is typically pretty hot, which means the
grapes should produce higher amounts of sugar, which ultimately means more
alcohol, and less acid. My guess is that most of the wines are acidified. I
would also guess that most of the wine does not see oak barrels, but instead
get dosages of oak wood chips, in a process similar to dipping a tea bag into
water.
Even the bottles on Charles Shaw wine are of lower quality.
I know this doesn’t affect the taste of the wine, but it does keep costs down. The
corks are shorter than normal corks, and appear to be made of composite cork
(pressed cork particles).
So, can you produce a quality wine, and sell it for under
$3.00? Well obviously, you can produce a wine, whether it is quality is to be
determined by the wine drinker. If you like Charles Shaw, great! My hope is
that if this opens a door to wine for you, that you will explore further, and
see what a $20 or $40 bottle of wine tastes like. To me, there is a difference.
