A little news item I stumbled across, Charles Shaw Chardonnay recently won top honors in the California State Fair wine competition. It beat out 350 other California Chardonnays in a blind tasting to win the double gold.
This wine is commonly referred to as “Two Buck Chuck” and is sold exclusively at Trader Joes. In California I’ve heard it sells for $2 (hence the name), but it’s about $3 in Cincinnati (where I live).
I haven’t yet officially tasted it for my Chardonnay Challenge, but I guess I’ll have to throw it into the mix given this news. I have tried it in the past and recall being surprised as the price/quality ratio. In general I’m not a fan of Charles Shaw wines. The reds I’ve tasted have been heinous.
Interstingly enough, ABC News did a follow up mini-tasting after this award was announced and the Charles Shaw chardonnay came in last place.