I looked it up Bella. Here's the link and also I pasted the contents of the link below in case anyone didn't trust clicking the link.
http://www.traderjoes.com/new/chuckshaw.asp
Heard it through the grapevine...
What's all the buzz about Charles Shaw wines?
There's been lively discussion about Charles Shaw wines of late (perchance made more lively by some very active partakers of the wine). If you find yourself wondering what's all the fuss about, you're not alone. Charles Shaw is actually a table wine
a nice, easy drinking wine sold exclusively at Trader Joe's stores. The real draw for this wine is its rather humble price tag. The price is so low, some have deemed it "Two Buck Chuck." We'll get into the pricing later as not all of our stores are able to have that wondrous $1.99 price.
Actually, we've been buzzing for years
For those of you who don't know us well yet, our initial reason for being in the business of selling wine is we want to offer our customers good wines for a great deal. Whether it's a very well priced Chard from Australia or a robust red from Chile, we want to be the ones who offer those options at an outstanding value. So, today it's Charles Shaw wines, but we've been offering great deals in the wine biz for over 40 years. In fact, we have several options - right now - in our stores for the same as or a little more for other wines.
Why's this mythic wine so inexpensive?
Would you believe we won it all in a poker game? No? Good instincts. The real story is that we made a timely purchase of the stuff when a certain airline (rhymes with bamerican) was unable to have corkscrews on their aircraft any longer. OK, that's a ruse, too, so count that out as well. Those urban myth folks have been burning the midnight oil on this one. The true reason is admittedly a bit more pedestrian, but true nonetheless. Here's the scoop:
There is a massive glut of wine grapes in California as a result of grape overplanting in the 1990's. This has resulted in excess grape inventories yielding wine for a dramatic reduction in costs.
The influx of everyday, valued priced wines from places like Chile, Australia and New Zealand also play a role, giving customers more wine options from which to choose. Our capitalist system at work.
Trader Joe's has a great relationship with our wine supplier. Great meaning that we buy as direct as we can. We've cut out as many middlemen as is legally possible. The supplier buys in huge volume (huge being an understatement at best), is one of the biggest vineyard owners in the world, has the capability to bottle large quantities and can deliver the wine very efficiently for us. So we're able to pass along a great deal to our customers.
Which varietals do we sell?
We carry Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz.
Wondering where you can find Charles Shaw?
Charles Shaw wines are sold exclusively at Trader Joe's stores. The wine is available at over 150 Trader Joe's stores across the country, but not available in all locations due to state and local laws regulating the sale of wine. Here's a list of Trader Joe's locations where the elusive elixir, sold in 750 ml bottles, can be purchased:
Arizona (all stores)
California (all stores)
Illinois (all stores)
Indiana (all stores)
Massachusetts (Brookline, Cambridge and Framingham locations only)
Michigan (all stores) Nevada (all stores)
New Jersey (Westfield location only)
Ohio (all stores)
Oregon (all stores)
Virginia (all stores)
Washington State (all stores)
The price of Charles Shaw varies from $1.99 to $3.39, depending on location. We'd love to offer Charles Shaw to our customers for $1.99 in all stores, but the transportation costs, taxes and various state distribution laws add substantial costs. And if you're a regular at Trader Joes, you know that we change our retails only when our costs change. We always try to have honest, low everyday prices. Other companies may have just line-priced the wine for $2.99 everywhere for simplicity. We prefer the complexity, especially when it gives our customers the lowest price possible. We think even at $3.39 in Ohio, it's still an excellent deal.
How long will the love last?
>Forever and ever. Now, about that swampland down south
Seriously though, we'll continue to sell Charles Shaw wine at value prices as long as the quality remains the same, we can keep our costs low and the wine is still available. This should be the case (pun intended) for quite some time. It's a Shaw World after all.
Why cant I find this wine every time Im in a Trader Joe's?
Despite our best efforts to keep a good supply of Charles Shaw, we sometimes get a run on the bank so to say. Unbeknownst to us, a news story will run comparing this wine to another $50 bottle * and Charles Shaw will sometimes win the taste test. All of a sudden, cases start flying off our shelves faster than we can stock it. Rest assured, we probably have a replenishment shipment on the way. Be patient, grasshoppers. There's enough wine to last awhile.
Whats next?
For those of you who value a good deal on wines, we currently have a variety of other flavorful wines from around the world that we sell for outstanding prices, every day. Keep your eyes open for more low priced wines that taste great. We're on it.
We couldn't have done it without all of you
our wonderful, thirsty customers! You've done a terrific job at making these wines a success by passing the word on to fellow wine club members, friends, family, neighbors and coworkers. You are the reason for the success of this wine * we couldn't have done it without you.
What's "Two Buck Chuck?"
The affectionate nickname, "Two Buck Chuck," is inspired by its price ($1.99) in Trader Joe's stores in California. Our guess is someone thought that since the wine is so inexpensive, it deserves a less formal nickname. "Charles" is so $8.99.
Check out more of our unique products under the "What's New" section.
Trader Joe's!!!! I'll have to look for the olive oil spray next time I go!!! We like to get cheese (my favorite is the Dubliner), nuts, peanut/cashew butter, produce (much better than the grocery store), milk (cheaper than Sam's), wine, chips, lots of frozen things. My store is not very big, so it's easy to go down every aisle and look at everything. It's really just a great place to go look around. They have some very different stuff.
) Dried Chicken Tenderloins - he goes absolutely nuts for them.
