When you think of the professionals running the world's wine businesses, filthy mouths and public urination are probably not the first character traits to come to mind. But Fred Franzia is no ordinary vintner. CEO of Bronco Wine, now the fourth-largest wine maker in the country, Franzia hasn't let success affect his head ... or his manners. Joel Stein of Business 2.0 magazine recently had the "pleasure" of profiling Franzia in a lengthy piece that describes the brusque Franzia relieving himself against the side of his Jeep, cursing out the competition, and claiming "We can grow [grapes] on asphalt."
Bronco Wine was put on the map with the Charles Shaw brand of wine, affectionately known as "Two Buck Chuck" and available exclusively at privately-held Trader Joe's. The Chardonnay varietal of this bargain-basement-priced beverage recently nabbed a top prize at the 2007 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition. The label, which was first available at Trader Joe's in 2002, is now one of the fastest-growing brands in America, selling 5 million cases per year.
Stein quotes Gary Vaynerchuk of Winelibrarytv.com, who notes that while Charles Shaw has hurt some "pricier" brands of wine (say, $8 or $10 a bottle), it has also piqued the collective interest in wine in general. "[Two-Buck Chuck] has helped the industry overall by bringing in new people," Vaynerchuk says. "There are so many fools in the wine industry who are overpriced."
Which brings us to Franzia's next goal -- of seeing a profound shift in the wine industry toward lower prices. He hopes to get restaurants to lower their markups and aims to oversee the creation of affordable bottles of wine created from the same grapes as pricier brands.
While the temptation to serve, say, boxed wine out of a decanter is high, Charles Shaw is kitschy and hip enough that you'll increasingly see it served proudly at cocktail parties. And paraphrasing the wise words of one of my college friends (who was social chair of his fraternity), the more bottles you can buy, the more parties you can have.
Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
9-15-2007 @ 8:33PM
Burton J. Simpson said...
I have been drinking Franzia White Grenache (in moderation) for several years now. It compares well with more expensive wines.
9-15-2007 @ 8:38PM
Frank said...
You get what you pay for. Both Franzia and Charles Shaw wines lack any depth of flavor or body. The are light and fruity, so if that is what you are looking for, go for it. If you want a wine with character and flavor take a pass on Charles Shaw and Franzia.
9-15-2007 @ 9:18PM
Mimi said...
Franzia wines gives you the worst headache imaginable. When you go to what appears to be a classy wedding or party and see those boxes it's a garanteed headache the next day. Seeing it on a bar shelf spells cheap management and mold!
9-15-2007 @ 9:19PM
Karen said...
I am not a wine snob by any means, Usually can only spend $6.99 to $9.99 a bottle, tried two buck chuck and , sorry it was awful!! Sorry, even I , who can't afford to be too picky wouldn't get it again.
9-15-2007 @ 9:56PM
E. M. Barnes said...
-Two buck Chuck is over priced.
9-15-2007 @ 10:08PM
Becca said...
Barefoot Give 'em all a try!
9-15-2007 @ 10:08PM
August said...
Franzia wine is a different wine company. Bronco Wine is the corporation and sells wine under many different winery names, Franzia is not one of them.
9-15-2007 @ 10:14PM
sbogdan said...
I have shared some very expensive bottles of wine which I will never forget, but for "table wine" at night with my typical dinner. "two-buck chuck" is just fine. I'm glad I don't have to spend more for a glass of wine with a rushed dinner.
9-15-2007 @ 10:17PM
judith said...
I don't know about growing grapes on ashphalt, but this wine tastes like the grapes came from Franzias ASS. Cheap wine that tasted like...cheap wine.
9-15-2007 @ 10:36PM
Denise said...
I live in Texas and have a friend in California that brought me a few bottles of Charles Shaw wines. The Merlot was somewhat lacking, but not really a big disappointment for the price. The Chardonnay was actually very good. I give it two thumbs up for the price. Wish I could buy it here.
9-15-2007 @ 10:38PM
Ed Case said...
I think 2$ Chuck is great for everyday use and guests that are not wine snobs.
9-15-2007 @ 10:40PM
J. Lorenz said...
Give em hell Fred. Years ago I cooked for some wine tasting dinners in California. I asked the Napa wine reps why the high dollar wines tasted no different then the cheap ones. They would first look over their shoulder and then answer in a very low voice, " It's all perceived value. There is just too many people that think costly is better and we are here to gladly accept their cash."
9-15-2007 @ 10:45PM
WinoinNC said...
I've tried them. The Cabernet is the only one worthy of consumption and it's not that good. Barefoot, on the other hand, is only a notch above total cheapness. A favorite Cabernet is Glass Mountain(CA) and not expensive. Try it sometime.
9-15-2007 @ 10:52PM
marc said...
I sell wine for a living. No one likes Shaws garbage when tasted blind against wines made to a standard of quality rather than a novelty of low price, nobody. They are dirty and diluted and are priced right at two bucks. If you feel cool by buying garbage and drinking it, suit yourself.
9-15-2007 @ 10:57PM
joe catanzarite said...
You can see by the many comments just how many wine connosewers are here. I can name a hundred brands or more on first taste and challenge the best of you to tell me what you're drinking after the third glass full. The headache crap is not genuine. The only wine that won't give you a bad head is the excess you don't drink. My home vint has numerous medals ---I made them myself. E-mail me and I'll get you some --drink a few glasses and become a genius (Albert Winestien)
9-15-2007 @ 11:12PM
robert said...
in vino et veritas!!!!
9-15-2007 @ 11:19PM
Dave said...
We at Red Zeppelin Wines were horrified and disgusted that such an event could occur that would represent to the world that "2 buck chuck" was the USA's finest effort in Chardonnay ...et al winemaking. This discredits all American winemaking efforts in general and lowers our credibility everywhere.
Again, Americans have shot themselves in the foot for their own amusement.
That event did occur, is over, and will have to be lived down.
We subsequently decided not to take any winemaking competitions seriously and forget about efforts to win further medals and awards which become meaningless targets for comparison to the infamous "2 buck chuck".
Efforts to enlist support for serious competition, however, are commendable. The question as to whether it falls on deaf ears now still remains.
We will now carefully examine and scrutinize the details, obejectives, and parameters of any future competitions and will decide whether we want to get involved.
Being a "boutique" category wine producer, we have no doubts about the quality of our products and the trust we place in the opinions of the credentialed wine professionals who taste our wines.
This is written to encourage efforts and intentions to promote serious, legitimate competitions in the future that cannot be controlled by money. At least the Gallos never attempted that - with their amasseed wealth and knowing full well that they could make the finest wines in the world at any time they chose. Something has to be done to correct the atrocity perpetrated on the wine producing industry reputation of the USA. IN the eyes of he rest of the world, once again we've proven ourselved to be "foolish children" when it comes to wine. All the hard ground won by Robert Mondavi in the '60's has been lost. We've come full circle.
9-15-2007 @ 11:23PM
billyb34usa said...
I moved to Toledo two years ago. I lived in California before for 40 years. The last few years there I discovered Charles Shaw wines and was very pleased to drink them and serve them to my guests. I particularly liked the Chardonnay and the Merlot. But then, I am no wine expert. I just drink what I think tastes good to me.
9-15-2007 @ 11:38PM
Dan said...
Two buck Chuck has many uses but, drinking is not one of them.
9-16-2007 @ 12:07AM
elmatonero said...
I'll pass on two buck chuck because of the
additives and preservatives. I can only
drink the closest things to organic or all
natural. The closest is Sutter Home wines.
The don't add the flavoring or preservatives
that other wine makers add. "Toast", to
Sutter Home. And they taste just as good,
if not better than the rest of them!