Business & Tech
Trader Joe's Hikes Price of 'Two-Buck Chuck'
Back-to-back years of bad crops impacted production costs for popular wine.
It is just different tripping off the tongue — "two bucks-fifty Chuck."
After an 11-year run as perhaps the most drinkable cheap wine around, "Two Buck Chuck" fell victim to inflation this month.
The iconic Trader Joe's shiraz and cabernet sauvignon wines are retailing for $2.49 in California stores, up 50 cents from the $1.99 price tag that made the wines famous.
Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
Vintage jokes are flowing. Like renaming the Charles Shaw line as "Inflation Chuck" and "Upchuck." We're hoping the latter references the price, not the quality of the wine.
The winemaker, Bronco Wine Co., said poor grape crops affected costs. The company owns about 45,000 acres of vineyards, which had stabilized grape production to some extent, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported.
Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.
The cheap wine had already increased in price in other states. California was the last to see prices rise.
Trader Joe's sold about 5 million cases of Charles Shaw last year.
Two-Buck Chuck fans, do you plan to stick with the brand and shell out a little more for your vino? Tell us in the comment section below.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
