Sommelier Tastes 8 Varieties of Trader Joe’s Charles Shaw “Two Buck Chuck” Wine

Ben Robinson of Thrillist recently asked sommelier Sam Lipp to taste eight varieties of Charles Shaw, the notoriously inexpensive Trader Joe’s wine that is also known as “Two Buck Chuck.” Robinson also recruited his girlfriend to add an amateur’s take. Overall the reds faired better than the whites—witness Lipp’s notes on the white zinfandel:

“This thing smells like a pie. It’s the strawberry patch that nature forgot about, then rained and hailed on. Pure liquefied, alcoholic Jolly Rancher. I’m sorry I can’t give you more on that. Yet — and this is serious — there’s a useful quality to this wine. I would use this in college punches, as a sweetening product, when I didn’t need more alcohol.”

photo by Conor McDonough

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips