« New San Francisco, CA.,"Green" Wine Bar Opens | Main | New UV Lemonade Launched by Phillips Distilling Co. »
June 30, 2007
More About: $1.99 Chardonnay Judged California’s Best
On my way home from last evening’s tasting I swong by the local Trader Joe’s to investigate how sales of this “Gold Medal” wine were doing. The personnel I spoke to were in overwhelm as they stated sales of the 2005 Gharles Shaw, California Chardonnay were rocketing! “We received six pallots this morning, June 29, 2007, and another eight yesterday, (June 28, 2007).”
“We’ve never seen a single wine sell like this before!” “ My friends are having me pick up and set aside eight and ten bottles of the stuff for them,” said one employee of Trader Joe’s.
I talked with a few customers and asked if they’d heard about the State Fair Golds this wine had won...
Needless to say, everyone that I talked to, once informed of the wines latest achievement, rushed to the end cap display of Charles Shaw wines–stacked five, eight and ten cases high--to grabbed a couple bottles. Even the stoic guy that had been handing out fresh blue berry samples earlier was seen to be skulking away with a bottle...
I wondered, for a moment, if this California wine world be turning the Chardonnay world upside down...
Pricewise – today when the Charles Shaw 2005 California Chardonnay (yes, the $1.99 “Two-Buck Chuck” made by Bronco Wine Company and sold through Trader Joe’s) was judged the Best Chardonnay from California at the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition.
G.M. Pucilowski, Chief Judge and director of the competition, said, “Since we judge all wines totally by variety, without different brackets for price, this double-gold achievement by the Bronco winemakers is astounding.” While the complete results are to be announced July 12, Renata Franzia of Bronco’s Franzia family received the news today and the word is spreading. The Chardonnay received 98 points, a double gold, and the accolades of Best of California and Best of Class.
Dr. Richard Peterson, veteran winemaker and a State Fair judge for 20 years, said, “We have the most open judging I know. There is nothing to bias the judging: we get numbered glasses; we don’t know region, brand or price; we evaluate the judges frequently to make sure they’re tops in the field. Charles Shaw won because it is a fresh, fruity, well-balanced Chardonnay that people and judges, though maybe not wine critics, will like!”
“The customer has responded to our great values and now the judges to our quality – this is why we’re in business: to put the best wine possible on the customers’ tables at a reasonable price. I just wish some other retailers and restaurateurs had the courage and good sense to make these super-value wines available to more American wine consumers,” Bronco president Fred Franzia said.
Charles Shaw Winery, with wines that changed drinking habits in America, is a brand of the owned by the Franzia family which has made wine in California for more than one hundred years. Bronco Wine Company and the Franzia family have no relationship to Franzia brand boxed wine.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.–June 30, 2007
Additional Articles:
--------------------------
“Two, That’s TWO! California State Fair Golds for 'Two-Buck Chuck',” June 28, 2007
Posted by fortna at June 30, 2007 07:55 AM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.avenuevine.com/movabletype/mt-tb.cgi/2968