Charles smith cabernet 2 buck chuck
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The goal of most post-Prohibition wineries was cheapness and quantity with quality being a distant third. Post-Prohibition BluesĪs Thomas Pinney notes in A History of Wine in America, Volume 2: From Prohibition to the Present, the American wine industry was in a bit of a funky, cloudy haze in the years after the repeal of Prohibition–just like many of the wines of that period.
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Inspired by the great wines of Europe, the original “Martian” was convinced that California had the potential to reach similar heights. Martin Ray, on the other hand, thought that American wine should aim high and not settle for just being a commodity like milk and grains. However, Wagner’s idea of everyday affordability wasn’t just limited to bottom of the barrel prices. As Veseth notes, the existence of “Two Buck Chuck” is a very Wagnerian model.
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Philip Wagner, who founded the Maryland winery Boordy Vineyards, bequeathed the Wagnerian ideals of wine being an everyday commodity–much like any other food and beverage–that should be affordable and accessible. In the link above, wine economist Mike Veseth highlights the dichotomy in thought of two post-Prohibition wine pioneers over what the “idea” of wine should be–a topic he greatly expands upon in his 2011 work Wine Wars: The Curse of the Blue Nun, the Miracle of Two Buck Chuck, and the Revenge of the Terroirists. Which is remarkable considering the modern legacy of all “the Martians” that came after Ray. Truthfully, the list could go on ad infinitum because the history and story of California wine is truly a patch work quilt of individual dreams and efforts.īut I’m willing to bet that if you asked most wine lovers to list some of the influential figures in California wine history–only the truly old timers and the geekiest of wine students would mention Martin Ray. Martini and, in more modern history, people like Andre Tchelischeff, Robert Mondavi, Warren Winiarski, Robert Haas, Donn Chappellet, Fred and Eleanor McCrea and Dick Grace. Crabb, Charles Krug, Josephine Tychson, Louis M. I think it’s the best of the $3-buck Chuck varietals, even better than their excellent Sauvignon Blanc.As California Wine Month comes to a close, I want to spend some time reflecting on the men and women who have made California what it is today.įolks like Agoston Haraszthy, H.W. Speaking of which, the Cimicky Shiraz and Grenache-Shiraz are very good choices for when you are willing to spend $15.Īlthough the flavor is a little thin, it is an outstanding $3 bottle of wine. While it is not as well-rounded or as nuanced a wine as the Cimicky Trump’s Shiraz 2001 that we had Friday night, it had the unmistakeable characteristics of the varietal. If you let it aerate in your glass for about 5 minutes, the tannic bite that you’ll get from any young wine dissipates, and the fruit comes out. Charles Shaw has recently released a 2001 Shiraz, and it’s got all of the features you want in a value-for-money New World shiraz: fruit (particularly black cherry and black raspberry), roundness in the mouth, full taste throughout. Let’s start with the trendy phenom that, at least here in the middle of the country, is “Three-buck Chuck”. I’m taking a page from Professor Bainbridge’s book and will start including wine reviews on this site.