This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Business & Tech

Trader Joe's Ups Price of 'Two-Buck Chuck'

Back-to-back years of bad crops have impacted production costs of the Charles Shaw line of wines.

After an 11-year run as perhaps the most drinkable cheap wine around, "Two Buck Chuck" fell victim to inflation this month.

The iconic shiraz and cabernet sauvignon wines—sold only at Trader Joe's – are retailing for $2.49 in California stores, up 50 cents from the $1.99 price tag that made the wines so famous.

Jokes abound, renaming the Charles Shaw line as "Inflation Chuck" and "Upchuck" (referencing the price, not the quality of the wine).

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 winemaker, Bronco Wine Co., said poor grape crops affected costs. The company owns about 45,000 acres of vineyards, which had stablized grape production to some extent, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported.

Prices for the cheap wines have already increased in other states. California was the last to see prices rise.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

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 comments section below.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?