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Three-buck chuck at Wal-Mart

12:51 PM Fri, Feb 08, 2008 |  | 
Kim Pierce    E-mail  |  News tips

Maybe you already know this little tidbit: Wal-Mart is selling a California wine for $2.97a bottle. If you can believe the blogosphere on this one (and I think you probably can), the Oak Leaf Vineyards brand made in Ripon, Calif., is actually Gallo's way of dealing with a glut of grapes, not unlike Charles Shaw's two-buck-chuck of several years ago.

One of our spies found it on the shelves at the Wal-Mart Super Center on Garland Avenue in Garland. You can get California cab, a pinot grigio-chardonnay blend, chardonnay or merlot. Anybody had the chutzpah to buy one of these and taste it?



Comments

$2.97 wine scares me. Hell, $5.97 wine scares me. I wonder if the Wine Clip (a magnetic device) would make it better...


Hey, Two Buck Chuck is still alive and kicking. Unfortunately, Texas doesn't have Trader Joe's. Two Buck Chuck rocks!


Two Buck Chuck sucks

anyone who would drink that needs to get their head (and their liver)examined..

You get what you deserve for the price you are willing to spend


A friend once told me (almost ten years ago) they also had bacon wrapped filet mignon for $2 a serving--bet it would go perfect with THAT wine---gag!


I'm sipping a glass of Oak Leaf cabernet as I type. I bought it at the Clearwater, FL Wal-Mart.

It's OK. Probably not for a wedding reception, but fine for a casual meal at home.

I've had worse (many times), and I've had better. Hard to beat the price, though.


I bought three bottles of the wal-mart special wine in Pontiac Illinois. Cabernet is the one I am looking at now but I intend to include this wine in recipies for my wife and I to add new flavor to our cooking would this wine be used well for this?


Well, I guess I'm not the only one who likes Two Buck Chuck..

"More recently, Shaw's 2005 California chardonnay was judged Best Chardonnay from California at the 2007 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition. The chardonnay received 98 points, a double gold, with accolades of Best of California and Best of Class"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Shaw_wine

...off to get my head examined...lol


Frank Lloyd Wright said this 85 years ago about contests: "What can a competition be except an averaging upon averages by the average?"


The only people who have an exuse for drinking 3 dollar wine is kids who steal it just to get drunk. If it costs 3 dollars it tastes like it costs 3 dollars.


This Costco loving shopper wouldn't dare venture into a Walmart. Costco rules!


We were on vacation in Florida and after tasting a couple of bottles, we bought a mixed case of Oak Leaf wines from Walmart,... these were all $2.97/bottle and were amazingly good for the price. We've tried $15+$20 wines that weren't half as good. My husband has been retired from the wine business (after 30 years)- and knows his wines.

NO, you don't necessarily get what you pay for when it comes to wines, and unless you don't trust your own taste, you should keep trying a variety of priced wines- you may be pleasantly surprised. DON'T TRY TO BE A WINE SNOB

We toured the Napa Valley a few years ago, and paid $80 for bottles of wine that were no better than many local $20 ones.


I just enjoyed a bottle of the Pinot Grigio/Chardonnay in Florida and was pleasantly surprised. I agree - price doesn't necessarily mean you're "getting what you pay for"... I've paid much more for wine that I did'nt enjoy half as much. And isn't that the whole point - to enjoy what you're drinking? Let the wine "snobs" enjoy there expensive bottles...


I think anyone who judges a bottle of wine by it's price tag misses out. I have offered the Oak Leaf Chard. to some of my "snobbiest" of friends without telling them what it was. They all very much enjoyed it... until I told them how much I spent on it and where I bought it. Suddenly, it wasn't as good anymore.
Get over youselves...just because it is expensive doesn't mean it's good. Just because it is inexpensive doesn't mean it's bad.
It may not be the best Chard I have ever tasted, but I very much enjoy it and would recommend it to anyone that asked. As would anyone else who judges a wine by taste more than trend or price.


I found the Oak Leaf Vineyard Merlot to be junk... My sink drank that bottle. The Cabernet Sauvignon was decent. I think it blows Charles Shaw "Two Buck Chuck" out the water.
Also at the prestigious Florida State International Wine Competition this month, a new brand, Oak Leaf Vineyards from California, has won gold. With 84 wineries competing in the Chardonnay category, only four received gold medals and Oak Leaf was the biggest bargain by far, at $1.97 suggested retail price in California and $2.97 in most other states.
I am firm in the fact you can get good wine for under $12, and i fiound it.
Damion from cheapwinecritics.com


The Oak Leaf wine for $2.99 at Wal Mart is a fantastic buy and a delightful treat as a table wine or as a enhancer to marinating food.
For wine snobs the price determines the taste. For gourmets the taste determines the quality and boquet. If Gallo had an over production of grapes, I thank them for sharing the bounty.


Just found it at walmart for now $1.97 marked down from 2.96. bought one bottle of Cab, took it to the car and tried it. Nice table wine! Went back in and purchased 5 cases!!!


Okay, so I'm not nor have I ever claimed to be a professional wine critic or taster, but I do trust my taste buds. I bought one of each of the Oak Leaf Vineyards-- Merlot, Cab, Pinot Blend, and White Zin, and I have not yet tried the Merlot yet. However, I was totally impressed with the Cab. It tasted actually better than stuff that I had paid $15 and $20 for. I was so surprised by this. I thought to myself, why on earth would I pay $20 for something that I'd rather spit out, and here is a lowly bottle for $2.97 that I'm totally surprised by. The Pinot/Chard blend was decent, it didn't give me the twisted face pucker that I've gotten from $12-15 price range at other times (not all more expensive wine has tasted worse, but there's at least one that does). The white zin is also a treat, not sure what it reminds me of, but very pleasant. I think the wine snobs should try it with a blind fold on beside one of their real expensive ones and be honest about the results-- my prediction is that the lower cost better tasting one will win out no matter how embarrassed the tester is going to be.


Was also little wary about the $2.97 price, but tried the Oak Leaf's Chard/Pinot, and then the Chard. Have found both of these to be very pleasant, and feel they're great buys for the price.

Have paid lots more for much worse.


My husband bought the Cab for $2.97 and I laughed at him. Then someone at work gave me a bottle of the Chard/Pinot blend we were both pleasantly surprised, my husband went back and bought a case. I think I'll be going back for a case myself. "Two Dollar Wally" rules!


I've tried the wines from the Oak Leaf Vineyards purchase from Walmart at $1.97 a bottle- Merlot, Cabernet, Pinot/Chardonnay, and the White Zinfandel. All were very good wines with the Cabernet tasting better than many I bought at $10 -$20+ a bottle. The Pinot/Chardonnay blend was also very good. These wines for the most part taste better than the Shaw wines from Trader Joes. I agree with those commenting that with wines, price is not a reliable indicator of quality or value. Wine snobs, whatever their motivation, have had, unfortunately, too much of a negative effect on a lot of people's enjoyment of wine.


I just tried the Oak Leaf Pinot/Chard blend. For $2.97 I thought it was worth a try. Couldn't be more pleasantly surprised. Grapes rule. Trust your taste-buds on this one. I am going back for a case of it.

I pour wines down the drain, but not this one.


I am a bit of a "wine snob" when it comes to taste. I normally don't like to spend less than $30 for a bottle of cab (mainly due to the inconsistency in the lower priced wines)
As an every day wine drinker though, I'm in a continuous search for the ultimate "Porch Wine". I've had 2 buck chuck in the past and it wasn't bad, but I don't live near a Trader Joes. That said, the $2.97 price peaked my curiosity, so I decided what the heck and bought a bottle. I must say that I concur with the the majority. Not bad...really. I've definitely have had a lot worse in the $15-$20 price range. This wine is actually drinkable and would go well with a sharp cheese like Black Diamond Aged Cheddar


Oak Leaf Chardonnay is excellent, and the Cabernet Sauvignon was quite decent. I had forgotten where I bought them, but am heading there tomorrow, hope there is some left.


I am having a glass of the Pinot/Chard as I type this. It was $1.97 at my local Wal-Mart. I, as most, was a bit nervous about what the quality was going to be. I am pleasantly surprised.
The dead horse that I am about to beat is...I have had much worse for a much higher price. I will be going to buy a case tomorrow. After I taste the bottle of Red that I bought as well.


Just finished a glass of the Oak Leaf Pinot/Chard.
Crisp, not too fruity, good with cheese, refreshing and easy on the palate and wallet. Hey wine snobs, keep buying your $30 a bottle cabs and pinots...please! That way there will be more Oak Leaf for the rest of us who know a good value and judge by our palates and not our pocketbooks!


I spotted the new wine section at walmart when I went to buy lightbulbs...I bought a chardonnay and a cab each 2.97 to use in cooking...when I opened the chardonnay to cook with it- I was amazed. I intend to buy it by the case. Haven't tasted the other yet, but probably the first of these wines will be the best...did this really win a gold medal? at 2.97 in NH?


Oak Leaf Cabernet is better by far than the majority of $20-$30 bottles out there. Now if I could just find a cheap, but enjoyable, German style lager. I'd be in "two fister" heaven.


I tried the Oak Leaf Cab last night and it was suprisingly good! I have had very good wines at high priced dinners and I bet no one would complain if they got this wine.....buy a bottle and see for yourself..the only thing you have to lose is 2.97. I did notice that the alcohol content was less then other wines, but other then that..its all good...drink up!!


I disagree with most of you. True, I am not a big drinker of anything, but we do like a glass of wine before or with dinner. This was surprisingly good. I have had better, but this is very tasty and for the price in this day and age.....hey don't knock it.


I admit to being a value-conscious shopper ("cheapskate"), and while I'm not a regular Walmart shopper, I was in one a few months ago and decided to try a couple bottles of Oak Leaf: Merlot and Cabernet. The merlot was yucky; won't get that again. But the cabernet was quite a pleasant surprise. A short while later, I did a blind taste test with some friends, and they loved the cabernet--and were even more thrilled to learn it cost $3/bottle. Oak Leaf isn't my favorite wine, but it's got a permanent place on the rack. Overall, you owe it to yourself to try these cheapies.


Having consumed great wines from all over the world with vintages dating to the 40's, I have never turned my "nose" up at an "unknown." Anybody (with the financial resources) can purchase a 2000 Lafite or a '67 d'Yquem, but the joy in this avocation is finding the $8. bottle that provides the enjoyment of a $20 or $30 wine. After all, we love bargains.I regularly drink some very fine wines but when I see a wine for $2.97 I will almost never pass it up. When it comes to wine, curiosity has yet to kill this cat. The NV Oak Leaf reds and whites are quite respectable. And better than many of highly promoted brands found on kitchen tables and restaurant wine lists that sell for three times as much.If price only, keeps you from exploring and uncovering a potential discovery, stick to a good beer or let me recommend a fine single malt scotch.


We have a pretty good collection of wines that are priced from $50. up including Silver Oaks, anything Torri Mor, King Estate and Nickel and Nickel. The Oak Leaf reds are clearly young wines but okay for the price. The whites are actually pretty good. We took them to a party because my husband thought it would be really funny as we are the ones that bring the "good" wine. Last laugh on us. Everyone loved it.







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