Two-Buck Chuck Now Costs $2.50 At Trader Joe’s

Winos, prepare yourself for some bad news. Two-Buck Chuck, Trader Joe’s extremely affordable wine, is getting a price raise.

According to the Press Democrat, Trader Joe’s stores in California, who have been offering Charles Shaw shirz and cabernet sauvignon at $2 for years, will be raising their prices to $2.49. The price increase shouldn’t deter shoppers looking for a bargain bottle of wine but Trader Joe’s shoppers have to be disappointed that they now have to say Two-and-a-half buck chuck.

The Charles Shaw brand of wine has been priced at $2 for years but Bronco Wine. Co., the parent company of Charles Shaw, said that it can no longer maintain the $2 price point. Harvey Posert, a spokesman for the company, said that Bronco Wine has been able to keep the wine at $2 for so long because their vineyard is so large. But bad crops in 2010 and 2011 have forced the company to raise its price.

Posert said:

“If there’s one grape too many, the price dips. If there’s one grape too few, the price zips up. In the sense of being the largest grape grower, Bronco can ride many of these ups and downs… But there were bad crops in 2010 and 2011, and that certainly impacted the industry.”

Despite the price increase, Trader Joe’s is still hoping that Two (and-a-half) Buck Chuck remains its top selling wine. The SF Gate reports that Trader Joe’s sold more than 5 million cases of the wine last year.

Alison Mochizuki, said:

“In general, our retail prices change only when our costs change. We’ve held a $1.99 retail price for 11 years. Quite a bit has happened during those years and the move to $2.49 allows us to offer the same quality that has made the wine famous the world over.”

Are you a fan of Two-buck chuck? Are you disappointed that the price is going up?