Is 2 BUCK CHUCK Good Enough to beat a $70 Napa CAB in a BLIND TASTING???

[@drmatthewhorkey]

I've launched Channel Memberships! Click the 'Join’ Button to see the perks. I'm most excited about a monthly Live Stream Hangout/Tasting for those who join the Grand Reserve tier! Thank you so much: www.youtube.com/@drmatthewhorkey/join

[@dariusmark7302]

Completed WSET L2 today and learned a bunch, your videos have helped my prepare. I also made my first trip to Trader Joe's for wine today, although I didn't grab anything from the US.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Ahhhh congrats!

[@gustavomgomes]

Frogs leap ❤ ! My wife favorite Napa cab !

[@drmatthewhorkey]

A solid wine for sure!

[@JonBLodi]

Many of these lower-priced wines are well made, though not exciting, but good for weeknights as long as they keep the added concentrate level down. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

🙏🙏🙏

[@KPA78]

I had the $2 buck chuck years ago when you could get five bottles for $10. The chardonnay was always the best in that lot. I enjoy Napa Valley cabs but as prices continue to skyrocket on many NVCs, finding a good 'value' for the buck can be challenging.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Yes QPR is tough in that low price bracket. In the 20-50$ range it can be stellar though but that’s a whole different world

[@Ruirspirul]

you know why those two cheap white wines were decent? because nothing easier than recipe white winemaking. bring in grapes, freeze them, sulphate them, use aromatic cultured yeast, ferment on specific temperature, filter it, bottle it…

[@GorskiNunavut]

U R right.That' s the reason, we have so many decent "whites". Some wineries ship wines to the market, 30 days after harvest.Unless aromatic types of grapes are used, they are all the same, with different intensity. Croatian Grasevina and bigest "processor" of it is notorious for that. I avoid them, when in Europe, even if I have to drive to certain wineries to buy somewhat rral wine.

[@Ruirspirul]

@@GorskiNunavut sure… as to why reds were horrible, they are bit complicated since it involves using skins, more parameters to play, more ways to mess it up.

[@GorskiNunavut]

@@Ruirspirul You are rigth.Reds have more parametar.When they create "decent" reds, they cost a bit more.Moldova and Northern Mazedonia are notorious for those.There are some honest wineries that declare on their web sites, what they put in to het that tasty wine.

[@Ruirspirul]

@@GorskiNunavut Moldova has to partially thank Saperavi, literally the most versatile and “gives quality everywhere” grape out there…

[@stroopwafel6141]

This! Producing red wine is more demanding.

[@derekcontreras7494]

Great video I always have a bottle of Frog’s Leap available it’s my go to Napa cab.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Good choice!

[@praematura]

This came up in my recommended videos and my first time watching this channel, and it was a really fun and interesting video! Normally I don't comment, but in this case, with regards to Californian merlots, I just had to say something! 😄 I will admit I started wine drinking with very 'simple' wines (*cough* white zinfandel *cough), but around 2004 I was introduced to... a Kendall Jackson merlot, and my whole perception of wines changed. Today I prefer the bold reds, but merlot still remains my favorite, and through information from folks at several wineries I'm a member of (and who's opinion I trust), I found several places that I think make a stunning merlot (and I still think Kendall Jackson's is a really good one!): - Pride Mountain: one of the first I visited specifically for their merlot, and now I am a member and half my yearly allotment is their merlots. 😅 I've on several tastings with others there where I've repeatedly heard "I don't usually like merlots... but I love yours". One of the best I've ever had. - Frog's Leap: this was also recommended to me pretty early, and yes, I know their cabs are great, but their merlots are also great! I've only ordered online from them, but I do want to visit their winery soon. - deLormier: part of the Wilson family group of wineries in Sonoma, their merlot also very much impressed me and recently I joined the Wilson family with them as my 'home' winery. So there can be good merlots to be found here in California, you just need to know where to look! And now I'll subscribe and check some of the earlier content. 🙂

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Thanks for the suggestions for all and welcome to the channel. I hope you enjoy!

[@drmatthewhorkey]

No shame about white zin… one of my first wines was Boone’s Farm 😂🤣

[@welshtoro3256]

We know that white wine is okay at cheap prices. Red wine is crap at at the same ratio. I'm glad you didn't drop a bollock (old English saying) when you judged those whites. The bottom line is that the Charles Shaw wines are what most people drink. Those of us that love wine in a profound way are in a tiny minority. Nearly all of my friends and colleagues think that £10 is what a bottle of wine should be. The cheaper the better. It's just wine.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

You are right, that is what most people around the world are drinking quality-wise

[@Matt_Bykowski]

Great video, thanks for doing it. It'd be fun to see some of the other budget TJ varieties compared to similar higher priced bottles. Thanks!

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Thanks for watching!

[@_d0ser]

These cheap wines are why I thought I DIDN'T like wine for a long time! I thought they were all just chemical-tasting, alcoholic grape juice. Only to realize later once introduced to "real" wine that if you don't serve it at 80 degrees and go with a quality producer wine is the best drink on the planet.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Yessss

[@John-wx2ce]

Love your videos! I stock the Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc for cooking. The Merlot is a great wine for braising, and the Sauvignon Blanc for deglazing for making lighter pan sauces. Both excellent for that purpose, with no oak, good acidity and fruit, but I don’t drink them.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Good call for cooking

[@John-wx2ce]

@@drmatthewhorkey I used to buy Barefoot for cooking when it went on sale, but then I tried TJ’s. I buy 3 each at $2.99 and it lasts me for a couple of months. It’s a steal!

[@crrizello5157]

Thanks for tasting these. Interesting that the whites tasted similarly. One thing I find with the inexpensive reds is that there is a sameness to the flavor. They aren't bad, they are just very homogeneous. Bogle has lots of inexpensive reds that are OK but I notice that, no matter the varietal, they all taste the same.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Well said!

[@TheDesertWineGuy]

Never had Two Buck Chuck but I did try Winking Owl from Aldi's and yeah, it's pretty bad.

[@drmatthewhorkey]

Winking Owl is TOUGGHHHH

[@AlejandroPDX]

I’m sure this wasn’t your fav wine to make 😅 but I appreciate the 2 buck chuck review and bringing in once again Trader Joe’s to your channel

[@drmatthewhorkey]

😎🤣

[@DavidRaccah]

Classic story Doc! Cheap whites are always going to beat cheap reds. Red wine is hard to make, sure you can hide it under oak and manipulation but those things cost money. So, in the end, cheap reds are either drinkable or a hard pass. Cheap white wines, though, are where they shine. Get an average white grape, do nothing more with it then crush and ferment and you will have a drinkable white wine.

[@Ruirspirul]

@@DavidRaccah that is not how you make a cheap white wine :)

[@GorskiNunavut]

If you want to learn about making "good" whites, you have visit New Zeland.Everything started there...

[@drmatthewhorkey]

That is mostly the case for sure!

[@bucal53]

Matthew, I love your videos , but you constantly feature wines that practically have no availability to most people.. How does that help people that want to try your recommendations ?I don't get it

[@drmatthewhorkey]

The only wine not well distrubuted in this video is the nicer Merlot. Everything else is available and well distributed in the USA.

[@bucal53]

@@drmatthewhorkey My point exactly. The only wine that I would be interested in is the nicer Merlot . Thanks for responding