Fred Franzia was the co-founder of Bronco Wine Company, best known for their affordable “Two Buck Chuck” Charles Shaw brand.
- Died: September 13, 2022 (Who else died on September 13?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in Denair, California at the age of 79.
- We invite you to share condolences for Fred Franzia in our Guest Book.
Making wine accessible
Coming from a winemaking family that included his uncle, Ernest Gallo, Franzia founded Bronco Wine Co. in 1973 alongside his brother and cousin. They made it a goal to produce affordable wine that was accessible to the average consumer. The most famous of those wines became the Charles Shaw brand that began being sold exclusively through Trader Joe’s in 2002. Originally marketed at $1.99 a bottle, the wine came to affectionately be called “Two Buck Chuck.” Franzia insisted that higher-end wines were pointlessly overpriced, and most of Bronco’s wines sold for $10 or less per bottle. He occasionally had legal troubles, as when he paid a large fine for passing off cheaper grapes as zinfandel and cabernet sauvignon, and when he wrestled with California laws regarding whether Bronco could represent their wines as Napa Valley products when the grapes were not grown there.
Notable quote
“I don’t sell wine to put in a closet. We sell wine to drink. When the wine’s ready to be bottled, it’s bottled ready, there’s no aging process that’s needed … the rest is just a myth … I love the French people that go, ‘Well, in 20 years this wine’s going to be perfect.’ Well, don’t waste the money. I don’t want to wait 20 years to drink a wine. Nothing’s worth it. So drink ours now and enjoy it.” —from a 2009 interview for ABC News
Tributes to Fred Franzia
Full obituary: The Modesto Bee
