Napa Winemakers Question $2 Brand's Label

Jan.10 -- To wine traditionalists, California's Napa Valley is hallowed ground, and a $2-per-bottle upstart wine commonly known as "Two Buck Chuck" is stomping all over it.

Though the label of the $2 wine reads "Charles Shaw," it was not the brainchild of anyone named Charles. The wine, which sells exclusively at Trader Joe's stores, was created by Fred Franzia, who prefers to call his product a "super value wine," rather than a "cheap" one.

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But Napa winemakers claim it's not the price of the wine that has them teed off. Rather, for one ex-winery owner, it's the name "Charles Shaw." For others, it's the claim "Two Buck Chuck" makes to a Napa Valley origin.

"I like the guy; I just despise his business practices," said Tom Shelton, the CEO of a Napa Valley-based premium label, Joseph Phelps, and part of a group of Napa winemakers suing Franzia to protect the "Napa Valley" name.

"I don't have a real argument with … the existence of Two Buck Chuck," Shelton said. "My argument is really is when producers like two buck chuck try to pass themselves off as Napa Valley wines."

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The label reads "cellared and bottled in Napa" which is true, but Shelton says Franzia doesn't make Two Buck Chuck with Napa-grown grapes, and that's misleading to consumers.

Shelton says Franzia doesn't make Two Buck Chuck or any of his 32 wines with Napa-grown grapes. His labels read "cellared and bottled" in Napa, which is true. But, even so, Shelton says, it's misleading to consumers.

"This really represents consumer fraud. It would be as if I were trying to pass off a Volkswagen as a Porsche." Franzia says it's all just sour grapes and snobbery, and he's won so far in court. "We'll take them on," Franzia said. "And I'm sure we will prevail legally on this topic."