Rediscovering Three Buck Chuck

I'm drinking it.  Chef Marianne Miller of Grande Cru is drinking it.  The lady leaving Trader Joe's today with 4 cases of it on a hand truck is most certainly drinking it.  Now that times are officially tough all over, are you drinking Three Buck Chuck?

To the very casual wine drinker (which is so obviously me) the stuff isn't half bad.  To the more sophisticated palate, I'm sure it does in a pinch.  And at two to three small glasses per sitting, three dollars a bottle goes a long way.  Marianne is thinking about using it for cooking as well as drinking, and I say she's onto something.  I think I might have to go pick up a few cases of both red and white next time I'm at Trader Joe's, just so I have some multi-purpose wine around the house at all times.

• I had a few drinks at Azia yesterday (shocker, I know) and flipped my sexy bartender Hugo an extra five-spot for The Tap Project, which runs all week.  Check out the site's main page, which lists all participating local restaurants.

• I love this TC LiveJournal post, from a newcomer who just started dating a lifelong Minneapolis resident.  The poor thing has no clue where to take her to impress her, since she's been everywhere, and is desperate for ideas.  Much love for Crescent Moon Bakery here in Northeast as well as Harry Singh's on Nicollet, but I gotta give it up to whoever suggested Donatelli's in Mahtomedi.  Everybody who knows me knows I love that damn place, and will make the thirty-minute run whenever the crave starts to creep in.  They make their breads, pastas, sauces and dressings from scratch, plus they have a fantastic ice cream-soda fountain thing going.

• Andrew wants to know if there's any place in the Twin Cities where you'd wait four hours for a meal.  I'm borderline hypoglycemic with the patience of a spoiled 6-year-old; I don't like to wait forty minutes for food.  I also prefer to sit at the bar most places, which means I rarely have to wait for something to nosh on, even if it's just an appetizer (or a napkinful of garnish tray delights).

• Alie makes a spectacular wild rice salad that looks like it could be just the thing to kickstart my appetite.  I'm on day three of insomnia and it's messing with my stomach; as in, it doesn't particularly want anything in it.  I even got an order of cranberry curry tonight from the Anoka Thanh Do -- which opened Monday, by the way -- made just how I like it, and that didn't even do the trick.

Oh well.  Another glass of Three Buck Chardonnay, then, I suppose.

Comments

[Chuck]

3 Buck Chuck in full effect here. And I'm not even going to make that into a joke. Yes, in spite of thin wallets, we couldn't pass up some pricier wines at the last Surdyk's wine sale.

[Deb]

My friends have been using 3 Buck Chuck for years...

[HungryinSW]

I've enjoyed and cooked with the 3 buck in the past. I love Trader Joe's because they have some nice, inexpensive wines there beyond the 3 buck. I'm not a glass of wine everyday guy, but I pick up some of their medium priced bottles 2-3 at a time to have some on hand. I really like going and mixing their beers to build my own 6-pack. I really like all the Anchor Steam beers and the Full Sail offerings as well. They've got a good thing going there.

[John Carrier]

I'e been a fan of Carlos Tres Dolares for a while now, expecially the reds, especially the shiraz. A friend from the OC tells me that in California, home of both Wine Country and Trader Joe's, it's called "Two Buck Chuck".

If we move there this summer (thinking about it) that could cut our cost of living by 33%, assuming our only expense is wine.

Which -- you know? -- might not be a bad way to get through this economy.

[geoff]

on the topic of cheap wine, I can't wait for Costco SLP to start carrying the new 3L Red Truck wine barrels. Not sure on the price point yet, but I'm sure it will be comparable to 3BC on a per-serving basis.

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[Christian]

I don't think I've ever had it before. I'll give it a try.

[Tamara]

I can't do it. I think it's awful. I know...I'm a snob. But I'd rather pay $7 - $10 for a wine from Chile or Argentina that is GOOOOD! Just had a $7 Sauv Blanc the other night that was delicious!

[Alexis]

Tam, we should do a blind taste test.

JC, I'm kinda surprised you're not making your own wine by now.

[ddn]

You're not serious about Donatelli's are you? :(

It's like a step above Davanni's. Maybe..

[Alexis]

I know you are not dissing Donatelli's and Davanni's. Hoagie hater.

[Kate]

Working at Trader Joe's I can't bring myself to drink the stuff unless someone offers it to me and there aren't other options, otherwise I drink it once every 6 months to remind myself what it's like. I find the chard and the cab the most drinkable, but we have SO many better options for just a dollar or two more per bottle. Try the Chalk creek cab and the bear's lair chard (if you like a little oak) or the santa barbara chard (if you like it a little steely). We did a blind test with a $20 unoaked chard vs. the chuck chard (also unoaked) amongst our crew, and it was straight down the middle. A lot of people couldn't even tell the differences.

Life is to short to drink mediocre wine.

[Alexis]

Ooh, a TJ's insider! I have so many questions.

I buy the cab and the chardonnay; nice to know the difference between the latter and a more expensive counterpart was undiscernible. But I'm not a "wine person," anyway. I'm the person that doesn't drink rail liquor.

[Jeremy]

Thanks for the Donatelli's tip. I'm always looking for good Italian places to eat around town. I'll have to check it out sometime.

And as a Davanni's EMPLOYEE, well...I oughta! :)

[Tara]

"Cheap Red Wine" is another nice little blended-vintage table wine for slim money.

[Marianne]

Thanks for the shout out....I got all stir crazy last week (stubborn spring and sucky economy) so I immersed my self in cooking therapy. I decided to pull out an old school J. Child's recipe for Beef Bourguignon. Serious, elaborate, tons of steps and a fair bit of 3 Buck Chuck. It's a great way to use wine and get lost in recipe.

[dungawarrior]

What happened to Marianne Miller & her cooking school? It was a flash in the pan - what happened?

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