AP Photo/Eric Risberg
Charles Shaw wine dates back to the 1970s.
- Trader Joe's has sold nearly a billion bottles of Charles Shaw wine since 2002, yet the man behind the brand hasn't seen a dime of it.
- The real Charles Shaw lives in a high-rise apartment building in Chicago, working nights on databases at the Chicago Board of Trade, but that wasn't always the case.
- In Business Insider's new podcast "Household Name", Shaw explains how he built up his winery and how its wines eventually made their way onto the shelves of Trader Joe's. To hear the full story, subscribe to the podcast for free here.
Trader Joe's has sold nearly a billion bottles of its renowned Charles Shaw wine since 2002, yet the man who shares a name with the brand hasn't earned a dime from it.
Affectionately known as "Two-Buck Chuck" because of its affordable price tag, Charles Shaw wine dates back to the 1970s, when a man named Charles Shaw, now 74, moved to Paris and fell in love with wine.
Shaw had the dream of bringing French wine to America and did just that. He bought a vineyard in California and rolled out his first Gamay, a type of Beaujolais, in 1979. He went on to win awards for the wine, which was also chosen to be served at three White House dinners. However, after a series of unfortunate events and a costly divorce, Shaw was forced to give up on his dream.
Below, follow the story of how he built up his wine empire and watched it crumble before it eventually made its way onto the shelves of Trader Joe's:
To hear more from Shaw himself, listen to "Household Name," a new podcast from Business Insider. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite app. Next week's episode tells the story of how Coca-Cola conquered Mexico, finding its way into religion, culture, and politics, creating one of the country's presidents.