Target and Trader Joe’s: where college student’s arguably spend most of their time and money (aside from tuition). But what do these two beloved stores now have in common? Cheap wine!
In September, Target released their new line of affordable wine, called California Roots. The line features a Cabernet, Red Blend, Moscato, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay, all priced at just $5 per bottle.
With Target now in the cheap wine market, has Trader Joe’s infamous Charles Shaw line, also dubbed “Two-Buck Chuck,” finally met its match?
To settle the cheap wine debate once and for all, the two lines were put head-to-head during a blind taste test to see which wines were preferred to affordable alcohol enthusiasts.
The Experiment
During the taste test, each cup was labeled as either A or B. Target’s wine was labeled as A and Trader Joe’s line was B. All of the participants were unaware of which line was A or B until the end of the competition.
Here’s what a group of college student’s had to say about each wine.
Round 1: Cabernet
“B is better. But I don’t really like wine, so I feel like someone that likes wine would like A better.”
“B gets stuck in your throat and makes you want to cough.”
“I’m going to go with B, because A smells cheap.”
“I’m going to go with zero on both of these. Although A is definitely worse than B.”
“When I plug my nose A is definitely better.”
“I don’t know wine, but A was definitely stronger in a bad way.”
“They both smell like poor decisions.”
Winner: Trader Joe’s (Option B)
Round 2: Pinot Grigio
“Can we just pronounce them like we don’t know how to say them in French?”
“Oh, these are both terrible.”
“B is drier.”
“A is bubbly like kimchi.”
“I think a lot more people are going to like A, but I do like B.”
“Let’s try mixing them together, maybe they’ll taste better.”
“I don’t like either of them.”
“A is so clear it practically looks like water.”
“I’m pretty sad because I don’t think I like wine anymore.”
“How do people drink this?”
Winner: Target (Option A)
Round 3: Chardonnay
“That’s disgusting.”
“B. A is terrible”
“A has a weird after taste.”
“A is more like traditional, good chardonnay.”
“If you don’t like B don’t talk to me.”
“Well that’s clearly going to change my vote.”
“There’s some weird nuttiness in A.”
“Oh no! Oh my god!”
“A is way less painful than B.”
“I don’t think I like drinking anymore.”
Winner: Target (Option A)
Round 4: Red Blend vs. Merlot
“They’re pretty close. Like they’re very similar.”
“Let’s just say I’m feeling this taste test.”
“A is a little more acidic.”
“This is terrible. This is also terrible, but A it is.”
“I’m a little torn.”
“Yeah B sucks, but A isn’t great either.”
“These were supposed to be the best ones what the heck?”
“Ok, if y’all are going A then B must suck.”
“I think our taste buds just suck.”
“I don’t like how these are smelling.”
“B is awful. I can’t believe people drink this for leisure.”
Winner: Unanimously Target (Option A)
Final Round: Moscato vs. White Zinfandel
“A tastes great!”
“B tastes good though.”
“B! B tastes good!”
“That’s good!”
“A doesn’t even taste like alcohol.”
“A’s too sweet. A’s like a Capri Sun”
“A tastes like Sour Patch Kids.”
“I’m confused. It feels like I’m not drinking alcohol.”
“I’m going to go with A because B tastes like box wine and I hate box wine.”
Winner: Target (Option A)
Final Thoughts
From their Instagramable bottles to its near candy-like taste, Target’s wine has won the heart of millennials. But if you want to look like a classy wine connoisseur or have a more advanced palette, the Two-Buck chuck might be the one for you.
Regardless, if cheap wine is going to be your drink of choice, it’s probably going to taste, well, a little cheap. But it all works the same, right?