The Tragic Death Of Wine Pioneer Fred Franzia

At the time of his death, Fred Franzia was known for pushing the belief that everyone deserved low-cost wine; he even called on the California wine industry to “Give the consumer the chance to make the choice” during a conference in 2016 (per The Sacramento Bee). But before that in 1993, he was known for pleading guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit fraud when he is said to have told employees to put pricier zinfandel grapes on top of cheaper varietals — a plea which earned him half a million dollar fine, as well as five years in probation. He also challenged federal law which mandated that all Napa wines had to be made with 75% Napa grapes.

But even his tangles with the law eclipsed his work in marketing Charles Shaw’s wine, aka “Two Buck Chuck.” It was when he was positioning this Trader Joe’s special that he became known for saying, “They’re overcharging for the water — don’t you get it?” when asked how Bronco could sell wines that were cheaper than water (per Wine Industry Insight). At the time of Franzia’s death, The Sacramento Bee says over 1 billion bottles of Two Buck Chuck had been sold. 

He is survived by his children Renata, Roma, Joseph, Joey, Carlo, and Giovanna; fourteen grandchildren, as well as his siblings Joseph, Joellen, and Catherine, per Wine Industry Insight.