Fred Franzia . . . Again

[Rebel Rose]

In this month's issue of Business 2.0 magazine, writer Joel Stein shares a pretty much hilarious interview with Fred Franzia, the 'Bronco Brain' and creator of Two Buck Chuck.

A few excerpts:

Napa's and Bordeaux's claims about their special soils are bogus: "We can grow on asphalt. Terroir don't mean sh*t."

There's even a war against the guy who rents the portable potties for the field workers: When the guy raised his prices, Franzia went for his sword and shield: he's buying his own portable johns now. "To you, that's a sh*tter," he says, pointing to a blue kiosk. "To me, it's a profit center. It's a sh*tter war. You got to have a war at all times."

Hating pretentiousness isn't just a business plan. It's Franzia's entire identity. His office is a wood-paneled trailer with carpet holes repaired with duct tape that looks like it might house the night manager of a troubled dude ranch.

[Daniel Rogov]

I agree, of course, that an over-abundance of pretense is one of the truest signs of the snob. On the other hand, let us seriously consider that exaggerating in one's attack against pretensions and the supposed return to basics may also be a sign of: (a) boorishness, (b) anti-intellectuality or © both a and b.

The desire for quality is not pretentious

The discriminate use of language is a sign of intelligence

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for Two Buck Chuck. It is, after all, an entry to the world of wine. Some will stay at that entry level and that's fine. Many more, however, will move on from that entry level to wines of greater interest and quality.