Gallo Wine

A Short History of Gallo

Gallo Wines was opened for business in 1938 by brothers Ernest and Julio Gallo, sons of Italian immigrants who settled in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. 68 years later Gallo is the largest wine company in America, producing over 75 million cases a year. Gallo annually purchases over two-thirds of all the wine grapes grown in California. It ships to over 90 countries and has more than 45 brands in its portfolio.

Gallo's Policy of Privacy

Yet, for all this dominance not much is known about the company. Privately-held, Gallo is known for not revealing much. This strategy has led to much muckraking and speculation. For instance, a large component of Gallo’s historical success has been the marketing of cheap fortified wines such as Thunderbird and Night Train. Similar to the tobacco companies, Gallo directly marketed these brands to African-American and urban markets, going so far as to throw empty bottles into the gutters to raise brand awareness. Understandably, Gallo has not said much publicly about these practices. Gallo still owns these brands along with other stellar offerings such as Boone’s Farm and Bartle & Jaymes wine coolers but you will not see the Gallo name on these labels.

Gallo's Modern Reinvention

The Gallo of today is concentrating on projecting an image of quality and tradition, no doubt taking a page from the book of Robert Mondavi. Historically, Gallo developed its own brands but in recent years has embarked on an acquisition spree in an attempt to raise the overall quality of its offerings. Most people have not forgotten the cheap jugs of “Hearty Burgundy” and “Chablis” but likely in a couple generations a new stream of consumers will begin to associate the Gallo name with the prestigious wines of California. Based in California, Gallo has facilities in Modesto, Livingston, Sonoma and Napa. The recent acquisitions in Napa and Sonoma are notable as in the past Gallo eschewed the tony California regions preferring to remain in the vast Central Valley where the grapes were cheap and abundant. Gallo is known for constantly innovating and staying one step ahead of the competition. Ernest Gallo philosophy has always been one of pure business and he has famously proclaimed that his goal was to make Gallo the “Campbell’s Soup” of the wine industry.

The Many Brands of Gallo

Gallo currently owns the following brands though this list is probably changing as it written and does not pretend to be complete:

• Anapamu
• Andre
• Ballatore Spumante
• Barefoot Cellars
• Bartle & Jaymes
• Bella Sera
• Black Swan
• Boone’s Farm
• Bridlewood Winery
• Burlwood
• Carlo Rossi
• Copperidge
• Da VINCI
• Dancing Bull
• E&J Gallo Vineyards
• E&J Brandy
• Ecco Domani
• Frei Brothers
• Gallo Fairbanks
• Gallo of Sonoma
• Gallo Livingston
• Gallo Estate
• Gallo Fairbanks (Sherry)
• Gallo Vermouth
• Gossamer Bay
• Hornsby Hard Cider
• Indigo Hills
• Liberty Creek
• Livingston Cellars
• MacMurray Ranch
• Marcelina
• Louis M. Martini
• McWilliams Hanwood Estate
• Mirassou
• Napa Valley Vineyards
• Night Train
• Peter Vella
• Rancho Zabaco
• Redwood Creek
• Red Bicyclette
• Sheffield Cellars (Sherry & Port)
• Sola Vista
• Thunderbird
• Tott’s
• Turning Leaf
• Twin Valley Vineyards
• Whitehaven
• Wild Vines
• William Wycliff

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