E & J Gallo Winery facts for kids

GALLO
Location	Modesto, California, United States
Formerly	E & J Gallo Winery
Other labels	Don Miguel Gascon, Louis Martini, Ecco Domani, Mirassou Winery, New Amsterdam, J Vineyards, Barefoot, Apothic, Shellback rum among others
Founded	1933; 92 years ago (1933)
Key people	Ernest Gallo (founder) Julio Gallo (founder) Gina Gallo (winemaker) Stephanie Gallo
Varietals	Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot noir, Sauvignon blanc, Syrah
Distribution	International
Website	www.gallo.com, gallofamily.co.uk

GALLO is a very large company that makes and sells wine. Its main office is in Modesto, California. Two brothers, Ernest Gallo and Julio Gallo, started the company in 1933.

GALLO is the biggest family-owned winery in the United States. It also exports more California wines than any other company. In fact, it's the largest wine producer in the world! It makes over 3% of all the wine produced globally each year. GALLO provides many jobs, especially in Modesto.

History of GALLO

Starting a Winery During Tough Times

During a time called Prohibition in the United States, it was illegal to sell alcohol. But people could still make wine at home in some states. Ernest and Julio Gallo grew grapes and sold them to people in Eastern states.

In 1933, Prohibition was ending. Ernest Gallo wanted to open a wine storage place. He learned that to do this, he needed to own a winery and vineyards. So, Ernest and Julio decided to start their own winery. They called their new company E & J Gallo. They used their family's vineyards to get started.

Building the Business from Scratch

The Gallo brothers officially started their winery in the fall of 1933. This was right after Prohibition ended. Many other wine companies were also starting up in California. Ernest and Julio had less than $6,000 to begin, which was not much compared to their competitors. Most of this money was borrowed from Ernest's mother-in-law.

Muskrat trappers in Delacroix, Louisiana, 1941, gathered around a large bottle of "Cream of California - California Claret", an early Gallo mass-produced wine

The brothers learned how to make wine by reading old books. They found these books in the basement of the Modesto Public Library. Julio focused on making the wine, while Ernest focused on selling it. They worked very hard, even sharing one tractor for 24 hours a day. In their first year, they made a huge amount of wine: 177,000 gallons!

Innovations and Growth

In the 1950s and 60s, Gallo introduced popular and affordable wines. These included Thunderbird in 1957 and Red Mountain in 1962. The company was very good at marketing their wines. They were among the first to advertise wine on television. They also helped bring new types of wines to stores.

Gallo was a leader in making sure their grapes were high quality. They worked with grape growers for many years. They also helped California wines become popular in other countries. In 1983, Gallo started putting the year the wine was made (the vintage date) on some of their bottles.

Expanding the Company

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, E & J Gallo bought many wine brands from Europe and Australia. By 1993, Gallo was the biggest winery in the United States. They had 25% of the American wine market.

Sadly, Julio Gallo passed away in 1993. Ernest Gallo passed away in 2007. After Ernest, his son Joe Gallo became the CEO of the company.

Gallo continued to grow. In 2002, they bought the Louis M. Martini Winery. This gave them their first location in the famous Napa Valley AVA. They also partnered with famous people, like Martha Stewart, to create new wine brands. In 2017, Gallo bought the Napa Valley Stagecoach vineyard.

More recently, in 2019, Gallo bought several wine brands from another company, Constellation Brands Inc. This deal was completed in 2021. In 2024, the company officially changed its name to just GALLO.

GALLO's Impact and Legacy

Caring for the Environment

GALLO cares about protecting the environment. They helped create a special set of rules called the Code of Sustainable Wine Growing Practices. They worked with other wine groups in California to make these rules.

This Code helps wineries use practices that are good for the environment. It also makes sure they are good for business and for the community. It covers everything from growing grapes to making wine.

GALLO also received a special certificate called ISO 14001. This certificate shows that a company is working to reduce its impact on the environment.

GALLO has faced some challenges related to environmental practices. For example, in 2009, a part of Gallo was fined for how it managed water from the Russian River. In 2015, another part of Gallo faced issues regarding how it stored and treated glass bottles. In 2023, Gallo was fined for how it discharged water into the Merced River. These situations show the ongoing efforts to ensure environmental responsibility.

Trying New Grapes

Scientists at Gallo use their vineyards to try growing new types of grapes. They want to see which grapes grow best in different climates and soil types in California. This helps them find the best places to grow grapes for different wines. For example, they have been trying to grow a French grape called Ederena.

Advertising and Awards

GALLO has been known for its advertising campaigns over the years. They were very creative in how they promoted their wines.

The company has won many awards. Bon Appetit magazine named E & J Gallo Winery the "Winery of the Year" several times in the 1990s and early 2000s. An expert company called Intangible Business also named Gallo the world's "Most Powerful Wine Brand" for several years in a row, from 2006 to 2009.

Popular Wine Brands from GALLO

GALLO makes and sells over 100 different wine brands. Here are some of their well-known ones:

• André is one of the most popular brands of sparkling wine in the United States. It comes in many different styles, like Brut, Extra Dry, and even fruit-flavored options. André is allowed to use the word "Champagne" on its labels, even though most new US wines cannot. This is because they used the name before new rules were made. Many people say André was their first taste of sparkling wine.

• Carlo Rossi is another very popular wine brand from GALLO. It was named after Charles Rossi, who was a salesman for Gallo and related to the family. Charlie Rossi even appeared in TV ads for the brand in the 1970s. Carlo Rossi wines were once the second best-selling brand in the United States.

• Boone's Farm used to be a brand of apple wine. Now, many of its flavors are made from malt instead of wine. This brand is popular with college students because it is affordable. You can often find Boone's Farm drinks in convenience stores.

• Barefoot Wine was bought by GALLO in 2005. It offers many different types of wines, like Zinfandel, Merlot, and Chardonnay. Barefoot Wine also launched a line of wine-infused hard seltzers in 2020.

See also

• Gallo family
• Napa County wine