Gallo wines: A wine for every man

By By Stan Torgerson / wine columnist
Dec. 11, 2002
Gallo wines made their reputation as the every man of the wine business. They are moderately tasty and inexpensive, not bad but not overwhelming either.
My how times have changed. Yes, Gallo still puts out jug wines and they still sell well. You'll recognize the names Totts, Andre, Bartles &James and Carlo Rossi, for example.
Those are all products of the E&J Gallo Winery. Its Hearty Burgundy is not actually a burgundy but is a best seller. A true burgundy is produced only in that area of France. American consumers don't seem to care. They buy it by the jugful and come back for more.
The E&J Gallo Winery also produces a wine called Chablis Blanc, a name which it also does not merit since it is not produced in France nor does it taste like true chablis. It is, however, also a commercial success.
But in recent years, Gallo has gone after the high end of the business and has been so successful it no longer is the Rodney Dangerfield of the wine world. Gallo has products that are getting respect and the reason is the obvious one they are darn good and other wine makers know it.
The Gallo dynasty was founded by the brothers Ernest and Julio Gallo, struggling grape growers who borrowed money when Prohibition ended, bought a crusher and eventually became the most powerful wine producers in the world and possibly the most successful. Recently there was further proof of the company's talent.
Gallo of Sonoma has just been named American Winery of the Year in the Wine Enthusiast magazine's third annual awards issue. When you consider the competition Gallo faced from its California neighbors and producers, the award was a high honor indeed.
This is not Gallo's only recognition, only the most recent one. It has been a winner of gold and silver medals before in competition with California's best.
Adam Strum, publisher of the magazine, wrote this about Gallo of Sonoma wines: "Their commitment to quality goes beyond slogans and into the bottle."
That's not all, nor the best of the editorial comments. Read on.
We were particularly interested in this article because a Gallo representative will conduct our Jan. 23 wine tasting. Carmen Castorina from the company's Dallas office will join us that night and pour some of the wines about which Gallo is most proud.
Those who regularly attend the tastings know that for a wine to be rated 90 or above on the accepted 100-point scale is a high honor indeed. It places the wine among the best of the best, and Gallo has scored recently with several of its ultra-premium wines.
The Gallo 2000 Laguna Vineyard Chardonnay from its single vineyard series was rated at 90 points. The 1998 Gallo of Sonoma Estate Chardonnay earned 92 points. The 1996 Gallo Estate Cabernet Sauvignon was rated a heady 94 points. That's impressive. Hopefully each or several of these wines will be available for our tasting.
Gallo is not only California's largest winery, it is the largest wine producer in the world. It makes and bottles more wine than the entire country of Australia.
The company has another advantage in the current market. No one does a better job of broad-based marketing than Gallo. You'll find the wines, including the better ones carrying the Sonoma designation, available in most Meridian retail wine stores.
I've never seen the point of reviewing wines that are too expensive for the average consumer and unavailable in Mississippi and Meridian. Gallo prices its wines nicely and they are easily available, a strong point in their favor.
The company is based in Healdsburg, Calif., near the center of Sonoma County. Third generation wine makers are Gina Gallo and her brother Matt Gallo. You'll have the opportunity to hear the story of this distinguished company and taste the wines of which it is most proud. The date again is Jan. 23. No tasting is scheduled this month because of the Christmas season.