Gallo
Tradition, Family & Wine by Nan McCreary
If you know anything about wine – and even if you don’t – you probably know the names Ernest and Julio Gallo. The two brothers, sons of Italian immigrants, are legendary in California wine history. They started their own winery in 1933 and, guided by big dreams for the future, a tireless work ethic and a spirt of innovation, built a family legacy that spans 87 years and four generations. Today, E. & J. Gallo Winery is the largest winery in the world. What is now a wine powerhouse worldwide had very humble beginnings. The two brothers started the winery in Modesto, California in 1933, following the repeal of Prohibition. With $6,000 in working capital ($5,000 borrowed from Ernest’s mother-in-law), the brothers knew little about commercial winemaking. What they did know they learned by reading old, pre-Prohibition
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pamphlets published by the University of California which they retrieved from the basement of the Modesto Public Library. But they were quick studies, and they were determined. When they started the business, according to the story, Ernest’s goal was to sell more wine than Julio could make, and Julio’s was to make more wine than Ernest could sell. Statistics are not available on how much wine they produced that first year, but they did sell 177,847 gallons of wine, or nearly 3,000 cases of 750 ml bottles. The second year they sold 440,000 gallons, or close to 7,400 cases. From the beginning, the brothers created a synergy that fit their natural inclinations: Julio was the grape grower and Ernest handled marketing and sales. In the early years, they produced inexpensive bulk wines, bringing wine to the masses, and putting California on the wine
The Arbor
