E & J Gallo Winery was founded in 1933 by Ernest Gallo and Julio Gallo in Modesto, California. E & J Gallo Winery is the largest exporter of California wines from Sonoma County. The company is the world's largest family-owned winemaker, thanks in part to such value-jug and -box labels as Carlo Rossi and Peter Vella. The vintner owns seven wineries and some 15,000 acres of California vineyards; it
. also contracts with other growers statewide to meet its supply needs. It is the leading US exporter of California wine, selling some 60 brands, including table and sparkling wines, and imports 14 of its name brands from countries dotting the globe. Gallo Family Vineyards Sonoma Reserve and the Italian wine Ecco Domani are among its premium wines and imports. For a stiffer drink, Gallo offers several distilled spirits, including brandy and gin. E&J Gallo Winery blends and distributes many types of varietals. The winery primarily bottles Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah blends of wine for distribution globally under many branded trademarks (E&J Gallo Winery is known to have bottled wines of various price points, ranging from $40 a bottle to less than $4 a bottle, which is known as fortified wine). E&J also blends California Champagne under its Andre's label, and is the only champagne bottled outside of the Champagne region of France allowed to use the champagne moniker. While the company is not publicly traded (and as such, does not release annual financial figures to the public), countless industry insiders have projected the annual revenue of E&J Gallo Winery to be approximately $3 billion in 2009. The company employs over 5,000 employees nationally and is growing rapidly in terms of revenue growth due to the increase in wine varietals and brands bottled by the company. http://gallo.com/family/ourfamily.html or http://www.historicmodesto.com/ejgallo.html
