2006-08-04
GALLO FAMILY VINEYARDS
Wine for Every Occasion
by Millie Howie
One big happy family. That, in a light-hearted manner, could be the way to describe the intent and effect of the sleek, elegant labels appearing on newly released vintages of Gallo wines. The family name – “Gallo Family Vineyards” will soon appear on a full line of table wines priced from $5 to $75 a bottle. “No matter where you are in your voyage of wine appreciation, when you think ‘Gallo’ there is a wine for every wine occasion,” says Stephanie Gallo, third-generation family member and director of marketing for the Gallo Family Vineyards and the winery’s popular-priced table wine portfolio. “The success of our Gallo of Sonoma wines and the E. & J. Gallo line encouraged us to make this move. Now, the Gallo of Sonoma wines are part of the Gallo Family Vineyards portfolio, along with Gallo Family Vineyards Sonoma Reserve and Twin Valley wines, the limited-production vineyard-designate wines, and the top-of-the-line Estate Wine. We are in a transition now,” Stephanie says, “as the last vintage of wines with the previous names and labels are selling out, and the new vintages, with the new name are arriving on store shelves and wine lists. The long-term plan is to offer these family-named wines in all markets around the world, and the process is starting now in the United States”
The new label, designed by the in-house Gallo creative team, honors the two patriarchs of the Gallo family, Ernest and Julio, with stylized rooster heads above the Gallo name. Three redwood trees embossed in gold are symbolic of the three generations of Gallos most actively involved in the company at the present. Below the bottom edge of the art is an interlocked chain of medals, representing the four most prestigious “Winery Awards of Distinction” earned consistently over the decades by Gallo products.
Gallo’s only tasting room is located on the historic plaza at the corner of Center and Plaza Streets in Healdsburg. The setting is warm and welcoming, with interior walls covered with attractive fabric and natural cork floors that gleam in the soft light. Guests may chose to sit at small tables or on stools at the bar while they peruse the tasting lists of individual samples of the “Estate Wine of the Day,” or flights of three from “The Family’s Choice Wine Flights” or the “Custom Wine Flights.” The trio of “Winemaker’s Signature Wines,” featured on both lists, are limited production wines with the total production of each well below 400 cases. They show deliciously the importance of Gallo’s select vineyard sites to the creation of outstanding wines, and the influence the various soil types and weather patterns have on the aromas and flavors of specific wine varieties.
Since these wines are reserved almost exclusively for shipping to Gallo’s Friend of the Family Wine Club members and pouring in the tasting room it’s an excellent idea to join the Club. Membership is free and the rewards are many. Each bi-monthly shipment contains one to three bottles of the finest Gallo wines with winemaking notes and a beloved Gallo family recipe from winemaker Gina Gallo. Applications for membership are available on-line at www.GalloFamily.com, where shoppers may also fill their carts with their favorite Gallo wines.
One of the most unusual and rewarding offerings at the Gallo Tasting Room is the daily “Seasons in the Vineyard” tour each day at 11 a.m. Reservations are required and participants must be at least 21-years-of-age. As the tour description says, “wine lovers are invited to walk the land, touch the vines and taste the wines” in small-group guided visits to the Gallo family’s Barrelli Creek Vineyard in Alexander Valley. To reserve your place call (707) 433-2458. The tour departs from the tasting room by private van and those with reservations are asked to arrive no later that fifteen minutes prior to the departure time. The tour will accommodate as few as two to a maximum of six, and arrangements can be made for private tours by larger groups. The cost is $45 per person.
Regular hours at the Gallo tasting room are 10 a.m. till 6 p.m. In the height of the season hours may be extended, and on the last Friday evening of each month Gallo and the other fifteen winery tasting rooms around the Plaza and the side streets of Healdsburg are open from 5 till 8 p.m. so visitors can enjoy a walking tour around the heart of town, tasting dozens of wines at a leisurely pace. Ask for a map of the host wineries at the Gallo Family Tasting Room, 320 Center Street, Healdsburg.
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