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News
Gallo claims to have returned to the top
Californian wine company E&J Gallo said that it has reclaimed the crown of the world’s biggest wine company following the news that Constellation brands is to sell the majority of its Australian and UK wine business, but declined to offer any figures to back up the claim.
Speaking at a press briefing in London this week, Bill Roberts, general manager EMEA said that it was not company policy to reveal specific details on sales and market share.
The claim came as the company announced the launch of a new light red wine under its Gallo Family Vineyards brand.
Summer Red – a 10.5% abv blend of Zinfandel and Pinot Noir grapes which is designed to be drunk chilled – is being launched across both on- and off-trade channels this year, supported with print, online and radio advertising campaigns.
Senior marketing director Amy Englehardt said: “Gallo Family vineyards is the first major wine brand to launch a red wine to be enjoyed chilled.
“It is a refreshing, easy drinking wine that will challenge consumer perceptions of red wine.”
The company is also continuing with its focus on the profitable rosé category with the launch of a new Merlot Rosé, which will be rolled out over the course of this year.
E&J Gallo will also continue its drive to build its Barefoot brand, which the company last year claimed it wanted to be the world’s largest wine brand within five years.
Alan Lodge, 23.02.2011
Gallo is NOT the first to make a chillable Red wine, They are only the latest. They seemed to have ignored their chief competitor from the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s, Italian Swiss Colony. In the late 70s, ISC came out with a Colony Chilled Burgundy with a silver label. It came in 750ml and 1.5L screw top bottles. It was also supported by TV and print ads. In those days Gallo often saw what others were doing and then chose their targets and then went out and made a similar competitive product and then used their power to out promote and distribute the others.
SUMMER WINE, as many people in the Australian Wine Industry will recall, was first developed in Australia in 1978 by the lecturing and production staff of the former Roseworthy Agricultural College (RAC), lead by Dr Richard Smart. I was the wine microbiology lecturer then. Up until its merger with The University of Adelaide, RAC was the foremost school for enological and viticultural education in Australia. It has left an indelible mark on the Australian Wine Industry and had overseas recognition. I still have a bottle of SUMMER WINE (1125 mL) with a Stelvin cap in my cellar. Its colour is somewhat faded now and has a sediment. As I recall it, the wine had a very refreshing taste of berry fruits and was pinkish-red, with good acidity and slight residual sweetness and an alcohol content of 6.5%. It was brilliant wine to drink chilled in the hot summer days. The style became a big hit in Australia in the late 70s with many wineries producing it. Hope wine drinkers in the US will enjoy Gallo’s SUMMER WINE too! Andrew.