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So far, Sonoma
Gina Gallo searches for the ultimate wine high
by Thor Iverson
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 A single American company makes more wine than the entire continent of Australia. Over one-quarter of all wine consumed in the United States is made by that company.
Few will be surprised to hear the name of the winery behind such awe-inspiring numbers: Gallo. Long a staple of grocery store shelves and wine shop bargain bins, the Gallo name has always meant easy-drinking box, jug, and table wines that are most Americans' introduction to wine.
But there's a new Gallo in town, one determined to make the family name stand for quality, not just quantity. Armed with the formidable training of a master artisan and an insatiable thirst for knowledge about wine and winemaking, Gina Gallo (co-founder Julio's granddaughter) is taking the wine world by storm. As her wines win award after award, Gina has stepped out from her family's carefully-guarded privacy to become the public voice and face of the Gallos. But her success has brought the company to a crossroads.
In Sonoma County, California, where the family's best vineyards are located, the Gallos quite literally move mountains when they interfere with vineyard topography. The company discards more wine than most wineries make, the castoff juice falling victim to relentless experimentation that only the largest companies can pursue. Gallo's Sonoma winemaking facility is the size of an airplane hangar, and contains just about as much advanced electronic equipment. Yet Gina, both in the winery and in the marketplace, continues to single-mindedly pursue quality and value, despite the cost.
Can a winery that bends the very hills to its whims resist the lure of its own success? Can high-quality wine really be made in hundred-thousand-bottle quantities? Can a young student of the artistry of winemaking survive being the only public representative of the world's largest wine company? Gina Gallo believes she has the answers.
Next page | The person behind the wine
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Meet Gallo of Sonoma winemaker Gina Gallo in this video clip!
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Gina Gallo
;)
