Gallo Confirms Tainted Wine

An article in the Los Angeles Times reports that Gallo has confirmed that traces of TCA have been found in wines bottled at its processing facility in Sonoma. 90 different Gallo wines totaling nearly 2 million cases a year are bottled there under such labels as Rancho Zabaco, Frei Brothers, Gallo of Sonoma and Louis Martini. The chemical is not a health risk but can produce an unpleasant off-taste in the wine.

TCA is the abbreviation for trichloroanisole, a chemical byproduct of the interaction between mold and chlorine, which is used as a cleaning solution and to bleach corks and oak barrels. Contaminated corks are often a source of TCA in bottled wine. One of the mysteries of the Gallo contamination is that the winery stopped using chlorine as a cleaning agent years ago

The Times article also mentions that Gallo which produces about a third of California's wine, is the world's second largest wine producer.

I had thought that Gallo was the largest wine company . I was surprised to find out elsewhere that the world's largest wine company is Constellation Brands, a name totally unfamiliar to me although I did recognize its wine brands.

Reply to
Sam D.
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Where is "Constellation Brands" based, and what are its wine brands?

M.

Reply to
Michael Pronay

NY.

As you can imagine, they do a lot of bulk wine and sell much of that to Gallo.

Some names that come under the Constellation umbrella are:

Taylor, Almaden, Arbor Mist, Blackstone, Hardys, Ravenswood and Stowells of Chelsea. They also do many other wines, spirits and beer.

Gallo is the largest producer in the US with well over half the market.

If this type of thing interest you, a good book that describes these companies and the behind the scenes workings is "The Wrath of Grapes" by Lewis Purdue. It's a bit dated now, but still interesting.

On the original topic, cork taint (TCA) does not always reside in the cork and can come from exposure in the cellars.

clyde

Reply to
Clyde Gill

Thank you.

I didn't imagine anything, never having heard of Constellation and ignoring their whereabouts.

Pardon me, but how can Gallo be US's largest producer when Constellation is even bigger? There seems to be a logic that escapes me.

Yes, but then it will not infect bottles as randomly, as does TCA in corks.

M.

Reply to
Michael Pronay

Constellation is world's largest , because they own BRL Hardy's now (big Oz producer). So while they are largest US-based producer, Gallo is actually largest producer of US wines. Dale

Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply

Reply to
Dale Williams

Thank you for clarification.

M.

Reply to
Michael Pronay

Without any prior knowledge of your knowledge, I'd imagine that you would be able to imagine that the worlds largest producer of wine dealt with bulk wines and also dealt with the largest producer in the US. But I've been told more than once that I have a wild imagination.

Bottle variation could occur if the TCA was introduced in the bottling process, which is one of the more likely sources of contamination, given the intricacy and general nature of the operation plus the timing of the exposure.

If TCA is introduced to the wine while in bulk (very possible), it usually is detected before the bottling process, though it can have a nasty tendency to progress with time, especially while *in* the bottle.

clyde

Reply to
Clyde Gill

You may also know them better as Canandaigua - they only changed the name to Constellation a few years back, about the same time they started their acquisition spree. Once they started buying quality producers like Ravenswood, I suspect they wanted to lose the Canandaigua association with sweet wines from New York.

- Mark W.

Reply to
Mark Willstatter

Michael

This is the old Canandaigua Wine, headquartered in Fairport, NY. I know this because I grew up in Fairport. They have gotten big by acquiring a large number of wine brands over the years. I believe that started out by making NYS sparkling wines.

Tom Schellberg

Reply to
Xyzsch

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com (Xyzsch) adds....

because I grew up in Fairport.<

Then I'll bet you miss Casa Larga, just up the hill from Crud Corners?

When you said last year you were from the area, I had no idea how close.

My Dad retired to Fairport Village and we'll be headed back there in a few months for the first time in about 2 years.

After a few good fish frys out Macedon & Lyons way and a couple of plates of greens and beans w/a few Twelve Horse draughts at the Northside Inn, we'll be ready for a long shopping spree at Georgetown Liquors, with a swing by pillage at Wegmans for good measure.

Small world indeed.....

Always here for my fellow syngraphist or oenophile.

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Reply to
Jim

That helps even more, thank you.

M.

Reply to
Michael Pronay

Absolutely. Without any prior knowledge I'd imagine the world's largest producer in the world's largest wine producing countries, France or Italy.

M.

Reply to
Michael Pronay

Jim wrote: : snipped-for-privacy@aol.com (Xyzsch) adds....

:>This is the old Canandaigua Wine, headquartered in Fairport, NY. I know this : because I grew up in Fairport.<

: After a few good fish frys out Macedon & Lyons way and a couple of plates of : greens and beans w/a few Twelve Horse draughts at the Northside Inn, we'll be : ready for a long shopping spree at Georgetown Liquors, with a swing by pillage : at Wegmans for good measure.

Jim -- Georgetown Liquors? Is this what the old House of Bacchus in Georgetown Plaza is calling themselves these days? Swinging through Syracuse by any chance?

Mark S

Reply to
<mjsverei

snipped-for-privacy@rodan.syr.edu asks....

Plaza is calling themselves these days?<

Nah, Georgetown Plaza is out on Ridge Road in Rochester and that's the House of Bacchus.

Georgetown Liquors is in a strip plaza in Fairport at the corner of Mosley &

  1. Very heavy wine inventory for the area. Not Century Liquors by any means, but hey, how much selection do you need to stay amused for a few weeks?
Reply to
Jim

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Article states that the likely source was a Chlorine based cleaning agent used at Gallo's Dry Creek Valley cellar.

It also mentions that the TCA was in the range of 2-6 parts per trillion for the affected bottles - which Gallo claim is undetectable by most palates?

Reply to
Sad Dad

I don't imagine it would be detectable by anyone's _palate_, though they might well pick it up by nose......

Reply to
Bill Spohn

I am not going to bash Gallo. I did plenty of that in the eighties, when they deserved it. But this current media play does not bode well with me...

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Do you want to drink this?

Tom In CTown

Reply to
Thomas Hornikel

I`m not going to bash gallow either.... but, I`m definitely not going to buying their brands for the forseeable future.... not even if they were to put all their wine on sale at half price....

I find that the store I was buying the wine at is mostly gallo made wines of different lables.... even some of their moderately priced wines like gallo of sanoma.... cabernet.... which is to be one of gallos better wines... but still had some yuck taste....

And though I am new to wine drinking, I did notice that all those wines had an off taste..... I`m glad to hear that it was the wine and not my taste buds......

Fortunately, I have found some other low priced wines without that off taste.... Livingston cab under five dollars u.s..... Good for an everyday wine for me.... It doesn`t have that gallo off taste... so I hope that it isn`t a gallo wine under a different lable..... end of ramble....

Reply to
Vizzion

If it was "Livingston Cellars", then yes, it is a Gallo Wine. One of their production wineries is located in Livingston, CA. I believe the label depicts the main building in Modesto tho'.

Reply to
Scooter

I had already bought a second bottle of Livingston cab, and it was almost undrinkable..... but, managed to gulp most of it down.... It must have been that tca musty old thing going on..... Thank you for the info about it being a gallo wine....

I thought I would try a different red, so I bought a Paul Vella merlot in a five liter box... 11.99 usd..... It should last a month after opening without oxidating....

Since recently beginning with wine, I had only bought cabernets.... So I thought it was time to branch out... to other reds....

The vella merlot isn`t bad.... I am swirling and sipping some as I type.... There is some black cherry, and grape taste... light and pleasant.... and sweet.... does not seem to have much of an alcohol kick or content...

I will have to test it against other merlots.... but with five liters in the fridge it may take a few days...... to finish.... but, I do seem to enjoy this better than the cabs that I have had already tried......

Reply to
Vizzion

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