The Naked Grape Wines, owned by Gallo

[Barbara]

Looking at my local supermarket for something inexpensive to drink, I found several varieties of Naked Grape wines. I always check the label to see where anything is from and if it says "Modesto" I leave it alone. This only had a website and nothing to indicate where in California, or what company is the producer, which should have tipped me off. I looked at the website and, while there is no mention of Gallo, it does say "Modesto," which is a dead giveaway. Sigh.

[Mark Slater]

Was it next to the Barefoot? (another fine Modesto product)

[DonRocks]

It's Gallo (thinly disguised via a privately held company called "Grape Valley Wine Company.")

[Barbara]

Was it next to the Barefoot? (another fine Modesto product)

Not exactly, but it should have been. I wonder why Gallo is too ashamed to put its name on its products?

ETA: For inexpensive, somewhat sweet, white wines I like to get a Horton at the HT in AdMo. There are a couple of varieties that are about $8 a bottle and are perfectly fine to drink while watching "Dancing with the Stars." Or, election returns.

[DonRocks]

Not exactly, but it should have been. I wonder why Gallo is too ashamed to put its name on its products?

Same reason Laurent Tourondel didn't put his initials on Casa Nonna.

Proctor & Gamble has done this for decades - they own, among many other brands: Ariel, Bold, Bounce, Bounty, Camay, Cascade, Charmin, Cheer, Clairol, Cover Girl, Dawn, Downy, Dreft, Fixodent, Gillete, Gain, Gleem, Gucci (!), Head & Shoulders, Hugo Boss, Iams, Ivory, Joy, Lenor, Luvs, Max Factor, Mr. Clean, Olay, Old Spice, Pampers, Pantene, Peptol Bismol, Safeguard, Scope, Secret, SK-II, Tampax, Tide, Vicks, and Wella.

The list of brands that they *used* to own, but have divested from, is equally impressive.

[Barbara]

Same reason Laurent Tourondel didn't put his initials on Casa Nonna.

Proctor & Gamble has done this for decades - they own, among many other brands: Ariel, Bold, Bounce, Bounty, Camay, Cascade, Charmin, Cheer, Clairol, Cover Girl, Dawn, Downy, Dreft, Fixodent, Gillete, Gain, Gleem, Gucci (!), Head & Shoulders, Hugo Boss, Iams, Ivory, Joy, Lenor, Luvs, Max Factor, Mr. Clean, Olay, Old Spice, Pampers, Pantene, Peptol Bismol, Safeguard, Scope, Secret, SK-II, Tampax, Tide, Vicks, and Wella.

The list of brands that they *used* to own, but have divested from, is equally impressive.

Yes, but the back of the label lists P&G. I just looked at the back of the Pantene bottle in the bathroom and there it is. I know that some of these others also lists P&G on the back labels because, in my efforts to boycott anything by Georgia Pacific, I do a lot of label-reading. The difference between P&G and Gallo is that there is no way to know something is a Gallo product--except that it is from Modesto.

[DonRocks]

Yes, but the back of the label lists P&G. I just looked at the back of the Pantene bottle in the bathroom and there it is. I know that some of these others also lists P&G on the back labels because, in my efforts to boycott anything by Georgia Pacific, I do a lot of label-reading. The difference between P&G and Gallo is that there is no way to know something is a Gallo product--except that it is from Modesto.

My guess would be that people are more likely to examine a bottle of wine than a box of detergent.

I'll never forget the first time I saw a six-pack of Ice House (from "Plank Road Brewery"), I bought it because I thought I might have stumbled upon a new microbrew. One sip was all it took to know I'd been swindled. Now, the situation has grown even more complex because products which used to be legitimate microbrews have either sold their names, or have ramped up production so much that they no longer are - two means to the same end.

[johnb]

Same reason Laurent Tourondel didn't put his initials on Casa Nonna.

Proctor & Gamble has done this for decades - they own, among other brands: Ariel, Bold, Bounce, Bounty, Camay, Cascade, Charmin, Cheer, Clairol, Cover Girl, Dawn, Downy, Dreft, Fixodent, Gillete, Gain, Gleem, Gucci (!), Head and Shoulders, Hugo Boss, Iams, Ivory, Joy, Lenor, Luvs, Max Factor, Mr. Clean, Olay, Old Spice, Pampers, Pantene, Peptol Bismol, Safeguard, Scope, Secret, SK-II, Tampax, Tide, Vicks, and Wella.

The same can be said for a huge variety of consumer products producers (foods, personal care, cleaning etc.). Unilever, Kraft, Nestle, Coca Cola, Kellogg, Hershey, Colgate, and many others all have dozens of well known brands that probably most people don't realize are coming from them. Some companies they have never even heard of such as Reckitt Benckiser (there's one that almost nobody has heard of) bring us well-known brands such as Frank's Hot Sauce, Woolite, French's Mustard, Calgon, Lysol, and Dr. Scholl's.

That said, Barbara is correct in that Gallo usually establishes a separate company for each line, and uses that name on the label. The only way to be sure is to note that the, say, Boone's Farm Wine Company is located in Modesto, Ca. And I too have stopped using Georgia-Pacific brands as much as I can keep up (giving up Brawny paper towels was tough). I still watch NOVA on PBS though.

[porcupine]

There are a couple of varieties that are about $8 a bottle and are perfectly fine to drink while watching "Dancing with the Stars." Or, election returns.

For election returns, really? I was thinking Everclear might be the right choice.