E. & J. Gallo is renewing the portfolio of its Ravenswood brand. The company announced this on March 5, 2025. This month will already see a Dry Creek Valley AVA Zinfandel hit the market, followed in May by the three single-vineyard wines MacMurray Vineyard, Teldeschi Vineyard, and Monte Rosso Vineyard, all also Zinfandel and from the 2023 vintage.
Distribution for the relaunch portfolio is initially limited to a few US states, with availability low at around 40,000 bottles. The price range is between $29.99 for the Dry Creek Valley and $69.99 for the Monte Rosso Vineyard Zinfandel. In its press release, Gallo pointed out that this new Ravenswood portfolio is intended to explore the breadth and potential of Zinfandel in the current market. The label has also undergone a visual relaunch for the new wines.
From ‘No Wimpy Wines’ to a fresh, lighter approach
In its heyday, Ravenswood had actually sold almost 1m cases of wine. Joel Peterson founded the brand in 1976 and made it famous with the motto ‘No Wimpy Wines.’ The Zinfandel Vintners Blend was one of the best-selling wines in its category in the US for many years. Thanks to some investors, the winery grew considerably, went public, and was finally acquired by Constellation in 2001 for $148m (approx. €137m). Because sales were declining, the winery was closed in 2020, and the brand was resold to Gallo the following year as part of a package of more than 30 wine and spirits brands.
The fact that Gallo is now bringing the brand back into focus is surprising given the current reservations of US consumers about red grape varieties with high potential alcohol content – such as Zinfandel. However, Matt Gallo, Vice President of Winegrowing at Gallo, explains: "Our family has a long and proud history of growing and producing Zinfandel in Sonoma County. We are very interested in its future success."
Michael Eddy-Cort, who previously worked for more than 15 years at Napa Valley pioneer Louis M. Martini, is responsible for the new wines. Eddy-Cort has announced that he wants to produce authentic Zinfandel without reproducing its clichés. "So I want wines that are fresh and light," he was quoted as saying by "Wine Spectator," "as opposed to dried fruit and port wine flavors." His consulting mentor is none other than Ravenswood founder Joel Peterson himself. The new wines were actually supposed to be launched last year. However, the market launch was postponed by one year due to the very hot 2022 vintage. SP/VM
