The Popular & Hidden Brand Behind Aldi's Winking Owl Wine

From incredibly inexpensive household items to affordable maple syrup, Aldi is known for its low-priced products. The chain retailer has a few strategies that help it slash prices, but one of the top reasons its groceries are so cheap is the fact that the store sells a number of products under its own private label. One of those products is Winking Owl Wine, which is available exclusively at Aldi, and clocks in at a significantly lower cost than you'd pay for many other boxes and bottles. While exact price may vary by location, most bottles of Winking Owl Wine can be found for $4.39, and come in multiple variations, including a Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, Moscato, Merlot, and more. 

Whether you're an enthusiast of red, white, or rosé, the discount grocer has you covered, but they're not making it on their own. Instead, according to documentation filed with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, Winking Owl Wine is a product of E.& J. Gallo Winery in Modesto, California. While you won't find this private label product listed on the winery's website, the company does, in fact, supply Aldi with these reasonably priced (and seriously underrated, according to Redditors) wines. The partnership between this Cali-based winery and Aldi isn't a new one, either. In fact, the 92 year old family-owned business appears to have been producing Winking Owl Wine since at least 2004.

Named for co-founders and brothers Ernest and Julio Gallo, E.& J. Gallo Winery began operating in 1933. Since then, the Central Valley-based business has grown to become the largest winery franchise in the world. Its portfolio boasts nearly 100 wines ranging from sparkly champagne and Prosecco to port and sangria, as well as a number of other whites, reds, and rosés. Wine enthusiasts may recognize Gallo's own eponymous lineup of wines, as well as common brands like Apothic Red, Ecco Domani, Alamos, and Barefoot.

E.& J. Gallo Winery also produces more than grape-based beverages. In the mid-1970s, the company expanded with its offshoot, Spirit of Gallo. Now, it heads up the production and distribution of a variety of liquors and liqueurs. Additionally, Spirit of Gallo has gotten involved in the Ready To Drink cocktail category, and was instrumental in bringing Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez's popular tequila-based VMC drinks to the United States.

The award-winning Gallo brand has been recognized not just for its products, but for its business practices, too. It has been rated numerous times among the Top 100 Places to Work by Glassdoor and a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality with a 100% score on the Corporate Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in 2022. Gallo is also dedicated to preserving its founding brothers' agricultural process that are rooted in sustainability, with initiatives and processes in place that include utilizing renewable energy, repurposing and reducing waste, and cutting down on packaging (via Gallo). So next time you are wandering down the beverage aisle at Aldi, consider reaching for that bottle of Winking Owl Wine, knowing it's made by E. & J. Gallo Winery.