{"id":3147,"date":"2015-07-13T23:12:27","date_gmt":"2015-07-14T05:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/brutalhammer.com\/?p=3147"},"modified":"2015-07-13T23:12:27","modified_gmt":"2015-07-14T05:12:27","slug":"the-king-of-the-jug-wines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brutalhammer.com\/the-king-of-the-jug-wines\/","title":{"rendered":"The King of the Jug Wines"},"content":{"rendered":"
The King of the Jug Wines is Charlie “Carlo” Rossi<\/a>, who, though he died in 1994, still reigns over the category today. He peddled a pretty good, mostly honest wine for E & J Gallo Winery until his death at age 90. I say “mostly” honest, because he had less to do with making the wine that bears his name than either he or the Gallo company let on.<\/p>\n Charlie started out as a grape shipper during Prohibition, and had the foresight to marry into the Gallo family when Ernest and Julio’s wine empire began to rise. He went to work for Gallo as a salesman. In 1962, according to the unauthorized history of Gallo, Blood & Wine<\/i>, by Ellen Hawkes<\/a>, Gallo introduced a cheap wine called “Mountain Red” that became popular because it sold in a big jug with a ring handle for carrying. In the late-60s, the counterculture embraced Mountain Red: a Berkeley, California hippie commune, for example, called themselves “Red Mountain Tribe”<\/a> after their favorite Gallo product. But Ernest Gallo, not an Age of Aquarius sort, didn’t appreciate the free publicity. He decided that Mountain Red needed a re-branding.<\/p>\n Re-brand as what, though? Shirttail relative Charlie was still on the payroll, now working in the marketing department. He had a fortunate last name in common with the Italian winemakers Martini & Rossi, famed for their sparkling wine and vermouth (although Charlie was no relation). And, as it turned out, the congenial Charlie proved to be good in front of a camera, better even than the actors<\/a> that Gallo auditioned for the new, yet-unnamed brand. Why not? Charlie started going by the Italian “Carlo,” Mountain Red was retired, and in 1975, 40 years ago this year, “Carlo Rossi Vineyards” was born.<\/p>\n