Barefoot wines from Modesto’s Gallo win top award. Rare release of sales figures
Wine Enthusiast magazine gave its American Winery of the Year award to the Barefoot line from Modesto.
It is the top-selling brand for E.&J. Gallo Winery and for the domestic industry as a whole. The honor was announced Thursday, Nov. 13, in the magazine’s online version. It reported that sales totaled about $555 million last year.
The family-owned Gallo Winery does not usually disclose sales figures. It did note in a news release that Barefoot has attracted 3.9 million new customers over the past year alone.
Barefoot offers about 40 still and sparkling wines, some with other fruits added to the grapes. Wine Enthusiast said they appeal especially to younger drinkers in the $15-and-under category.
The label is part of Gallo’s goal of “democratizing the wine category,” Chief Marketing Officer Stephanie Gallo said in the release. “Barefoot has empowered millions of consumers — regardless of their wine knowledge or experience — to confidently explore and enjoy wine.”
She is part of the third generation of a business founded in 1933 by brothers Ernest and Julio Gallo. It mainly made lower-price products from San Joaquin Valley grapes until venturing into premium regions in the 1980s.
Gallo today is the world’s largest producer, employing about 7,000 people in several states and nations. It also makes or distributes hard liquor brands.
Barefoot was launched in 1965 as Barefoot Bynum, a jug wine made by Davis Bynum in Albany, Alameda County. The name refers to the old method of crushing grapes. The brand went dormant in 1973 and was acquired in 1986 by Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey. They sold it to Gallo in 2005.
Jennifer Wall had been Barefoot’s head winemaker since 1995 and continues in that role with Gallo. She told The Modesto Bee in 2008 that the line benefited from the new owner’s marketing skills and access to grapes.
“We were kind of a bootstrap operation before and were undercapitalized,” Wall said. “That is no longer an issue.”
Barefoot has been the official wine of the NFL since the 2022 season. One TV ad has a locker room setting and a gruff football coach shouting the praises of pinot grigio.
A promotion in 2023 offered seats in a Kansas City stadium box with Donna Kelce, mother of players Jason and Travis. The latter was at an early stage of his romance with singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, who’s now his fiancée.
Wall said in Thursday’s new release that Barefoot wines are “varietally correct.” Each has just one grape type, such as zinfandel or chardonnay, rather than blends.
“Barefoot has always been about bringing people together,” Wall said, “and I’m proud to continue producing wines that add joy to life’s special moments and everyday occasions.”
This story was originally published November 13, 2025 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Barefoot wines from Modesto’s Gallo win top award. Rare release of sales figures."
