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Gina Gallo, Third-Generation
Gallo Winemaker Biography
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 By the time
she was 10 years old, Gina Gallo already
had an avid interest in nature and making
things grow. She enjoyed tending the gardens
with her father and grandfather and picking
fruits and vegetables that her mother and
grandmother would turn into family meals.
As a teenager, Gina spent her high school
summers working at the Gallo family’s
winery, and after graduating from the Notre
Dame de Namur University with majors in
Business and Psychology, she joined the
Gallo sales team.
Shortly thereafter, Gina followed in her
grandfather Julio Gallo’s footsteps
and found her true calling as a winemaker.
She began her journey by enrolling in the
acclaimed winemaking program at the University
of California at Davis. After graduating
in 1990, she accepted a position as an apprentice
winemaker at the experimental micro-winery
in Modesto with her grandfather and Marcello
Monticelli, a 30-year Gallo team veteran.
Three years later, Gina completed her first
full harvest in the role of winemaker.
Active in many wine industry organizations
and charitable associations, Gina sits on
the Boards of Directors of Hunger Related
Events, a national charity that raises funds
to feed the hungry in cities across America;
The United Way of Sonoma-Mendocino-Lake
counties; and Women Chefs & Restaurateurs,
dedicated to the education and advancement
of women in the restaurant industry. In
addition, Gina has recently been named president-elect
of the International Wine and Spirits Competition,
and is the only person to be named both
red and white “Winemaker of the Year”
at the Japan Wine Challenge, Asia’s
largest wine competition.
Her winemaking education continues today
with every harvest under the guidance of
her father Robert J. Gallo, wine master
Marcello Monticelli and brother, winegrower
Matt Gallo.
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