E. & J. Gallo Winery, headquartered in south Modesto, is the largest family-owned winery in the world and one of the largest wine companies of any kind. The brothers Ernest and Julio Gallo started it in 1933 and built it into a vast operation that today produces hundreds of brands, from supermarket bag-in-box to high-end Sonoma and Napa labels.
The main Modesto headquarters complex is not open to the public, but its presence is felt all over the city: the Gallo family has funded the Gallo Center for the Arts, restored the McHenry Mansion, and supported the local hospital and university. For winery visits, the Gallo Vineyards experience in Healdsburg in Sonoma County is where tastings happen.