The Major Name Brand Behind Aldi's Winking Owl Wine

When you're trying to get wine drunk on a budget, there's no place like Aldi. In particular, the Winking Owl line has bottles made with a whole bunch of different grapes, and each label has a cute, colorful image of its namesake nocturnal bird. If you live near an Aldi that you can buy alcohol from, all of the wine bottles will cost $4, give or take. More than 90% of the products the discount grocery store carries are private label, which means there are major brands behind Aldi's own products.

In the case of Winking Owl, the beverage is made by E. & J. Gallo Winery (otherwise known simply as Gallo). The wine company was originally founded back in 1933 in Modesto, California by two brothers, Ernest and Julio Gallo. Since then, it has grown into a massive winemaker and beverage producer with a portfolio that encompasses both economical and high-end selections of wine, spirits, and beer. Gallo is the company behind affordable, well-known wines such as Barefoot, Black Box, Andre, Alamos, Clos du Bois, Dark Horse, La Marca, and, of course, Gallo Family; just to name a few. On the other hand, it also owns Massican, which sells bottles for close to $40 each, and Rombauer. The latter brand sells several bottles costing around $70, though there are several options priced at $115 or more.

Thanks to Gallo and Aldi's budget-conscious business model, you can find 10 different 750-milliliter bottles as well as a few 3-liter boxes of Winking Owl wines. For white wines, there's a chardonnay, pinot grigio, and sauvignon blanc. If you're a red wine person, grab a cabernet sauvignon, merlot, or shiraz. Those that prefer a sweeter beverage can choose between a white zinfandel, Moscato, sweet red, or a bottled sangria.

Selling at just a few dollars a bottle, some wine drinkers say Aldi's offerings are comparable to products that cost five times as much. "I was expecting a cheap-tasting wine, but this exceeded expectations! I'll be going back to grab a couple bottles," shared one five-star reviewer on Vivino who sampled the Winking Owl sauvignon blanc. "I loved it, very sweet and soft fruity wine. Hints of peach all over it," shared a moscato fan (via Vivino). On the same wine-reviewing site, all three reds received a respectable 3.2 stars from upwards of 2,000 ratings each. If you prefer these fuller-bodied grapes, you really can't go wrong. You might as well try them all, especially since they're priced so affordably.