Franzia is a brand of

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are ...

produced by

The Wine Group The Wine Group is an American alcoholic beverage company founded in 1981, and based in Livermore, California. Products It produces wine brands including Franzia, Cupcake Vineyards, Benziger Family Winery, Chloe Wine Collection, 7 Deadly Wines, ...

, known for its

box wine Boxed wine (cask wine) is wine sold in a bag inside a box. The box is made of cardboard or corrugated fiberboard, which supports a plastic bladder filled with wine. The wine flows out from a plastic push-release valve. History The process for ...

s sold in 3 and 5-liter cartons. Franzia wines, throughout their history, were known as affordable table wines, popular in the 1960s and 1970s as "jug wine", and now as "box wine". The Wine Group is the third largest wine company in the world, behind

Constellation Brands Constellation Brands, Inc., a Fortune 500 company, is an American producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits. Constellation is the largest beer import company in the US, measured by sales, and has the third-largest market share (7.4 percen ...

and the E&J Gallo Winery. The Franzia brand today has no business relationship with Fred Franzia of the

Bronco Wine Company The Bronco Wine Company is a vintner that produces wines under many brands and is based in Ceres, California. It is the fourth largest producer of wine in the United States. Bronco Wine Co has 10000 employees at all locations globally. (Employees ...

, known for its low-cost Charles Shaw wines. The Franzia family sold the brand to

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atla ...

in 1973 when Fred Franzia was in his early adult years; and it was sold to

in 1981. Teresa Franzia (born Teresa Carrara, 1879–1949) founded the Franzia Wine Company in 1906. Teresa's daughter, Amelia Franzia Gallo, was the wife of winemaker

Ernest Gallo Ernest J. Gallo (March 18, 1909March 6, 2007) was an American businessman and philanthropist. Gallo co-founded the E & J Gallo Winery in Modesto, California. Early life Gallo was born on March 18, 1909, in Jackson, California.Ripon, California Ripon is a city located in San Joaquin County, California. The population was 14,297 at the 2010 census. Ripon was originally known as Stanislaus City, but was renamed for Ripon, Wisconsin, in 1876. History Ripon, on the site previously known as ...

. In 1973, Coca-Cola agreed to acquire the Franzia Brothers Winery for stock valued at about $49.3 million. As part of the acquisition, the Franzias were prohibited from using their name in future winemaking businesses - The Franzia Brand, prominent on the boxed wines, is today unconnected to the family, who have subsequently opened a business called the

. In 1981, the Coca-Cola Company agreed to sell the wine business of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York (which included the Franzia Brothers Winery alongside the Mogen David Wine Corporation and Tribuno Wines Inc.), in a management buyout involving the top-level managers of the bottler's wine business and the First Boston Corporation.

Vineyard

Franzia is produced by The Wine Group, which is based at

Concannon Vineyard Concannon Vineyard is the second-largest winery in the Livermore Valley of California, producing around 30,000 cases annually. It is well known for its Petite Sirah and Concannon was the first winery to bottle this grape as a varietal wine in 196 ...

in San Francisco's East Bay, but operates 13 wineries in California, New York and Australia.

Wines

Red Wines

* Bold and Jammy Cab * Burgundy * Cabernet Sauvignon * Chianti * Chillable Red * Dark Red Blend * Fruity Red Sangria * Merlot * Pinot Noir/Carmenere

White Wines

* Chablis * Chardonnay * Crisp White * Moscato * Pinot Grigio/Colombard * Refreshing White * Rich & Buttery * Sauvignon Blanc

Blush Wines

* Pink Moscato * Rosé * Sunset Blush * White Merlot * White Zinfandel

In popular culture

Oregon State University students organize the tour de franzia, a costumed bike parade inspired by the brand's namesake. The parade attracts students, local residents, and out-of-towners and occurs every term. Similarly, students at Wesleyan University organize an unofficial campus scavenger hunt involving boxed wine.

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Food, Wine Wine brands American wine