Franzia is a brand of

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

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 a wine sold in " bag-in-box" packaging. Traditionally, this consists of a cardboard box containing a wine filled plastic reservoir. The flow of the wine from the box is controlled by a 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. is an American producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits. A ''Fortune'' 500 company, Constellation is the largest beer import company in the US, measured by sales, and has the third-largest market share (7.4 pe ...

and the E&J Gallo Winery. The Franzia brand today has no business relationship with Fred Franzia of the Bronco Wine Company, known for its low-cost Charles Shaw wines. The Franzia family sold the brand to

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

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. Teresa loaned Ernest the money to start his company.

History

The brand was originally named after the Franzia family, who began growing grapes in California in 1892 and making wine in 1933 after the repeal of prohibition, later operating as the Franzia Brothers Winery, a Central Valley winery in Ripon, California. 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 Bronco Wine Company. 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 Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

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 Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

organize an unofficial campus scavenger hunt involving boxed wine.

References

External links

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