The Brand Behind Aldi's Winking Owl Boxed Wine

Alcohol prices are known to reach sky-high levels, even at the most affordable stores — remember when a coveted $40k wine was unexpectedly spotted at Costco? For most of us, these types of price tags are ridiculously unattainable, and so we look for much, much cheaper options. Aldi, a go-to affordable store for many, is also one of the most popular grocery chains for wine. One of its in-house brands, Winking Owl, sells for less than $5 (though the price may vary by location). This is despite the fact that the product comes from one of the most prominent wineries in the United States: E. & J. Gallo.

In 1933, brothers Ernest and Julio Gallo started a winery in California that became an instant success. They produced over 600,000 gallons of wine in the first two years, and by 1966, the company was the biggest winery in the United States by the number of sales. In 1999, it secured a "Winery of the Century" title, and a year later the title of "Best American Wine Producer." The accomplishments kept piling up in the following years. The Gallo winery expanded as the company purchased multiple vineyards, wineries, and wine brands across the US. Today, E. & J. Gallo owns more than 90 brands, including Aldi's Winking Owl.

Aldi's Winking Owl brand offers 10 different bottled varieties and two boxed wine blends. Among the types of red wine it offers, you'll find cabernet sauvignon, merlot, sangria, shiraz, and sweet red. If you're leaning toward white wine instead, you get to pick between chardonnay, moscato, pinot grigio, and sauvignon blanc. And finally, there's the white zinfandel variety of rosé. All the bottles come with the design of a cartoonish winking owl, which admittedly is not a requirement for good wine, but it's certainly a nice visual touch.

Winking Owl wines are far from being a low-quality alternative to their pricey counterparts. Many customers who have sampled the brand's wines sang its praises on Reddit, noting the good flavor profile despite the low price. Some have even admitted to sampling all the varieties in a quest to find their favorite. For the Beverage Testing Institute, Winking Owl pinot grigio emerged as one of the favorites in the World Wine Championships when it scored a silver medal and a "Best Buy" title.