Honoring the life of Ernest Gallo.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in full support of House Concurrent Resolution 88, honoring the life and many achievements of Ernest Gallo.

I am proud to say that Ernest Gallo was not only a constituent of mine but he was also a dear friend. Over the years I served in the California State legislature and here in Congress, Ernest's deep commitment to California and to winemaking was a constant presence that guided many of my legislative efforts.

Decades ago Ernest Gallo, along with his brother Julio, recognized the great potential of the San Joaquin Valley, with its temperate weather and its extraordinary fertile soil, to foster the growth of a strong domestic wine industry. They cultivated the Gallo Winery from a small plot of land with just a few grape varieties to a multinational beverage company that ranks as the second largest in the world.

My district, California's 18th Congressional District, grows nearly 250 different crops, from asparagus to sweet potatoes, and is home to a number of agricultural businesses, some small and some quite large. But not one business has had more impact on the rich tapestry of the valley than Gallo Winery.

The Gallo Winery provides hundreds of my constituents with high-skill employment opportunities and serves as a solid foundation for continued growth in the region. The Gallo family has contributed to countless community projects throughout the valley and to medical research projects devoted to curbing alcoholism.

Ernest Gallo and the Gallo Winery revolutionized the U.S. wine industry. But what was once a boutique industry reserved for the upper crust of society is now a billion dollar business that equalizes social classes by allowing the masses to participate in wine drinking and winemaking.

In his youth, Ernest and his brother Julio recognized an unmet need in the wine industry. Demonstrating his acute business skills, Ernest quickly capitalized on the market gap and set about to create inexpensive wines for the enjoyment of all citizens. The trend of affordable wines caught on, and quickly Gallo Winery became one of the most respected companies in the business.

For agriculture, the impact has been just as immense. The success of the Gallo Winery was one of the catalysts to bringing much-needed attention to the other side of American agriculture, that which was taking place outside of the traditional farming that was done in the Midwest.

Furthermore, Gallo's commitment to environmentally sustainable farming permeates the wine grape growing industry even today and will surely be the standard for years to come.

Ernest and the entire Gallo family have long partnered with the surrounding community, especially with the city of Modesto, to give back in a number of generous ways. For instance, the Gallo Arts Center in Modesto, which is under construction now, once completed will attract quality arts and entertainment performances where there had been virtually none before. For the first time, valley residents can participate in the cultural experiences on par with our urban neighbors.

However, above all, beyond Ernest's commitments and achievements in his professional life, he must also be lauded for his personal story. He was the son of Italian immigrants who

started out with nothing and, armed with little else than a brochure in winemaking from the local library, he grew the Gallo Winery empire.

Ernest Gallo is one of the finest examples of an American success story. Our culture praises individuals like Ernest, and rightly so. It is what we teach our children and our children's children, that you can take nothing for granted, that you always must take what you are given, and in Ernest's case it was his keen business sense, and turn that gift into something substantial.

I am proud to have represented Ernest Gallo all these years and even more proud to have called him my friend. He will be remembered fondly for his contributions to the industry, to agriculture, and to the community.

I thank my colleagues for their consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 88) honoring the life of Ernest Gallo.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Ernest Gallo, who learned his craft of winemaking from a recipe in the basement of the Modesto public library with his brother Julio and with $5,900 of borrowed money, developed one of the largest wine empires in the world. They founded the E. & J. Gallo Winery in 1933 at the end of Prohibition. The Gallos rented a building and made an ordinary wine for 50 cents a gallon. They made $30,000 their first year of business. Mr. Ernest Gallo was an aggressive business leader who worked long hours and then went home and worked some more. His company made wines under more than 40 labels and employed 4,600 workers with wine sales in over 90 countries.

For decades the name ``Gallo'' was synonymous with inexpensive California wine. Mr. Gallo battled that image with advertisement; with humor; and to a large extent, by buying up wineries with more exclusive labels than his own company.

Robert Mondavi of Napa Valley, and a friend, said, ``Ernest was a visionary. He was committed to making America a wine-drinking country.''

Mr. Gallo lived and breathed wine. He aired wine commercials on TV and participated on wine promotion boards. He chaired the Wine Institute and mentored generations of winemakers. He erected wine billboards and traveled the country checking on wine displays in supermarkets. He enjoyed drinking his own wines, particularly a product that morphed over years from ``red table wine'' to ``Cabernet Sauvignon.''

Mr. Gallo had an uncanny talent for tapping into consumer tastes with sweet products such as Boone's Farm, which was so popular in the 1970s, which caused a worldwide shortage in the apple concentrate it was made from, and other products like Ripple and Thunderbird.

He moved upscale in 1974, introducing high-quality, cork-finished varietal wines, but the venture failed. He also developed E. & J. brandy and Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers. Additionally, Mr. Gallo developed its Gallo of Sonoma line and began buying upscale competitors, including the Mirassou and Louis M. Martini labels, and introducing foreign brands Ecco and other types of wine.

Mr. Gallo died unexpectedly in his Modesto home on March 6 of this year. He lived to the ripe old age of 97. And his brother Julio Gallo passed in 1993.

I commend the gentleman from California (Mr. Cardoza) for introducing H. Con. Res. 88, honoring the life of Ernest Gallo, and I urge its swift passage.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to Representative Dennis A. Cardoza of California.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Today we honor the lifetime achievements of Ernest Gallo, one of the most celebrated American winemakers of the last century.

Ernest Gallo was the eldest of three brothers, born in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California to Italian immigrants. He and his brothers grew up learning about vineyards and winemaking from their father. Upon their parents' untimely death in 1933, Ernest and his brother Julio took control of the family business. Learning from library-issued pamphlets on winemaking, their goal was to make their company nationally known for affordable and quality wine. They founded E. & J. Gallo Winery with a humble investment of $5,900. Over time they went on to develop one of the largest wine empires in the world, now employing 4,600 workers and selling to 90 different countries. In fact, his winery currently sells one out of every four bottles of wine that Americans now consume.

Along with founding E. & J. Gallo Winery, Ernest Gallo often supported the industry through philanthropic work. He founded the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto. He established the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California at San Francisco, which conducts numerous studies and research for genetic, biochemical, and neurobiological aspects of alcohol abuse, as well as health care and education related to alcohol use.

Along with great financial success, Ernest Gallo and his winery won numerous prestigious awards, including the wine industry's highest honor, the American Society of Enologists Merit Award, in 1964 for outstanding leadership in the industry. They won the Gold Vine Award, the 1983 Distinguished Service Award from Wine Spectator, and the Winery of the Year Award in both 1996 and 1998 from the San Francisco International Wine Competition.

After a long and successful career as a winemaker, businessman, and philanthropist, Gallo passed away on March 6 at the age of 97 at his home in Modesto, California. His many distinguished accomplishments in the wine industry and his strong community involvement deserve to be recognized and honored by the Congress.

I urge all Members to support H. Con. Res. 88.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud that the House of Representatives is considering H. Con. Res. 88, a resolution honoring the life of Ernest Gallo. I am an original cosponsor of this resolution and a long- time admirer of Ernest Gallo, who sadly passed away on March 6.

Ernest Gallo was a pioneer in the field of winemaking and a generous philanthropist. He was also a friend to me and my late husband, Congressman Robert Matsui. His story is remarkable and exemplifies the American dream. Born to Italian immigrants, Ernest and his brother Julio, took just $5,900 in savings and a winemaking pamphlet from the Modesto Public Library, and from this modest start built the world's second-largest winery. He foresaw the potential for the California wine industry and relied upon smart ideas and hard work to build an incredibly successful business that today serves as an industry model. Today, the Gallo Winery is an important driver of northern California's regional economy, providing good jobs for 4,600 families.

But Ernest's lifetime contribution to California and the Nation went beyond his business achievements. As he became more successful, Ernest gave back to the community where he grew up. Ernest Gallo's personal generosity is demonstrated by such endeavors as the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto and the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco. These important institutions stand as a reminder of Ernest Gallo's life and his spirit.

I hope all of my colleagues will join me in supporting this resolution and honoring the life and memory of Ernest Gallo.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a distinguished Californian, a great American, and a dear friend--Ernest Gallo, the patriarch of the family-owned E&J Gallo Winery. After 97 full years, Ernest Gallo passed away on March 6.

Ernest and his brothers grew up growing grapes in the vineyard of their father, an Italian immigrant. With the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the Gallo brothers saw an opportunity to expand the family business. With just $900 in savings, a $5000 loan, and a wine recipe from the Modesto Public Library, Ernest and Julio began to build what would become the world's largest winemaking empire.

Ernest became the head of the family and the head of the business; he ran the business and Julio produced the wine. They worked throughout their lives to improve the quality of American grapes and deserve much of the credit for turning America into a wine-drinking country.

Their success resulted from passion and hard work. Ernest's entrepreneurial skills, instinctive business sense, and marketing ideas were extraordinary. He was as innovative, as he was visionary.

Ernest Gallo was also deeply generous--a patron of many charities, education and political campaigns. He funded the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at UCSF, one of world's preeminent academic centers for the study of the biological basis of alcohol and substance abuse.

Ernest deeply loved his family, especially his wife Amelia and his son David, who both preceded him in death, his son Joseph, and his four grandchildren. I extend my deepest sympathies to them all today.