The Untold Truth Of Barefoot Wine

Barefoot Wine's origins can be traced all the way back to 1965. That was the year a former newspaper reporter named Davis Bynum started making wine professionally. According to Wine Spectator, Bynum was working for the San Francisco Chronicle when his father purchased a vineyard in Napa Valley. The younger Bynum became a frequent visitor to wine country. On one fateful trip, he met famed winemaker Robert Mondavi and asked him how to make wine. Mondavi recommended speaking to one of his truck drivers, who made wine at home.

Bynum dabbled in the hobby of home winemaking for a few years before committing to it as his full-time job in 1965. That same year, the novice winemaker took some grapes out to his garage and concocted a burgundy wine. He named it Barefoot Bynum Burgundy. Just like that, the Barefoot Wine brand was born. Bynum continued making Barefoot Bynum wines when he opened his own California winery in 1973 (via Wine Enthusiast).

When Barefoot Wine founders Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey started the company, they lacked experience in the wine industry as well as one other critical asset: money. Houlihan told Forbes that they didn't have the capital for traditional advertising, so they needed to get creative. They came up with the idea of partnering with nonprofits. "Instead of money, we donated wine to their fundraisers, our time to their events, and our ability to take their cause to the marketplace," Houlihan said. "When we started to see our numbers climb in local territories, we continued to support non-profits in market after market to grow the brand nationally."

Barefoot named their method "Worthy Cause Marketing," and it proved to be an ingenious strategy. Not only did people enjoy the wine, but they also supported the company's mission. "It felt great to help causes we held dear like conservation, human rights, clean oceans, and beaches," Houlihan told Forbes. "The members of the nonprofits now had a social reason to buy and spread the word about our brand." To this day, Barefoot still supports many nonprofits, including those dedicated to the Black and LGBTQ+ communities.

No one can argue that Barefoot isn't a big name in the wine world, but it's owned by an even bigger company. In 2005, the brand was bought by E. & J. Gallo, the largest wine company in the United States by volume, according to the San Francisco Business Times.

Gallo has a storied history. It was founded in Modesto, California, nearly a century ago by brothers Ernest and Julio Gallo. It has continued to grow its own wine operations over the last 90 years while simultaneously acquiring other wineries. All this has made Gallo one of the most prominent wine companies in the world. Just how big is Gallo? The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported that at the time of the Barefoot acquisition the company owned more than a quarter of the entire U.S. wine market (via San Francisco Business Times). Wine-Searcher says that this has since gone up to more than 30 percent.

Barefoot has plenty of good company as part of the E. & J. Gallo portfolio, which consists of more than 100 different brands. Other notable lines under its control include Andre, Apothic, Boone's Farm, Carnivor, and Manischewitz.

Barefoot Wine isn't just the most popular wine brand in the United States; it's also got world domination on its mind. That's right — Barefoot has gone international. Barefoot Wine is sold in Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and other countries in the Americas. Across the pond, you can find it in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden. Barefoot can even be found as far away as Hong Kong and Korea.

In 2014, Barefoot entered the wine market in Australia. The country is one of the largest wine producers in the world (via Statista). As part of the new business venture, Barefoot began growing its own grapes in South Australia. The operation is managed by winemaker Jen Wall to ensure Barefoot Wine is just as good down under as it is in the states.

By widening its footprint, Barefoot has turned itself into the world's top-selling wine brand. According to a report by Drinks Trade, Barefoot sold 22.5 million cases of wine around the world in 2019, by far the most of any winemaker. Next up was Gallo, with 15 million cases sold.

According to The Wine Cellar Insider, corks have been used to seal wine bottles for hundreds of years. But if you've taken a look around your local wine store lately, you may have noticed that twist tops have become commonplace on bottles (via California Wine Club). There are a number of reasons wineries are making the change. Most notably, defective corks can ruin the wine itself, either by letting in too much oxygen or through cork taint, in which a chemical compound delivers an unwelcome aroma. According to Wine Enthusiast, cork taint affects about 10 percent of corked wine. Twist closures are also less expensive than corks, and, as any wine drinker will happily tell you, are significantly easier to open and close.

While some high-end winemakers have stayed loyal to cork, many others, especially budget brands, have made the switch. Barefoot, however, hasn't fully adopted twist closures, even though it is a decidedly affordable wine brand. Barefoot uses a screw cap on most of its white varietals and some other varieties. However, its chardonnay as well as most of its red wines, including pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot, are all bottled with corks.

It's essentially a rule these days that every alcohol brand must release its own hard seltzer drink. Even though Barefoot has always been a wine producer, the company jumped on the bandwagon in early 2020. In January, the brand announced Barefoot Hard Seltzer would be rolled out nationwide the following month (via PR Newswire).

Trying to distinguish itself from the ever-growing hard seltzer crowd, Barefoot put a unique spin on its boozy drink. According to the company, its product is the first nationally distributed hard seltzer made with real wine. The 4% ABV drink has three main ingredients — Barefoot Wine, seltzer water, and natural flavor — and has just 70 calories and 2 grams of sugar. It comes in four varieties: Pineapple & Passion Fruit, Cherry & Cranberry, Peach & Nectarine, and Strawberry & Guava.

"At Barefoot, we are passionate about creating products that meet the various lifestyles and tastes of our diverse consumer base," Anna Bell, Vice President of Marketing at Barefoot, said in a statement. "With Barefoot Hard Seltzer, we wanted to create a delicious and light-bodied, wine-based hard seltzer that can be enjoyed at home, on the go, or with family and friends."

The COVID-19 pandemic made just about every company change the way it operates. It was no different for Barefoot, but the winemaker showcased an uncanny ability to adapt to the changing world. Unable to meet customers in person, Barefoot brought itself to its customers. One way it reached out was by broadcasting head winemaker Jennifer Wall near and far. "All of a sudden, we've had this opportunity to bring Jen to people, so she's been hosting virtual happy hours," Anna Bell, vice president of marketing at parent company E. & J. Gallo Winery, which owns Barefoot Wine, told Campaign US. "I feel like she's doing them daily. It's great because in the previous world we thought this would be physically impossible — you'd have to fly to a restaurant or grocery — but now it's Indiana today and New York tomorrow."

In March of 2020, just as lockdowns were going into place across the country, Barefoot partnered with "Jimmy Kimmel Live" for a special tasting episode. It also donated $300,000 to the nonprofit Children of Restaurant Employees (CORE). These tactics go hand-in-hand with Barefoot's community-centered ideals. "Barefoot has always been a mission-driven, purpose-driven brand," Bell said. "So, our strategy hasn't changed — which is really to bring people together to create those memorable moments and celebrate cheer, but also by supporting local communities."