Many wine drinkers may not be aware that there are premium, luxury brandies from California - but that could change now that famed winery E. & J. Gallo has acquired California’s first luxury brandy, Germain-Robin. As part of the acquisition, E. & J. Gallo will acquire the brand, the company’s inventory of aged and aging brandies, and all finished goods.

The two founders of the Germain-Robin brand, Ansley Coale and Hubert Germain-Robin, were pioneers in the creation of critically-acclaimed, world-class California brandies. They also were at the forefront of blending Cognac traditions and techniques with California winemaking and premium grape varieties. If you recognize the name Germain-Robin, it’s no coincidence - Hubert Germain-Robin is a descendant of the Jules Robin family, Cognac producers since 1782.

Nearly 100 years after the Robin family began producing Cognac, Hubert German-Robin decided to create a small distillery using traditional craft-method distillation techniques. In 1982, he and Ansley established Germain-Robin. The two men began making brandies from premium California wine grapes. By the late 1990s, when Germain-Robin's cellar had matured, their brandies gained attention as some of the world's finest spirits recognized for their elegant, complex and distinct taste.

"It is a privilege to be entrusted with the stewardship of Germain-Robin's California brandy legacy," said Ernest J. Gallo, General Manager of Gallo's Spirits Business. "We are fortunate to have Ansley Coale and Joseph Corley, Hubert's apprentice and current Germain-Robin distiller and cellarmaster, remain involved as part of the acquisition. We are pleased to continue delivering remarkable and unique California brandies that will appeal to whiskey and bourbon drinkers and other connoisseurs of brown spirits around the world."

So what’s next for this California brandy? The goal is to get wider distribution for the brandy and build awareness of the world-class nature of brandies made with California grapes. “For decades, Germain-Robin has struggled to place brandy distilled from California wine where it belongs: a category, long overlooked, in fact worthy of inclusion at all levels among the world's finest spirits," said founder Ansley Coale.

Becoming part of the Gallo portfolio will give Germain-Robin the marketing and production resources that it needs to gain wider distribution. "We hope — indeed intend — that our unique knowledge and capabilities, supported and augmented by, and carefully integrated into, Gallo's deep experience and powerful resources in both production and marketing, will help bring brandy from California wine the recognition it so richly deserves,” said Coale.

There are now more than 80 brands within the Gallo portfolio, including Barefoot Cellars, Dark Horse, and Gallo Family Vineyards. Gallo Spirits offers New Amsterdam Vodka and Gin and E&J Brandy, in addition to imported Scotch whiskies from Whyte & Mackay, including The Dalmore, Jura Single Malt, and John Barr.

It’s easy to see how this deep experience with brandy and whiskey - combined with the distribution expertise for such a large portfolio of brands - will help E. & J. Gallo Winery get Germain-Robin the exposure and distribution it deserves. The next time you’re dining out and looking for the perfect drink to pair with dessert, see if the menu includes a world-class brandy from California.