The Galleron Brothers in 1962
Paul (left) & Virgil (right)

When Lt. Paul Galleron returned home from the war, "Galleron Bros.", a general partnership between Virgil & Paul was officially formed. It was 1947, and the family business of winegrowing was officially passed to the next generation of Galleron's. Unfortunately, grape prices had dropped to $27.00 a ton.

In 1952 a truly important Napa transaction took place when the Gallo winery in Modesto struck a deal with the Napa Co-operative winery to buy the grower's entire production of red and white wine. The arrangement lasted for thirty-four years and helped bring financial stability to the large number of Napa vineyardists dependent on the Big Co-op as an outlet for their grapes. - Napa Wine, A History by Charles L. Sullivan.

On April 21, 1951 Virgil Galleron became a member of the Board of Directors of the Napa Valley Cooperative Winery and on August 30, 1954 he was elected President. Virgil remained president for the next 30 years and governed as many as 260 independent growers. In a 1979 National Geographic Magazine article on the Napa Valley, Virgil was quoted as saying, "Mr. Gallo has brought stability to this valley. He is always on our neck for higher quality grapes. He educated us, but mainly Gallo gave our grapes a home."

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