Inside Gallo's Grape-to-Glass Supply Chain

Most wine drinkers picture a boutique vineyard. Andrew Rice says the real story is scale: hundreds of rail cars, thousands of truckloads, and a regulatory maze most consumers never see. In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton and special guest co-host Wanda Johnson speak with Andrew Rice, senior ERP technical product manager at Gallo, about the wine supply chain. From grape to glass, government regulation and the three-tier system, harvest and weather risk, inventory and aging complexity, and how technology like agentic AI is transforming operations. Andrew explains why wine supply chain complexity comes down to regulation and aging, how Gallo balances luxury and commercial brands against the unpredictability of nature, why most wine should actually be consumed within one to five years rather than aged indefinitely, and how Gallo's tech-forward culture is helping the company scale one of the world's oldest industries. Jump into the conversation:(00:00) Introduction(02:52) Meet Andrew Rice, senior ERP technical product manager at Gallo(08:19) What makes the wine supply chain unique: regulation and the three-tier system(15:25) From grape to glass: mapping Gallo's supply chain functions(24:08) How weather and harvest conditions shape flavor and planning(34:10) What surprises people most about the wine industry: it's the scale(42:27) The truth about wine and aging: most bottles won't get better with time(48:11) How robotics, and agentic AI are transforming Gallo's operations Additional Links & Resources:Connect with Andrew Rice: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-rice-supplychain/ Learn more about Gallo: http://www.gallo.com Connect with Wanda Johnson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wanda-riddick-johnson-28070a3/ Learn more about our hosts: https://supplychainnow.com/about Learn more about Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.com Watch and listen to more Supply Chain Now episodes here: https://supplychainnow.com/program/supply-chain-now  Subscribe to Supply Chain Now on your favorite platform: https://supplychainnow.com/join  Work with us! Download Supply Chain Now’s NEW Media Kit: https://supplychainnow.com/media-kit/ Learn more about Blue Yonder Cognitive Solutions: http://blueyonder.com/cognitiveWEBINAR- SAP AI Inside the Supply Chain: From Silo to Orchestration: https://bit.ly/4bvpz6KWEBINAR- Labor Is a Margin Decision: How Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling Spent a Decade Making It Stick: https://bit.ly/4d4FauGWEBINAR- Operational AI in the Supply Chain: How context empowers agents and humans to operate side by side: https://bit.ly/4x7Vd2ZWEBINAR- You Can't Manage What You Can't See: Using Visibility, KPIs, and AI to Optimize Logistics Operations: https://bit.ly/4ql6iem This episode was hosted by Scott Luton and Wanda Johnson, and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/inside-gallos-grape-glass-supply-chain-1632 The content in this episode, including all audio, videos, visuals, and graphics, is the property of Supply Chain Now and is protected by copyright law.