E. & J. Gallo Winery behind Howard Dean’s “Merlot Democrats” slogan

Sonoma, California (October 18, 2005) – For the past several months, Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean has mysteriously promoted the strange term “Merlot Democrats” to describe the Democrat base constituency. No one understood exactly why Dr. Dean attributed this “exotic and snobbish term” to the blue-collar, beer-drinking base Democrats. Now, the mystery is lifted, the true driving force behind Dr. Dean’s Merlot Democrats slogan is reported to be the winery giant E. & J. Gallo of Sonoma, California, who is not only the world’s largest wine maker, but also the dominator of the merlot wine market in the US. As a major supporter of the Democratic Party, E. & J. Gallo has donated $ 195,680 to the Democrats and only $ 15,770 to the Republicans. In a statement released this morning, Dr. Dean vehemently declined any “quid pro quo” deal between the winery’s money contribution and his promotion of the “Merlot Democrats” slogan.