The future of a long-running Madera winery is uncertain after it’s contract to produce a boxed wine for Gallo Winery is ending.
Mission Bell Winery, founded in 1919 by farmer and entrepreneur Krikor Arakelian, has been a mainstay in the San Joaquin Valley’s wine industry. At one time, the company employed 400 people and bottled about 10 million cases of wine a year, according to the Madera County Economic Development Commission.
But over the years, ownership of the winery has shifted from local to corporate. In 2020, the owner of the winery, the New York-based Constellation Brands, divested itself of several mainstream wine and spirit brands to the Gallo Winery. Included in that deal was Mission Bell…