| Type | Flavored fortified wine |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | E. & J. Gallo Winery |
| Distributor | E. & J. Gallo Winery |
| Origin | United States |
| Alcohol by volume | 17.5 |
| Proof (US) | 35 |
| Color | Red |
Night Train Express, typically referred to as just Night Train, was a discount, flavored fortified wine produced by E. & J. Gallo Winery in the United States. It was one of several low-cost, high-alcohol fortified wines marketed in the late 20th century,[1] was fortified with brandy to increase its strength, and typically contained 17.5–18% alcohol by volume (ABV)[2][3]
Along with Thunderbird, Night Train Express was one of Gallo’s fortified wine brands most closely associated with this market segment.[2][4][1]
The wine was discontinued in 2016 following a gradual decline in sales that coincided with a 1989 temporary withdrawal from shelves.[5] By the late 1980s, the product had become closely associated with controversy over cheap fortified wines in urban neighborhoods and social problems.
History
Night Train Express was one of Gallo's best known fortified wine brands during the late 20th century.[2][1] Contemporary reporting noted that fortified wines were sold for between 90 cents and $1.50 per three-quarter-liter bottle and could reach up to 20% ABV.[3] However, like all discount, fortified wines, Night Train Express was controversial amongst civic leaders in major cities who often attributed it to a rise in vagrancy and public drunkenness of homeless people.[6]
The wine has been described as a "cheap way to get drunk fast"[7] and "as usually hidden by brown bags on Tenderloin street corners."[8] Efforts to restrict sales varied by city and developed over time.[1] In 1989, amid sustained pressure from community groups and local officials, Gallo agreed to limit sales and marketing of Night Train Express in "skid row" neighborhoods and directed distributors to restrict supply in those neighborhoods.[2][3] The same year, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors called for a voluntary ban on fortified wine sales in a 70-block downtown district.[2] Other cities, including San Francisco and Seattle, also banned the sale of Night Train in downtown and skid row areas.[9] Later reporting indicated that such measures had uneven long-term effects: A 1996 San Francisco Chronicle article reported that cheap fortified wine remained concentrated in poorer neighborhoods, including San Francisco’s Tenderloin and Oakland’s Lafayette Square.[1]
Cultural reception
The wine inspired the song "Nightrain" on the album Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses.[10][11] The wine is referenced in the song "See You Later", on the album Mic City Sons by indie rock band Heatmiser, the lyric is unchanged in the Elliott Smith rerecorded version from the posthumously released album New Moon. It was repeatedly referenced in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers, most notably in a scene in which Joliet Jake finishes a bottle and later proclaims "That Night Train is a mean wine".[12]
References
- Dietz, David (1996-07-07). "The Bottom of the Barrel / Although inner-city groups are working to rid stores of high-octane, screw-top wines that sell for pocket change, vintners aren't about to give up an industry that brings in $125 million a year—even if it soils the image of t [sic]". SFGATE. Retrieved 2026-05-11.
- "WINE: Thunderbird Gets Plucked". Retrieved 2026-05-11.
- Mathews, Jay (22 September 1989). "Gallo, Reacting to Pressure, Halts Cheap Wine Sales in 'Skid Row' Areas". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- Humes, Edward (2013). A Man and His Mountain: The Everyman Who Created Kendall-Jackson and Became America's Greatest Wine Entrepreneur. PublicAffairs. p. 147. ISBN 978-1-61039-285-3. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- Dent, Bryan. "Last Stop for Night Train Express". Modern Drunkard Magazine (63). Retrieved 17 October 2025.
- Veseth, Mike (17 July 2013). Extreme Wine: Searching the World for the Best, the Worst, the Outrageously Cheap, the Insanely Overpriced, and the Undiscovered (19 ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 979-8-216-29753-6.
- Blackburn, Ian; Levine, Allison (21 April 2008). The Learning Annex Presents The Pleasure of Wine. Turner Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-470-33324-2. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- Holmes, Robert (26 December 2012). A Traveller's Wine Guide to California. Interlink Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62371-015-6. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- Murakami, Kery (December 7, 1998). "Alcoholics finding way around ban". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2006-11-14.
- Popoff, Martin (17 June 2025). Guns N' Roses at 40. Motorbooks. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-7603-9399-4. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- "Guns N' Roses Celebrate Cheap Booze on 'Nightrain': The Story Behind Every 'Appetite for Destruction' Song". Ultimate Classic Rock. 2017-07-20. Retrieved 2026-05-11.
- Martin, Scott C. (16 December 2014). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Alcohol: Social, Cultural, and Historical Perspectives. SAGE Publications. p. 1404. ISBN 978-1-4833-3108-9. Retrieved 5 September 2025.