Reply #24: Wine enthusiasts make a note

[Lost-in-FL]

Robert Mondavi Wines are now owned by CONSTELLATION which is RED!! Notes on Constellation:

Constellation Brands is a spirited company. The company makes and distributes about 200 brands of beer, wine, and spirits in the US and the UK. Its Constellation Wines division is the global leader in wine sales, offering brands such as Almaden, Banrock Station, Hardys, Inglenook, Vendange, and Arbor Mist. In late 2004 the company bought Robert Mondavi Corporation for $1.36 billion. The US wine divisions are operated as three quasi-separate entities: Constellation Wines, Pacific Wine Partners and Franciscan Wine Estates. Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakwood, CA, is now part of the Franciscan Estates portfolio, while Woodbridge and Robert Mondavi Private Selection will fall under the Pacific Wine Partners umbrella. Other premium wines include Ravenswood, Estancia and Simi. Constellation Brands through its Barton Beers unit imports beers such as Corona and Tsingtao. The company markets distilled spirits such as Fleishmann's and Barton, and produces and distributes cider, wine, and bottled water in the UK. The founding Sands family controls about 88% of the firm's voting power.

In December 2004 Constellation Brands acquired Robert Mondavi, including its top-selling Woodbridge and Robert Mondavi Private Selection brands and luxury brands like Opus One (in partnership with France's Rothschild family). Robert Mondavi currently leases vineyards in California that supply about 10% of its neede