The origins of this US beverage giant with its headquarters in Rochester in the US state of New York date back to 1945, when Marvin Sands (1926-1999) founded the "Canandaigua Industries Co" company with eight employees in the town of Canandaigua in the Finger Lakes region. He had learnt winemaking from his father Mack Sands at his Car-Cal Winery in North Carolina. Marvin's aim was to produce inexpensive bulk wine. The company was renamed Canandaigua Wine Company in 1972, Canandaigua Brands Inc. in 1997 and Constellation Brands in 2000.

In addition to acquisitions in the wine, beer and spirits sector, Constellation Brands also invested in the cannabis sector. Since 2017, the company has held significant shares in Canopy Growth, a leading provider of medical and recreational cannabis, thus underlining its strategic diversification. Constellation has become one of the largest wine companies in the world through the continuous acquisition of wineries, vineyards, beer and spirits brands. Significant acquisitions include Bisceglia Brothers Winery in 1974, Batavia Wine Cellars in 1982, Manischewitz in 1987, Guild Wineries in 1991, Vintners International in 1993, Almaden Vineyards and Inglenook Winery in 1994, Franciscan and Simi Winery in 1999, Hardy's in 2003, Mondavi in 2004, Vincor International in 2006 and Grupo Modelo's US beer business in 2013.
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The Wine lexicon helps me to keep up to date and refresh my knowledge. Thank you for this Lexicon that will never end in terms of topicality! That's what makes it so exciting to come back often.
Thorsten Rahn
Restaurantleiter, Sommelier, Weindozent und Autor; Dresden