Almaden Vineyards Innovates with New Bottle Packaging; Contemporary Look Maintains Brand's Tradition of Quality.

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CONCORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 5, 2003

Almaden, California's oldest winery at over 150 years old, has introduced new glass packaging for all bottle sizes. The bottle, label and capsule have been updated with an elegant, contemporary design. With its new look Almaden is focused on extending its reach to new consumers and enhancing the experience of current consumers who value Almaden's quality and convenience.

The new package design maintains Almaden's proprietary 'swirl' contour. A teardrop-shaped label accented with soft tones echoes the contours of the trademark swirl. New capsule and neck labels in matte gold and bronze color treatment lend an upscale feel to the packaging. The Almaden 'Light' line, which includes Almaden Light Chablis and Almaden Light White Zinfandel, is differentiated by a silver swirl and capsule wrap. The updated Almaden logo and seal communicate a fresh, new look while leveraging Almaden's history and tradition of quality.

"The brand personality of Almaden is at once fresh, contemporary, innovative and experienced," said Diana Pawlik, Almaden brand manager. "We wanted our packaging to reflect these brand characteristics, while conveying Almaden's universal appeal as an everyday entertaining wine."

HKA Design, a leading design firm in San Francisco, California, was hired to develop Almaden's stylish new look. "Our goal was to create a fresher, more spirited feeling for the highly recognized Almaden brand," said Ken Horiszny, Principal, HKA. "Our refinement of the Almaden wordmark was inspired in part by the custom Almaden 1.5- liter bottle and its flowing lines which have proven so successful with consumers."

Almaden wine in new glass packaging is now available on retail shelves nationwide. Suggested retail price ranges from $3.99-$5.99. Almaden is also available in convenient, 5-liter box packaging.

Almaden is made by Canandaigua Wine, the popular and premium wine company of Constellation Wines, a division of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ, STZ.B). Canandaigua Wine produces, markets and sells more than 40 well known brands. Leading table wine brands include Alice White, Almaden, Columbia, Covey Run, Dunnewood, Inglenook, Talus and Vendange. Constellation Brands is a leading international producer and marketer of beverage alcohol brands, with a broad portfolio across the wine, spirits and imported beer categories. The Company is the largest multi-category supplier of beverage alcohol in the United States; a leading producer and exporter of wine from Australia and New Zealand; and both a major producer and independent drinks wholesaler in the United Kingdom.

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