Canandaigua Wine Introduces Western Australia's Most Celebrated Winery; Houghton Wines Launched in U.S.

CANANDAIGUA, NY -- Canandaigua Wine Company (NYSE:STZ)(NYSE:STZ.B) is pleased to announce the US launch of wines from Houghton, Western Australia's most-awarded winery. These outstanding wines will begin appearing in restaurants and select fine wine shops throughout the United States this month.

With a distinguished heritage dating to 1836, Houghton (pronounced Ho-ton) produces an exceptional range of wines from its Swan Valley estate vineyards and the prime southwestern growing districts of Margaret River, Pemberton and Frankland River, which border the Indian Ocean and benefit from its marine influence. The strikingly pure varietal flavors and refined textures of these elegant, regionally expressive wines reflect the spectacular natural beauty of Western Australia, one of the world's most distinctive and captivating wine regions.

Houghton has long been at the forefront of viticultural innovation in Western Australia. For 51 consecutive vintages during the 20th century, its winemaker was the legendary Jack Mann, whose passion and visionary genius established Houghton's enduring reputation as Western Australia's finest winery. Today, under the stewardship of senior winemaker Rob Bowen, Houghton remains synonymous with Western Australian winemaking excellence and a benchmark of quality for producers throughout Australia.

American wine lovers can now savor Bowen's artistry, as Canandaigua introduces Houghton Chardonnay, Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay-Verdelho, Shiraz, and Cabernet-Shiraz-Merlot nationally at a suggested retail price of $15.

"Western Australia is distinguished from other Australian growing regions by the elegance, balance, refined textures and distinctive varietal purity of its wines," says Houghton Wines marketing director Diana Pawlik. "Those qualities will make Houghton's wines enormously appealing to discerning American wine consumers."

Pawlik has reason to be confident. Australian wines priced $15 and above are enjoying phenomenal sales growth in the U.S. market. In 2005, they soared 22% in dollar sales and 38% in volume sales, compared to overall growth rates for Australian wines of 10.6% (volume) and 12.8% (dollars)(1). An increasing amount of the growth is being driven by wines from Australia's cooler-climate regions, especially Western Australia.

"More and more wine enthusiasts are discovering the super- and ultra-premium wines of Australia's premier growing districts," Pawlik says. "As Western Australia's leading fine wine producer, Houghton perfectly embodies the allure of this captivating wine region."

Houghton is imported by Canandaigua Wine Company, the popular-priced and premium wine producer of Constellation Wines U.S., which is part of Constellation Wines, the world's largest wine business, an operating division of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) (NYSE:STZ.B) ("CBI"). Constellation Wines U.S. encompasses four of CBI's U.S. wine businesses: Canandaigua Wine Company, Icon Estates, Pacific Wine Partners, and North Lake Wines. Leading brands include Arbor Mist, Cook's, Covey Run, Inglenook, Monkey Bay, Robert Mondavi Private Selection, Talus Collection, Vendange, and Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi.

(1) Based on I.R.I data for 52 weeks ending December 25, 2005, as reported in Wine Market Report, January 18, 2006