Constellation unveils winery expansion

Steve Bloom, a bottling supervisor at Constellation Brands, checks the labels on a run of Manischewitz Cream White Concord wine at the company’s new bottling facility in Canandaigua. / ANNETTE LEIN/staff photographer

Tuesday's completion of a $7.5 million expansion at the Canandaigua Winery was an occasion to celebrate the future — and the past, too.

The winery at 116 Buffalo St. in the city of Canandaigua was, after all, the beginning point, the launch pad, for what has become Constellation Brands Inc., headquartered in Victor and a giant in the global wine, beer and spirits industry.

It was in 1945 in Canandaigua, in a tiny building adjacent to the railroad tracks, that Marvin Sands created the framework and the ideals for the company his sons developed into an industry leader.

Rob Sands held up photographs from the early days to a gathering of company workers and local dignitaries. He recalled his father's era.

"Marvin told a story about how he had a little office here and a gun in his desk that he didn't use," Sands said. "He wasn't a hunter or anything. One day, a business associate arrived and a deer went by the window right outside here. He pulled out the gun and shot the deer. It was, as far as I know, the last thing he ever shot."

The expansion enables the company to operate several bottling lines previously run at Widmer Wine Cellars in Naples, Ontario County.

Such Constellation products as Manischewitz and Arbor Mist had been produced at Widmer. In 2009, Constellation announced it was closing Widmer and last year sold it to Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards of Hector, Schuyler County.

Sands and Chief Operating Officer Jay Wright said that the expansion, which includes a refurbishment of the façade and offices, permits the winery to produce the Widmer products as well as some of the company's new wines, including Red Guitar and Marcus James.

"This expansion is a cornerstone for the future of our business," Wright said.

The company also unveiled a 190,000-square-foot, $9 million warehouse and distribution center on North Street, a short distance from the expanded winery. The center will be a distribution hub for the company's North American operations.

Having it so close to the winery will reduce fuel costs and save almost 500,000 pounds of carbon-based emissions annually, according to the company's calculations.

Centralizing and simplifying supply networks has been one of the company's objectives in recent years. In a major shift, Constellation sold some of its overseas units, streamlined its distribution system, paid down debt and improved cash flow.

The expansion has added about 20 jobs, said Rich Stabins, director of winery operations. "They came in large part from the Widmer operation.''

Once the expanded bottling and distribution operation is running full-bore, Wright said, it is designed to produce about 20 percent of the company's U.S. wines, or about 10 million cases a year.

Constellation worked with Empire State Development Corp., the Ontario County Industrial Development Agency, Rochester Gas and Electric Corp., and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority in completing the project.

"Constellation's roots are in Canandaigua and we are proud to continue this tradition with additional investment in our hometown facilities," Sands said.