One of the world’s largest wine companies just got a little bit smaller.
Constellation Brands, believed to be the largest wine company by volume, has sold New York’s Widmer Winery.
Widmer was a big name in New York wine during the early 1900s. But its star descended in the 1970s as California wines caught on. In 1986, it was acquired by Canandaigua Wines (today’s Constellation) and used to produce the sweet kosher wines branded Manischewitz.
In 2009, Constellation modernized a nearby facility and moved considerable production there, rendering Widmer expendable.
Widmer’s new owner is Hazlitt’s 1852 Vineyards, which will use the facility to produce its Red Cat, White Cat and other large-volume wines.
Also involved in the deal is the Rochester Institute of Technology, which will work with Hazlitt to produce educational programming for its School of Hospitality and Service Management.
