Marvin Sands founded Canandaigua Industries in 1945 in the Finger Lakes region of New York at age 21, with eight employees and a focus on selling bulk wine to bottlers in the eastern United States. In its first year, the company sold approximately 200,000 gallons of wine and generated gross sales of $150,000. The company was incorporated as Canandaigua Wine Company, Inc. in 1972 and completed its initial public offering in 1973, providing capital for the acquisition-driven growth strategy that would define the company for decades. In 1954, the company introduced Richard's Wild Irish Rose, a dessert wine that became its flagship brand and significantly expanded market presence. The 1987 acquisition of the Manischewitz winery in Canandaigua added kosher wine capabilities. The pivotal diversification beyond wine came in 1993 with the $123 million acquisition of Barton Incorporated, which brought distilled spirits brands and imported beer distribution rights including Corona Extra. This acquisition doubled the company's size and established the foundation for its future beer business. In 1997, Canandaigua Brands Inc. was formed as the parent company reflecting the diversified portfolio. The company changed its name to Constellation Brands in 2000 to signal its breadth across wine, beer, and spirits. The 2004 acquisition of Robert Mondavi Corporation for approximately $1 billion added premium and super-premium California wines including the Robert Mondavi Winery, Woodbridge, and Robert Mondavi Private Selection, making Constellation the largest fine wine company in the United States. Between 2003 and 2008, the company executed a series of international acquisitions including BRL Hardy (Australia), Nobilo (New Zealand), Vincor International (Canada), and Beam Wines Estates, expanding its global wine footprint. In 2007, Spirits Marque One was acquired, bringing SVEDKA Vodka into the portfolio. The 2007 creation of the Crown Imports joint venture with Grupo Modelo gave Constellation 50% ownership of the U.S. import rights for Corona and Modelo brands. The transformative moment came in 2013 when Constellation acquired Grupo Modelo's U.S. beer business from Anheuser-Busch InBev for approximately $4.75 billion as part of an antitrust settlement. This transaction gave Constellation 100% ownership of Crown Imports, the state-of-the-art Nava brewery in Mexico, and exclusive perpetual brand licenses for Corona and Modelo in the U.S. The company immediately began investing $500-$600 million to double Nava's capacity. In 2016, Constellation acquired the Obregon brewery for $600 million to achieve supply independence. The company also planned a new Mexicali brewery with $1.5 billion in investment, though this project faced local opposition and was eventually relocated. The 2015 acquisition of Ballast Point Brewing for $1 billion represented an ill-fated foray into craft beer; the company sold Ballast Point in 2019 for a fraction of the purchase price after craft beer growth slowed. The 2017 investment in Canopy Growth began with a $191 million stake that grew to approximately $4 billion by 2018, making Constellation the largest shareholder with 38% ownership. This investment was predicated on cannabis legalization creating a massive new market, but regulatory delays, oversupply in Canadian cannabis, and Canopy's operational challenges produced billions in losses. The company has been unwinding this position. In 2021, Constellation sold 30 low-cost wine brands to E. & J. Gallo for $810 million as part of its premiumization strategy. In November 2022, stockholders voted to eliminate Class B Convertible Common Stock and shift to a single class of common stock, ending the Sands family's enhanced voting control. The family received $1.5 billion (pre-tax) of cash for their shares. In January 2025, the company completed the SVEDKA Vodka divestiture, and in April 2025 announced plans to divest remaining mainstream wine brands while retaining premium and luxury wines. In June 2024, Constellation relocated its headquarters to a 170,000 square foot campus in Downtown Rochester, becoming the first Fortune 500 company to operate in the city in two decades.