GROWTH RATES FOR DECEMBER

Christine Farkas of Merrill Lynch reported that U.S. wine rose by 1.6% in December and spirits increased 1.1%. The overall average in 2005 for wine and spirits was 1.6% and 1.2% while beer’s CPI growth averaged 1%. All in all, “wine enjoyed its strongest pricing since 2000, reflecting improving mix (and favorable in our view for Constellation Brands).”