• MSNBC, Monday, August 22, 2011 10 AM

Richard and Rob Sands took their father's little wine company on a two-decade buying binge, turning a regional purveyor of low-pedigree plonk into an alcoholic-drinks powerhouse. Along the way, the brothers acquired one other seemingly enviable label in 2003: world's biggest vintner.

But size doesn't trump success. Constellation has been pruning methodically for five years as it strives to invigorate profits in a choppy economy and refocus on solidifying its supremacy in the sweet spot "premium category" -- higher-margin wines priced from $5 to $20 a bottle.

In January, it dropped to No. 2 in the vintner-by-volume rankings behind longtime leader E. & J. Gallo of Modesto, Calif., when it offloaded a once-promising Australian wine business that had gone badly awry.

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