Canandaigua Wine Co. retrofitted a 37-year-old distillation unit at its Mission Bell Winery near Madera, Calif., with a Fisher-Rosemount PlantWeb field-based control system, obviating an estimated $3 to $4 million cost to recondition a distillery at another plant.
The renovated distillery produces 191/192-proof alcohol for Canandaigua's fortified wines and liqueurs, and is capable of producing the neutral-tasting alcohol for Canandaigua's top-quality brandies as well. This allows production of top-quality alcohol to be switched from a nearly dissolved all-copper still at another winery, saving the cost of reconditioning that still and providing a quick payback for the controls upgrade.