FETZER EARNS KUDOS FOR CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY:
BUSINESS ETHICS MAGAZINE'S AWARD FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AND CLIMATE WISE AWARD FROM THE U.S. EPA

Hopland, Mendocino County (December 13, 1999) - Fetzer Vineyards, the nation's sixth largest premium wine maker, received two new commendations honoring the company's outstanding commitment to environmental sustainability.

Business Ethics magazine chose Fetzer as one of only three companies earning its "1999 Business Ethics Awards" for Environmental Excellence, and announced the award on November 16. The awards are designed to honor corporate responsibility in a wide range of areas including stakeholder relations, employee ownership, and environmental concerns. In their press release announcing the award, Business Ethics commended Fetzer for its "broad-based approach to environmental sustainability, combined with financial excellence". Judges for the awards included Jonathan Hickman, co-author of Corporate Report Card and research associate at the Council on Economic Priorities; Marjorie Kelly, co-founder and editor of Business Ethics; Steven Lydenberg, principal with Kinder, Lydenberg and Domini social research firm in Cambridge, MA; Joel Makower, Editor, The GreenBusiness Letter in Oakland, CA; and Sally Power, Professor of business ethics at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis.

Fetzer was also honored by the US Environmental Protection Agency in a ceremony November 2, when it received a Climate Wise Partner Achievement Award for "significant accomplishments in improving energy efficiency and reducing pollution". Fetzer Vineyards, the largest wine producer in Mendocino County, California produces 3.5 million cases of varietal wine each year. Fetzer has made a serious commitment to harvest and produce wine in an environmentally responsible way. With over 700 acres farmed organically, Fetzer is one of the largest growers of organic wine grapes in the world. Each year the winery recycles tons of waste paper, surplus cardboard, cans, glassware, wooden pallets and metals, and composts 10,000 tons of grape pomace. As a result, it has cut its trash by 93% between 1990 and 1998, eliminating the dumping of 1,580 cubic yards of landfill.

"We are committed to making high quality wines with as little impact on the environment as possible," explains Paul Dolan, Managing Director of Fetzer Vineyards. "And we are also demonstrating that companies can reduce their impact on the environment while improving their bottom line."

Fetzer Vineyards, located in southern Mendocino County, California, was founded by the Fetzer family in 1968. Fetzer's premium varietal wines, including Valley Oaks(tm) Cabernet Sauvignon, Eagle Peak(tm) Merlot, and Sundial(tm) Chardonnay are among the best selling wines in America. The winery was purchased by the Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE: BFB) in 1992. Throughout the last decade, Fetzer has played a leading role in organic farming of vineyards and minimizing the winery's impact on the environment. The winery has won numerous awards for its outstanding reductions in landfill use, green construction practices, and recycling practices.

For more information on Fetzer Vineyards, please visit its website at www.fetzer.com. To learn more about the Business Ethics Awards program, visit its website at www.Business-Ethics.com. To learn more about the US EPA Climate Wise award program, please visit its website, www.epa.gov/climatewise.

Contact:
Sid Goldstein 415/444-7441 or 800/945-9463, x7441
Sid_Goldstein@B-F.com
or Sara Moore Cummings
415/444-7426 or 800/945-9463, x7426
or Sara_Cummings@B-F.com