Codorniu Breaks Ground: Ground was broken in...

Codorniu Breaks Ground: Ground was broken in Napa Valley by Codorniu of Spain, one of the world’s largest and oldest champagne producers, for a $22-million winery to make bubbly from California grapes. Construction was to begin immediately on the 350-acre Carneros District installation. The first release of the wine, made in the traditional manner with fermentation in the bottle, is expected in 1991. Founded in 1551 on the outskirts of Barcelona at Sant Sadurni d’Anoia, Codorniu’s 16 miles of cellars can age 110 million bottles of wine at a time. The Napa site is on the cool southern end of the valley in the prized U.S. wine grape-growing area, where land--even without producing vines--can sell in the range of $50,000 an acre.