Exhibit 10.27


                                AMENDMENT NO. 8
                                    TO THE
                        CANANDAIGUA WINE COMPANY, INC.
                STOCK OPTION AND STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHT PLAN


        Pursuant to Section 15 of the Canandaigua Wine Company, Inc., Stock 
Option and Stock Appreciation Right Plan (the "Plan"), the Board of Directors 
hereby amends the Plan, effective upon the date hereof, as set forth below.

        Section 9 of the Plan is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as 
follows:

        9. DEATH OF PARTICIPANT. In the event that a Participant shall die while
        he is an employee or director of the Company and prior to the complete
        exercise or maturity of options or SARs granted to him under the Plan,
        any such remaining options or SARs with exercise periods may be
        exercised in whole or in part within one (1) year after the date of the
        Participant's death and then only: (i) by the Participant's estate or
        by or on behalf of such person or persons to whom the Participant's
        rights pass under his Will or the laws of descent and distribution, (ii)
        to the extent that the Participant was entitled to exercise the option
        or SAR at the date of his death except that the Committee retains
        discretionary authority to permit the exercise of any option or SAR
        granted to the Participant which was not exercisable at the time of his
        death by accelerating the date of exercise of the option or SAR to any
        date within one (1) year after the Participant's death and prior to the
        expiration of the term of the option or SAR, and subject to all of the
        conditions on exercise imposed hereby, and (iii) prior to the expiration
        of the term of the option or SAR. If the Committee elects to exercise
        its discretionary authority to accelerate the date of exercise of any
        option or SAR, then the option or SAR shall be exercisable within the
        period specified in the Committee's action. In the case of SARs with
        fixed maturity dates, if the Participant dies while he is an employee or
        director of the Company such portion of the SAR as shall be set forth in
        the SAR Agreement shall be paid on terms set forth in the SAR Agreement
        to the Participant's estate or to such person or persons to whom the
        Participant's rights pass under his Will or the laws of descent and
        distribution.


 


 
                                      -2-
 
        IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Canandaigua Wine Company, Inc., has caused the 
instrument to be executed as of September 9, 1996.

                                        CANANDAIGUA WINE COMPANY, INC.


                                        By:  /s/ Richard Sands
                                             ----------------------------------
                                             Richard Sands
                                        Its: President