Wine Industry Report

Fortune Brands, Inc., (NYSE:FO), the consumer brands company, announced that its Board of Directors today approved an 8% increase in the dividend on the company’s common stock. The dividend will increase 12 cents per share to an annual rate of $1.56 (payable $0.39 per quarter) from $1.44 per share ($0.36 per quarter). The next quarterly dividend is payable on September 1, 2006
to shareholders of record at the close of business August 9, 2006.

“In addition to delivering consistently strong operating
performance, we see increasing the dividend as an important component
in creating shareholder value,” said Fortune Brands chairman and chief
executive officer Norm Wesley. “This marks the tenth year in a row
we’ve increased the dividend since the company began trading as
Fortune Brands. Over that ten year period, we’ve nearly doubled the
dividend - a fact that reflects our commitment to using our financial
strength to return immediate value to shareholders. This most recent
increase, along with the value-creating strategic moves we’ve made,
underscores our confidence in Fortune Brands’ ability to continue
delivering strong results in the future.”

The company also declared a regular dividend of 66.75 cents per
share on the $2.67 Convertible Preferred Stock, payable in cash on
September 10, 2006 to shareholders of record at the close of business
August 9, 2006.