Business Notes VINTNERS

For 107 years the Christian Brothers, a Catholic order of teachers, have financed their spiritual good works by producing California brandy and table wines. Last week, after months of soul searching, the Brothers announced that bottled spirits no longer fit into their plans. The company will sell its $100 million-a-year wine-and-brandy business and 1,160 acres of prime vineyards to Heublein, a subsidiary of London-based Grand Metropolitan, for an undisclosed amount, perhaps as much as $150 million. Heublein, which owns California's Inglenook vineyard but has no major brandy label of its own, would thus become the largest vintner (1,940 acres) in the Napa Valley.

Although the Christian Brothers say they want to focus on educational programs instead of wine production, some insiders suspect another reason: the conflict between the order's religious values and widespread public concern about alcoholism, which has led to a general decline in liquor sales.