AUSTRALIA – South Australia- based international wine company, Accolade Wines, has resorted to divesting its Nannup winery to Western Australian company Fogarty Wine Group, to access Fogarty’s ultra-premium wineries.
For undisclosed financial terms, the agreement is said to enable the companies to explore opportunities for further cooperation around Australia.
Both Accolade Wines’ Houghton and Brookland Valley brands will continue to be produced at the Nannup winery, located southeast of Perth, and at Fogarty Wine Group’s Margaret River sites.
Accolade Wines CEO Robert Foye said: “Through our agreement, Accolade Wines will have access to the Fogarty Wine Group’s ultra-premium wineries and a broader suite of assets in Western Australia and nationally, delivering opportunities across our combined networks for our brands and businesses”.
Fogarty Wine Group’s great portfolio includes Dalwhinnie, Lake’s Folly, Deep Woods Estate, and Evans & Tate.
In Western Australia, it owns Millbrook Winery, Perth Hills; Deep Woods Estate, Margaret River; and Smithbrook, Pemberton.
The Perth-based winemaker also owns the Evans & Tate brand, contract winemaking facility Margaret River Vinters, and Bunkers Beach House cafe.
In New South Wales, the Fogarty Wine Group owns Lake’s Folly in the Hunter Valley. Fogarty expanded into Tasmania in 2019, acquiring the Lowestoft winery and a 50 percent interest in Tasmanian Vintners, and is planting 200ha of vines at Forcett and Richmond.
In 2020, the winery acquired Victorian winery Dalwhinnie along with an 80 percent interest in Sandalford’s Margaret River vineyard at Wilyabrup.
In August 2022, the company acquired Accolade Wines’ Nannup facility which produces the Houghton and Brookland Valley labels.
Peter Fogarty, Fogarty Wine Group founder, and executive chairman welcomed the opportunity to create this long-term relationship with Accolade Wines to provide synergies in processing while further improving the quality of all wines in Western Australia and a growing presence in Tasmania.
He added that both businesses share a commitment to making some of the best-value wines alongside some of the very best ultra-premium cabernets and chardonnays that Margaret River and Australia produce.
Accolade wines expands into no and low alcohol wine range
Meanwhile, Accolade Wines is seeking expansion in the no and low alcohol range after investing in an exclusive, first-to-market access de-alcoholizing technology that claims to “change the game” in the no and low alcohol wine category.
Spurred by the trend in sober-curious consumers and its recent success with Hardys 0, a zero-alc range that includes Shiraz, Chardonnay, and sparkling varietals, the company is expanding its offering with a new premium, zero-alcohol wine brand, “&Then” which will launch in September.
The new zero-alc wine range will include sparkling and Rose, made with grapes from South Australia’s cool climate vineyards and bottled using the Zero Tech X technology.
The Zero X technology gently de-alcoholizes the wine at a cooler temperature, which ensures more of the aroma, body, and flavor of full-strength wine is retained.
The process also requires lower sugar content than existing de-alcoholizing methods resulting in a range of zero alcohol wines, full of flavor and very low in sugar and calories.
Liked this article? Subscribe to Food Business Africa News, our regular email newsletters with the latest news insights from Africa and the World’s food and agro-industry. SUBSCRIBE HERE.
