The sale of international wine brands from the Pernod Ricard group to Australian Wine Holdco Limited (AWL) has been successfully completed. This was announced in a Pernod Ricard press release dated April 30, 2025. "The combination of wine assets leads to the creation of Vinarchy, a new global wine company," the statement continued. The mentioned "wine assets" refer to approximately 90m liters of wine annually from the brands 'Jacob’s Creek', 'Orlando', and 'St Hugo' from Australia; 'Brancott Estate', 'Stoneleigh', and 'Church Road' from New Zealand; and 'Campo Viejo', 'Ysios', 'Tarsus', and 'Azpilicueta' from Spain.
Pernod Ricard will continue the distribution of this wine portfolio for several more months to ensure a smooth transition globally, stated the group, which intends to concentrate entirely on its spirits and Champagne brands going forward.
The publication Drinks Digest reports that Vinarchy is set to take over not only the former Pernod brands but also all assets of Accolade Wines. AWL also confirmed that its Board is "in the advanced stages of selecting a Chief Executive Officer" for the new company and "expects to formalise an appointment shortly." Currently, Vinarchy is led by Chairman Ben Clarke. He stated to the Australian Financial Review (AFR) that Vinarchy will initially have around 150 brands in its portfolio, but the plan is to gradually reduce this number to about 100 brands. The AFR wrote, "Brands being cut in the first phase included Beaumont, &Then and Brooke James in Australia, and Trackers Crossing in the United States.”
According to 'Drinks Digest', Vinarchy owns 11 wineries in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Spain, which together produce more than 288m liters of wine, including 'Berri Estates', described as "the largest winery in the Southern Hemisphere." Existing Accolade employees are expected to transfer to the new company in their respective positions, and a "significant majority of “Pernod Ricard Winemakers employees" will also move to Vinarchy' according to 'Drinks Digest'. VM
