Australian Wine Holdco Limited (AWL) – a consortium of international institutional investors – has announced the creation of Vinarchy, a new global wine company.
Vinarchy combines the assets of wholly-owned Accolade Wines with the Australian, New Zealand and Spanish wine businesses formerly owned by Pernod Ricard, which were acquired by AWL this month.
Vinarchy is one of the world’s largest specialist wine companies, with more than AU$1.5 billion (£718 million) in annual net sales revenue. The business is focused on wine, comprises a multitude of leading wine brands, operates across multiple countries with distribution around the world, and employs more than 1,600 people globally.
Vinarchy has 11 wineries in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Spain, producing more than 32 million 9LE cases annually, and owns Berri Estates, the largest winery in the Southern Hemisphere.
Vinarchy brands include the three global pillars of Hardys – the number two Australian wine brand globally, Campo Viejo – the number one Rioja wine brand in the world, and Jacob’s Creek – in the top 10 most valuable wine brands in the world, which between them had annual consumer sales of more than AU$2 billion in 2024.
Alongside these brands, Vinarchy holds the number one market position in New Zealand with Stoneleigh, Brancott Estate, and Mud House.
The portfolio also includes fast-growing Australian brands Grant Burge, Jam Shed, and Petaluma and a range of fine wines from all regions including St Hugo, St Hallett, Orlando, Church Rd, Ysios, and Tarsus.
The corporate name Vinarchy combines Vin (the French word for wine), with Archy (from the Ancient Greek word for leadership). Together it means wine leadership.
Ben Clarke
The business is led by executive chairman Ben Clarke, who held a similar role at Accolade Wines since September 2024.
Clarke said Vinarchy will bring scale and innovation to global winemaking.
“We believe Vinarchy can lead the future of the wine category. We will be a dedicated wine company, with scale, capability, reach, resources, talent, and an exceptional portfolio of leading brands. We want to redefine wine,” he commented.
“The global wine industry faces serious structural challenges. Global wine consumption has been declining for years, driven by changing consumer preferences and a shift to lower-alcohol drinks. Vinarchy will be bold and imaginative in meeting these challenges. With our enhanced scale, brand investment program, innovation capability and industry-leading talent, we believe can meet many of the challenges that the industry faces.”
Vinarchy owners have committed significant funds to the success and long-term prosperity of the business.
The creation of Vinarchy is the result of detailed transition planning by AWL since July 2024, which aims for a smooth combination of assets. The combined entities of Vinarchy are highly complementary, with limited overlap. In areas where there is duplication, management has been careful to plan for an orderly combination with a focus on creating a sustainable global business for the long term.
It is expected customers and distributors will have minimal disruption. Pernod Ricard will continue to distribute the former Pernod Ricard Winemakers portfolio under transitional distribution agreements for a period of time to support a smooth transition.
Accolade Wines employees will transition to the new business from their current roles, with a significant majority of Pernod Ricard Winemakers employees also joining Vinarchy.
The board of Vinarchy is in advanced stages of selecting a chief executive and expects to formalise an appointment shortly.
