Latest news with #AccoladeWines
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Industry veteran takes helm at Vinarchy
The recently established wine company Vinarchy has appointed beverage industry veteran Danny Celoni as CEO, it announced today (15 May). Vinarchy came into existence last month when the owner of Accolade Wines purchased a clutch of wine assets from Pernod Ricard. Celoni assumes the chief executive role in August. He has had a varied career in the drinks sector, having spent 18 years at Diageo across various executive roles in the Asia Pacific region and more than three years as CEO of PepsiCo's Australia and New Zealand unit. Most recently, Celoni spent three years as CEO of Melborne-based Carlton and United Breweries (CUB), a subsidiary of Asahi Group. "I believe Vinarchy is well positioned to play a leading role in the future growth and expansion of the wine category. Our rich heritage, combined with our established brands, capabilities, and unwavering commitment to customer and consumer centricity provides an exceptional platform for driving core category growth, differentiated innovation and value creation," Celoni said. Executive chairman Ben Clarke added: "[Celoni] is a leader who champions a growth mindset and has a strong track record in driving transformational growth and category leadership through exceptional customer relationships. Danny is the right person to lead our business as we capture the opportunities as a global wine leader." Vinarchy combines the assets of Accolade Wines with the Australian, New Zealand and Spanish wine operations formerly owned by Pernod Ricard, which were acquired by Accolade owner Australian Wine Holdco Limited (AWL) earlier this month after a deal was announced last year. AWL describes itself as 'a consortium of international institutional investors', made up of funds from private-equity firms Bain Capital, Sona Asset Management, Samuel Terry Asset Management, Intermediate Capital Group and Capital Four. Vinarchy says it has A$1.5bn ($960m) in annual net sales revenue,1,600 staff and operations in multiple countries. The company now has 11 wineries in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Spain, producing more than 32m nine-litre cases annually. Earlier this month, Just Drinks learnt Accolade Wines intended to cut of a number of wine brands following the creation of Vinarchy. Earlier this month, this publication understood the Australian wine business planned to offload brands which make up around 4% of total revenues. "Industry veteran takes helm at Vinarchy" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Daily Maverick
11-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Multibillion-rand global company acquires two South African wines
Vinarchy. The name lands somewhere between a Roman emperor and a Bond villain. But behind the bold branding lies a multinational wine group with serious ambitions. The name, a hybrid of 'vin' (French for wine) and 'archy' (Greek for leadership), signals both its product and its plan: a global structure with wine at the centre. The freshly minted R18-billion conglomerate is the result of a merger between Accolade Wines and Pernod Ricard's Australian, New Zealand and Spanish wine assets. At a glance, Vinarchy is the kind of corporate Frankenstein that makes traditionalists twitch: 11 wineries across four continents, more than 1,600 employees, and an empire of brands that includes Hardys, Campo Viejo, Jacob's Creek, and the Southern Hemisphere's largest winery, Berri Estates. Foreign taste for local terroir Vinarchy's South African acquisitions are no outlier. Dr Mesias Alfeus, senior lecturer at Stellenbosch University's department of statistics and actuarial science and co-creator of the South African Fine Wine Index (SAFW10), said international appetite for SA wine estates was growing in Europe and North America. 'This is likely driven by the comparative value South African wines offer, their growing international recognition, and the underlying asset appeal of land and heritage brands in the Cape Winelands,' said Alfeus. He added that foreign capital wasn't necessarily a bad thing: '[It] can bring much-needed infrastructure upgrades, access to global markets, and technical expertise.' But it comes with a risk: 'There are legitimate concerns about the potential loss of local identity and the risk of profit flows being externalised rather than reinvested in local communities and ecosystems,' noted Alfeus. Dr Erna Blancquaert, a viticulture researcher and lecturer at Stellenbosch University, echoed this optimism. 'Conglomerations of big wine businesses can be beneficial,' she said. 'Big wine companies have access to markets, distribution channels and shelf space which may not have been there prior.' Grapes and gains South Africa offers the appealing combination of a favourable climate, a rich wine heritage and lower production costs. 'We have some of the oldest viticultural soils,' said Blancquaert. 'Our unique landscape — proximity to the ocean and the presence of mountains — aids in creating microclimatic pockets which help with slow ripening of grapes.' As much as taste is a consideration, economics also comes into play. Compared to Australia, Europe or the US, South Africa is cheap to farm, especially when it comes to labour. 'Labour accounts for 60% of any vineyard's operating costs, and in the South African context, we have sufficient labour,' said Blancquaert. 'In Australia, labour is very expensive and it has resulted in producers looking at mechanisation.' Bottling identity Vinarchy posits that scale won't erase identity. 'South African wine is an important category for our retail customers, particularly in Europe and the UK,' said Ben Clarke, Vinarchy's executive chairperson. 'Flagstone and Kumala cater to that market. Our brands will continue to have their own identities under Vinarchy, with the benefit of being part of a global network.' He points to Flagstone's history as an example: 'Flagstone has its own special history as a former De Beers dynamite factory, today blending the site's industrial heritage with the art of winemaking.' However, the balance between local authenticity and corporate expansion is delicate. 'The success of a multinational model will depend heavily on how sensitively and sustainably it is executed,' said Alfeus. 'If companies like Vinarchy retain the distinctiveness of the terroir and support local talent and infrastructure, they can become important vehicles for global visibility and capital inflow.' If the model starts stripping value or homogenising, he added, it could undermine the character that made South African wine stand out. Bottles for billionaires and the bargain bin Vinarchy's portfolio, where fine wines like St Hugo sit alongside crowd-pleasers like Jam Shed, spans prestige and mainstream appeal. 'Through our global distribution network, we are incredibly proud to share our wines in almost every corner of the world,' said Clarke. 'Our portfolio has something to offer everyone and every hip pocket, from premium fine wine to some of the world's most popular global brands.' This range mirrors a growing trend in South African wine: premiumisation. 'More producers are focusing on smaller volumes with higher quality, terroir-driven wines,' said Alfeus. 'The international market is beginning to reward this, which in turn supports the idea of fine wine as an investable asset, as we explored through the SAFW10.'
AU Financial Review
30-04-2025
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Accolade Wines axes dozens of brands after Pernod Ricard merger
The Bain Capital-led consortium that owns Accolade Wines says it will cull dozens of brands after merging it with Pernod Ricard's wine business. The enlarged company has been named Vinarchy, which executive chairman Ben Clarke said represented a new beginning for a group with $1.5 billion in revenue. Clarke was a former Kraft Foods executive and was appointed chairman of Accolade, the country's second-biggest winemaker after ASX-listed Treasury Wine Estates, last year.
The Guardian
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Liquid optimism: why Babycham is ripe for a revival
Although the past is rarely ever as simple or as delicious as we remember it, it seems that culinary nostalgia is very much in vogue. Take the gelatinous success of Instagram accounts such as 70s Dinner Party or the unfathomable cool-ification of devilled eggs. Another thing that's deserving of a prance back into popularity is Babycham. It's kitsch in a bottle. Liquid, postwar optimism. And it's potentially up for a modern revival. Or at least I want it to be, so I'm writing a column about it. It's called manifesting. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. For those who didn't live through its heyday, Babycham is a sparkling perry, which is like cider, except made from pears. Originally named Champagne de la Poire, Babycham was created by the Showering cider family from pears they saw going to waste when they were buying from local apple orchards. In a postwar world, Herbert Showering saw the changes in drinking habits among women, and an opportunity to create a drink targeted specifically at them. And so Babycham sparkling perry was born. Dinky glasses, handsome men and extremely flammable dresses painted a picture of glamorous, feminine and moderated drinking. Back then, it was an aspirational picture for an emerging middle class; today, however, the obvious attempt to market to women by men feels dated and cynical. If you'd like some further reading on this, drinks writer Rachel Hendry wrote a sparkling deep-dive on Babycham as a precautionary tale about heavily gendered marketing and the part it had to play in the drink falling out of favour with a 21st-century audience. But a modern Babycham is more than deserving of a revival. In 2021, some 70 years after its launch, the sons of the original Showering brothers bought back the brand from Accolade Wines, with the aspiration to 'modernise' it to 'new and familiar customers' (if they're looking for a new Babycham girl, my DMs are open). At 6% ABV and with a sweet, fruity palate, it makes a lot of sense in the current market, where low-alcohol and storied drinks are favoured among a younger generation. If you like the sweet, soft fruitiness of prosecco, for example, you'll probably like Babycham. Other than drinking it straight, try treating it as you would sparkling wine in a cocktail. Anywhere you'd pop prosecco, use Babycham. Mix it into a sgroppino. Pour it into a bellini. Serve it alongside a pornstar martini. I even once had it at an underground bar mixed with eau de vie and raspberry syrup, though I don't remember a great deal after that. Babycham Sparkling Perry £3.50 (4 x 200ml) Tesco, 6%. Original-recipe, uncut Babycham. Fresh, light and ripe. Lockdown Liquor & Co Passionfruit Martini £25 (500ml) Lockdown Liquor & Co, 14%. Serve a chaser of Babycham with your martini. Funkin White Peach Purée £11.20 (1kg) Ocado. Baby bellinis, anyone? There's a kilo of the stuff in this pouch, but it'll last for a week (maybe more). One for birthday celebrations, perhaps. Vault Aperitivo Bitter £35 (700ml) Vault Aperitivo, 29.6%. Mix this British vermouth with Babycham to make a baby sbagliato (or should that be a babliato?).
