Australian winemaker Calabria Family Wines is welcoming three Australian wine brands to its growing portfolio; Deakin Estate, La La Land and Azahara. The formal agreement, signed late last week, is a brand-only sale and transfers ownership of these well-established brands from the Wingara Wine Group, part of Henkell Freixenet, to the Calabria family.
Calabria Family Wines will now produce all of the wines across each of the brands’ portfolios from their Griffith, New South Wales winery as well as manage marketing across all markets.
“Each of these brands brings something new to the table for the team at Calabria and we are eager to welcome them to the family as we diversify and broaden our wine offering,” third-generation General Manager Michael Calabria said.
“Deakin Estate, with over 50 years of winemaking history behind it, has achieved outstanding distribution, particularly in challenging export markets where many haven’t. That can only happen with a good quality product and dedicated team behind it.
“Both La La Land and Azahara, while newer to market, are both unique brands with well-established portfolios and market presence, both domestically and overseas. We look forward to relishing in La La Land’s’ dedication to emerging wine styles with our own Italian alternatives, and celebrating Azaharas effervescent flare and sophistication.”
Wingara Wine Group is part of Henkell Freixenet, a global market leader in sparkling wine, which was formed in January 2019 from the legacy Henkell & Co. Group and Grupo Freixenet.
Sean Shortt, Executive Director, Sales and Marketing at Wingara, commented: “Henkell Freixenet considers Australia an important market with great potential, and our strategic focus is the development of our Global Icon brands, Henkell, Freixenet & Mionetto. We are delighted that the Deakin Estate, Azahara and La La Land brands are moving to a family-owned company who have the resources and drive to take the brands to the next level”
Calabria Family Wines will continue the long-standing distribution partnership with Berkmann Wine Cellars in Great Britain for Deakin Estate and La La Land. Deakin Estate is currently ranked as the #2 Australian listed brand in the UK on-premise (Wine Business Solutions 2020).
“We know the value of having a family-owned and operated team behind a brand, and we’re excited to see these top-performing brands continue to grow under new ownership at Calabria Family Wines,” second-generation Rupert Berkmann CEO of Berkmann Wine Cellars said.
The changes will be effective as of today, 12 November. Both parties have agreed not to disclose the financial details of the transaction.
