Accolade Wines is set to re-structure its South Australian footprint as it consolidates its winemaking efforts and meet consumer demand, particularly for the growing Croser, Petaluma and Grant Burge brands.
Croser and Petaluma shift to Tintara
Production of Croser and Petaluma will shift to Tintara which has been upgraded recently to the tune of $16 million, making it a state-of-the-art winemaking facility. It will become Accolade's largest premium winery.
Robert Foye, CEO at Accolade Wines said: “With a long history of Adelaide Hills winemaking, Tintara has a phenomenal barrel cellar, amazing winemakers and a sizeable site that can accommodate all fruit from the Petaluma and Croser vineyards and family of grower vineyards. It will enable us to produce even more quality Petaluma wine that people have come to know and love. "
Tintara produces House of Arras wines where celebrated and awarded Ed Carr is Group Sparkling Winemaker. The move can only mean more good things to come for lovers of Croser.
Of Petaluma, Foye said: “We are investigating new locations for the Petaluma Cellar Door to reach even more Petaluma fans and provide new and interesting experiences for wine and food lovers. In the meantime, we will keep trading in the current location until the sale is completed. We will retain our Adelaide Hills vineyards in Summertown and Mount Barker."
Grant Burge leaves Krondorf
The St Hallett and Tintara sites will share processing of Grant Burge white wine grapes starting from the 2021 vintage as the current production site, Krondorf winery is being under utilised.
Foye said: “Our assessment also determined that we do not have enough white wine grapes that require processing in the Barossa to maximise the capability and size of the Krondorf winery. Therefore, we are selling this facility so that a potential buyer can more efficiently leverage the strong white wine making capabilities of this winery. "
Both Krondorf and Woodside Estate (where Croser and Petaluma have been produced) will be sold.
Accolade expands into Coonawarra as part of SA growth strategy
Accolade's recent purchase of Katnook Estate in the Coonawarra also reflects their growth strategy to invest in South Australia and their ambition to broaden their brand portfolio.
The Coonawarra wine region is Australia’s third largest producer of bottled red wine and was missing from Accolades portfolio. With a history stretching back to 1867, Katnook has twice won Australia’s most prestigious trophy, the Jimmy Watson, as well as a number of international awards.
The purchase was Foye's first acquisition since becoming CEO and Natalie Cleghorn was appointed Senior Winemaker there in late November. Cleghorn has been making award-winning wines from the Coonawarra region for more than 10 years,
Of the purchase, Foye said: “Katnook is renowned for producing rich and balanced red and white varietals that are sought after by the rest of the world and we are delighted to be able to help expand the potential of such an esteemed vineyard and region."
Employment continuity
The 584 employees working for Accolade in South Australia have all been informed of the move and the business expects that all will retain their jobs. Accolade operates five wineries and six cellar doors in South Australia and employees will either shift to new sites or - it is hoped - retain their jobs working for the new owners of Woodside Estate and Krondorf.
“All employees who are potentially impacted by these changes have been informed and we will continue to support them throughout this transition. We hope that the majority of our employees can be retained by us at one of our Accolade Wines sites or by the new owners," said Foye.
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