Another acquisition for Casella as Currency Creek winery cashes in
CASELLA Family Brands, makers of the multi-million-case US import success story Yellow Tail, has continued its foray into South Australia with the buy up of Currency Creek-based Shaw Family Vintners.
CASELLA Family Brands, makers of the multi-million-case US import success story Yellow Tail, has continued its foray into South Australia with the buy up of Currency Creek-based Shaw Family Vintners.
The purchase by the NSW Riverina-centred Casella company includes 432 hectares of Fleurieu Peninsula vineyards in Currency Creek and McLaren Vale, a 100,000-case capacity winery at Currency Creek, stock and associated trademarks.
Casella management have not revealed the sale price, but managing director John Casella said the purchase was primarily a strategic investment in a large area of “high-quality” SA vineyards.
The sale follows Casella’s acquisitions of Barossa Valley icon brand Peter Lehmann Wines in December 2014 and a year later the Coonawarra producer Brand’s Laira from McWilliams Wines.
Casella late last year also bought Morris Wines in Victoria’s Rutherglen region, after Pernod Ricard decided to let it go.
The latest buy-in adds to Casella’s existing Fleurieu zone assets, including large vineyard holdings in neighbouring Langhorne Creek that provide fruit for its international brand leader Yellowtail.
Casella already contract close to 40 per cent of the fruit from the Shaw family’s vineyards, so the remainder of the current investment will increase efficiencies and add greater diversity to their SA regional vineyard assets, Mr Casella said.
“(The purchase) supports our ongoing premiumisation strategy and desire to create regionally distinct wines from premium South Australian wine regions,” he said.
The extra 432ha of vineyard make perfect sense for CFB, its SA vineyard manager Peter Bird said.
“It increases our grape to glass control and therefore quality assurance in our premium wines,” he said.
“It also spreads the risk of fruit supply being adversely affected by climatic conditions elsewhere within SA.”
The newly purchased fruit is well suited to Casella’s wine portfolio which the company describes as “having rich fruit flavours with intense colour”.
The company also emphasised that while it continues to invest in its own fruit resources, it still values it relationships with grape growers across the country.
“They remain integral to all of our brands,” Mr Casella said.
“As our company continues to grow, our grower supply base also is expanding. It is an exciting time for the company as we increase our footprint in SA through both owned and grower-sourced fruit supply.”
The purchase also includes unspecified trademarks which may include Shaw Family Vintners’ brands Ballast Stone, Stonemason and entry-level Steeplechase.
Three Shaw family brothers have retained a number of their own vineyards and will continue to control those.
Operational details concerning the winery and vineyards are being worked through, according to Casella management.
The Ballast Stone cellar door at Signal Point in Goolwa has been closed while the Currency Creek estate cellar door remains open weekdays.