Pernod Ricard has acquired a majority shareholding in premium wine producer Château Sainte Marguerite, which has produced Cru Classé Côtes-de-Provence rosé since 1955.

Chateau Sainte Marguerite is located in Southern France in La Londe Les Maures, a small village in the Var region between Toulon and St. Tropez. 

Owned by the Fayard family since 1977, Château Sainte Marguerite has established itself as a gold standard within the Côtes-de-Provence appellation with its Super Premium and Ultra Premium categories. Pernod Ricard said Château Sainte Marguerite’s wines will complete its luxury portfolio, alongside its Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagnes.

Jean-Pierre Fayard, founder of the family-owned winery, said: “Château Sainte Marguerite is one of the 18 prestigious “cru classé” wines of Provence and we are delighted to pass another milestone in our development, both in France and internationally, thanks to the expertise of Pernod Ricard and its incredible distribution network.”

Château Sainte Marguerite will continue to operate with its current teams led by Olivier Fayard. Cyril Claquin, Deputy Managing Director, will be responsible for the integration and strategy of the brand within Pernod Ricard’s international network.

The transaction is expected to be completed in the coming months.

Pernod Ricard has been focused on growing its premium wine division in recent years. There were rumours in 2019 that it was considering selling its wine division, which includes its largest wine brands, Campo Viejo and Jacob’s Creek.

The company also owns New Zealand’s Brancott Estate, Stoneleigh and Church Road, boutique brand Ysios, and California brand Kenwood in Sonoma.

It sold its Graffigna, Colón and Santa Silvia wine brands to Chilean wine giant VSPT in 2019 for an undisclosed sum, as part of the ongoing plan to strip back volume driven listings that focus on discounting.

Pernod Ricard celebrates record breaking growth

Pernod Ricard recently announced “record breaking” growth in the first half of FY22, with the company celebrating organic net sales rising 17%, up 13% versus pre-COVID-19.

Organic sales totalled €5.95 million (US$6.8million). Sales grew in all regions, with the Americas up 14%, Asia-Rest-of-World up 16% and Europe up 21%.

Pernod Ricard saw strong results in its premium wine portfolio, with Mumm up 24% globally, driven by Champagne momentum in France and good rebound in on-trade in Italy, US and Spain.

Perrier-Jouët was up a massive 51%, in a broad-based rebound with growth notably driven by Japan and the US.