The Australian has released its Australia’s Richest 250 of 2025 list and it reveals the big wins and losses that drinks billionaires have recorded over the past 12 months.

The highest ranked billionaire on the list is Alexandra Burt ($4.58 billion, up from $3.21 billion in 2024) who comes in at 32nd place. Burt is the owner of Margaret River winery Voyager Estate. Her fortunes were boosted by the $4 billion recent sale of her share of the Rhodes Ridge project. It was held in Wright Prospecting, started by her late grandfather Peter Wright, who was the one-time business partner of Gina Rinehart’s late father, Lang Hancock. 

In 73rd place on the list is Bruce Mathieson ($2.21 billion), the founder of ALH Group, who is one of only two drinks billionaires to see his wealth decline in the last 12 months – down from $2.55billion in 2024 and $2.90billion in 2023.

As The Australian notes: “Mathieson is agitating for change at Endeavour Group, the listed pubs and liquor outlets group that accounts for most of his wealth, and hoping for change at Star Entertainment, the casino group he has racked up big losses in.”

The Casella brothers John (pictured main), Giuseppe and Marcello from Casella Family Brands took 78th, 79th and 80th place with a combined wealth of $1.82 billion, up from  $1.82 billion in 2024.

“Griffith-based Casella Family Brands, founded by Maria Casella and her husband Filippo, who migrated from Italy in 1957, has so far been able to weather the storm of falling consumption of wine as it broadens its wine portfolio away from its flagship Yellow Tail brand,” The Australian noted.

“Under the leadership of John Casella and his two brothers – the sons of the founders – the family business has in recent years bought other wine labels such as Peter Lehmann, Brands Laira, Baileys of Glenrowan and Morris of Rutherglen, plus diversifying into beer and buying a canned spirits business. But Yellow Tail, which has been a big export to the US for 25 years, still underpins the business that has annual revenue of about $476 million.”

In 81st place is Manildra Chairman Dick Honan ($2.01 billion, up from $1.86 billion in 2024). Manildra Group is a “giant processor of wheat into flour, starch, gluten, sugars and ethanol products, tracing its history back to 1952 when his late father, Jack, bought a flour mill in the central west NSW town of Manildra”.

It has gone on to become Australia’s leading producer of ethanol. Its Shoalhaven Starches site in Nowra, NSW, is the largest facility of its kind in South East Asia. Its seven column distillery facilitates full-scale production of the grain-neutral spirits for a range of craft and big brand beverages.

At no.93 are Arthur Laundy and his family ($1.74 billion, up from $1.65 billion in 2024), who own more than 90 pubs.

“Last year [Laundy] bought Sydney’s heritage-listed Lord Nelson Hotel for $20 mllion, the same price he paid for the Light Bridge Hotel in Woollahra earlier in the year,” The Australian said.

At no.110 are Justin Hemmes (pictured main) and his family ($1.61 billion, up from $1.52 billion in 2024), with more than more than 80 pubs, restaurants and hotels in the Merivale portfolio.

Merivale recently acquired an eight-storey car park in Melbourne’s CBD that it is set to be its most expensive project yet and will transform the site into a major entertainment hub featuring restaurants, cafes, bars, a hotel, retail spaces and a “sky garden”.

At no.113 are Sandy Oatley and his family ($1.54 billion, up from $1.41 billion in 2024). While Hamilton Island is the Oatley family’s biggest asset, they’re also famous for winemaking. Late patriarch Bob Oatley bought Hamilton Island for about $200 million in 2003 after selling Rosemount Winery to Treasury Wine Estates for $1.4 billion two years earlier. The family also owns Robert Oatley Wines and other assets via its Balmoral Australia family office.

Imelda Roche sits at no.130 with $1.30 billion, down from $1.40 billion in 2024. While the Roche family business initially made its money through the cosmetics company Nutrimetics, it has diversified into property and tourism assets, including an Irish pub and a vineyard in the Hunter Valley.

At No.133 is Theo Karedis and his family ($1.28 billion, up from $1.19 billion in 2024) of Theo’s Liquor fame. Karedis founded the Theo’s chain of bottle shops, which was the fourth-largest liquor retailer in Australia before being sold to Coles for about $200 million in late 2002.

“Karedis and son Greg now control the family Arkadia Group that is underpinned by a collection of property assets,” The Australian said.

“Arkadia owns 11 shopping centres and retail homemaker centre assets and hotels, some of which have been purchased alongside fellow billionaires, the Laundy family.”

And the one on their way up …

Jerry Schwartz ($667 million, up from $596 million in 2024) from Australia’s largest privately owned hotel group, the Schwartz Family Company, came in at no.242 on the list and is powering his way up to billionaire status.

Schwartz owns more than 15 hotels and controls at least 4300 hotel rooms. 

Schwartz has been dappling in brewing of late and recently acquired the Rocks Brewing Company, including its production facilities and restaurant/bar in Alexandria. The brewery will be incorporated into his Sydney Brewery’s operations, with the brewery and restaurant re-branded as Sydney Brewery Alexandria, complementing Sydney Brewery Surry Hills and the Sydney Brewery production facility at Lovedale in the Hunter Valley.

View the full list here.