Vinarchy has announced a realignment of its operations, which includes locking in Adelaide as the company’s global corporate headquarters, establishing two winemaking hubs in South Australia and the closure of cellar doors.
The company, which was created following the merger of Accolade Wines and Pernod Ricard Winemakers said it was commencing a 12-month transition to realign and strengthen its Australian operational footprint.
The merger means Adelaide is now the headquarters of one of the world’s largest wine companies, with Vinarchy owning some of the the wine industry’s most iconic brands and selling $1.5 billion annually.
As part of these plans, Vinarchy will invest $30 million into its Rowland Flat site, establishing it as a centre of excellence for premium and sparkling wine. This facility will support advanced viticulture and winemaking techniques.
Berri Estates will become Vinarchy’s primary commercial winemaking, packaging, and warehousing hub. The company has invested more than $70 million into the state-of-the-art site, designed to deliver scale, efficiency and quality to support global demand for Australian wine.
In line with this new operating model, Vinarchy intends to transfer winemaking currently undertaken at its St Hallett winery in the Barossa and Hardy’s Tintara winery in McLaren Vale to Rowland Flat for the 2026 and 2027 vintages respectively, with long term plans for both sites to be worked through as part of the transition.
Chief Supply Officer Joe Russo said: “Adopting this twin-hub structure at Berri Estates and Rowland Flat allows us to consolidate our resources and expertise, strengthening the business and ensuring we remain competitive in the face of ongoing challenges in the global wine market.
“These important changes represent Vinarchy’s commitment to building a stronger winemaking footprint in South Australia.
“Both St Hallett and Hardys are critical brands for Vinarchy and we recognise the rich local history they have in the Barossa and McLaren Vale. While our winemaking will move, our commitment to quality wines, local sourcing and premium cellar door experiences for these brands do not change.
“These wines will be made with the same grapes from the same regions, by the same winemakers, just at another winery.”
Two cellar doors to close
Vinarchy is also focusing investment behind its primary brand experiences in South Australia: Jacob’s Creek, St Hugo, Hardys, St Hallett, Grant Burge, Katnook Estate and Petaluma.
As part of these plans, Rolf Binder and Banrock Station cellar door and restaurant operations will close. Vineyard and viticulture operations at these sites will be unaffected.
“We are deeply mindful of the impact these changes may have on our people,” said Russo.
“Where roles are affected, we are committed to supporting our teams through redeployment opportunities to other locations in many cases, or, where necessary, redundancy and outplacement support.
“We will continue to consult closely with our teams over the coming months as we make this transition.”
Vinarchy said it remains committed to its long-standing partnerships with regional suppliers and premium grape growers across the Riverland, McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills, the Barossa and Coonawarra, which will remain unchanged.
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