One of the oldest wine companies in Australia, McWilliam’s Wines, is commemorating three years under the ownership of the Calabria Family Wine Group, which acquired the brand in 2021.
Founded in 1877, McWilliam's Wines went into voluntary administration in January 2020, before being acquired over a year later in a split deal worth $40 million. Medich Family Office took over the Mount Pleasant winery and assets, while Calabria Family Wines acquired McWilliam's brands, intellectual property, and stock holdings – as well as the Hanwood vineyard, winery and cellar door.
Calabria said that three years on, the McWilliam wine portfolio has seen continued success, with a quadruple trophy win at the 2023 Royal Melbourne Wine Show, including ‘Best Shiraz of Competition’ for the McWilliam's Single Vineyard 2022 Shiraz and ‘Best Fortified Wine’ for the Hanwood Estate 20 Year Old Rare Tawny.
The McWilliam family is still involved with the business, with Scott McWilliam serving as an ambassador for the domestic and international portfolio.
His cousin, Mel McWilliam, has been working full-time at the company since 2018 as a sixth generation family winemaker, while studying, and graduated with a Bachelor of Wine Science in 2023.
“McWilliam’s long-standing legacy of winemaking excellence carries on, with a continued commitment to maintaining style and quality across all of our ranges,” she said.
Reinvigoration and future prospects
In August 2023, after a three-year hiatus, the Calabria family reopened the doors of a Hanwood Cellar Door, located in Griffith NSW. McWilliam’s expansive barrel-shaped cellar door was first opened in 1973, and 50 years later has been transferred into a modern tasting room.
Sales & marketing manager, Andrew Calabria, said that reinvigorating the fortified ranges was one of the company’s major priorities over the past three years. A $300,000 premium packaging redevelopment and the three-year national consumer advertising campaign has aided in bringing the brand back to life.
McWilliam’s Wines brand manager, Carrah Lymer, said that the new selection of specifically aged releases is a marked evolution of the winery’s past, and demonstrates McWilliam’s position at the forefront of the fortified industry.
“These fortified wines are sensational, and it’s so exciting to see McWilliam’s back to sharing the story of its amazing wines through national campaigns.”
Calabria said the investment has paid off, with McWilliam’s sales up 11 percent on over $15 brands.
McWilliam’s Wines also continues its sustainability measures, demonstrated through recent certification under the Freshcare Australian Wine Industry Standard of Sustainable Practice. In line with their Net Zero pathway, further investment in a 1-megawatt solar installation is set to be completed before the 2025 vintage, a significant step towards achieving net-zero operations by 2030.
The milestone 150 year anniversary of McWilliam’s Wines will be celebrated in 2027, and other plans for the future include the release of exclusive aged brandy in the works from the Hanwood Estate, and continued development of the Hanwood Estate Cellar Door and Lakeside areas.
