Family-owned Handpicked Wines has acquired House of Arras from Accolade Wines. Accolade announced in May it was looking to sell the premium brand because it no longer fit the rest of its portfolio focus.
The sale includes the brand, 24 hectares of premium vineyards, inventory and the Bay of Fires winery and cellar door at Pipers River, Tasmania.
Under the terms of the sale, Accolade has entered into a long-term agreement to continue to produce and bottle all House of Arras brands under contract with Handpicked Wines.
The grapes will continue to be sourced and pressed in Tasmania and the wines will be made at existing facilities in the Accolade network, including Torresans in Woodside, South Australia, which will continue being a key third party location for traditional method tirage and bottling.
Handpicked Wines CEO and founder William Dong said, “House of Arras is a globally celebrated sparkling house, and we are honoured to become the custodians of this admired brand and uphold its tradition of winemaking excellence.”
Handpicked Wines’ flagship vineyard Capella and winery is on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. It has five other fully owned top-site vineyards across the country captured under the Single Vineyard labels: Wombat Creek and Highbow Hill in the Yarra Valley, Auburn Road and Native Point in Tasmania, and Watunga Road in Barossa Valley. All of these are organically farmed and sustainably managed.
Dong said: “Handpicked Wines shares in House of Arras’ continued success as a highly acclaimed wine producer, representing great synergy to our combined portfolio of luxury brands. We look forward to working with Ed Carr and the team to bring Australia’s most awarded sparkling wine to the world.”
Handpicked Wines chief winemaker Peter Dillon said, “Ed Carr is one of Australia’s most respected winemakers and I’m excited to work with him through Arras and with the network of Tasmania’s best sparkling growers and vineyards.”
Accolade Wines CEO Robert Foye said, “We wish the new owners every success and are pleased to be entrusting Arras to a company with extensive experience in fine wine that is well-placed to take the business to the next stage of its evolution.
“Whilst we remain incredibly proud of the success of Arras, it is a luxury brand that does not fit neatly with the rest of our portfolio focus areas at this time.
“Our focus is on locking in Accolade Wines recent success in major markets and concentrating our efforts on our successful commercial and masstige brands with global reach.”
Accolade is retaining its other premium Tasmanian brands Eddystone Point and Bay of Fires, which will continue to be made at the same site under contract with Handpicked Wines.
The completion date of the sale will occur before the end of November.
