Australian Wine Holdco Limited (“AWL”) – a consortium of international institutional investors – yesterday announced the creation of Vinarchy, a new global wine company, combining the assets of wholly-owned Accolade Wines with the Australian, New Zealand and Spanish wine businesses formerly owned by Pernod Ricard, which were acquired by AWL in April 2025. The corporate name Vinarchy combines Vin (the French word for wine), with Archy (from the Ancient Greek word for leadership). Together it means wine leadership.
Vinarchy will be one of the world’s largest specialist wine companies, with more than AU$1.5 billion in annual net sales revenue. Their business is focused on wine, and comprises a multitude of leading wine brands, operating across multiple countries with worldwide distribution, and employing more than 1,600 people globally.
Vinarchy has 11 wineries in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Spain, producing more than 32 million 9LE cases annually, and owns Berri Estates, the largest winery in the Southern Hemisphere. Their brands include Hardys – the number two Australian wine brand globally; Campo Viejo – the number one Rioja wine brand in the world and Jacob’s Creek – in the top 10 most valuable wine brands in the world. Alongside these brands, Vinarchy holds the number one market position in New Zealand with Stoneleigh, Brancott Estate, and Mud House.
The Vinarchy portfolio also includes fast-growing Australian brands Grant Burge, Jam Shed, and Petaluma and a range of fine wines from all regions including St Hugo, St Hallett, Orlando, Church Rd, Ysios, and Tarsus.
Vinarchy is led by Executive Chairman Ben Clarke, who held a similar role at Accolade Wines since September 2024. Ben Clarke said Vinarchy will bring scale and innovation to global winemaking: “We believe Vinarchy can lead the future of the wine category. We will be a dedicated wine company, with scale, capability, reach, resources, talent, and an exceptional portfolio of leading brands. We want to redefine wine. The global wine industry faces serious structural challenges. Global wine consumption has been declining for years, driven by changing consumer preferences and a shift to lower-alcohol drinks. Vinarchy will be bold and imaginative in meeting these challenges. With our enhanced scale, brand investment program, innovation capability and industry-leading talent, we believe can meet many of the challenges that the industry faces”.
