By Andrew Starke
Constellation Wines Australia (CWAU) has sold its Limestone Coast-based Stonehaven winery to the family owned Australian Wine Equities, with the deal expected to be completed in mid-February.
CWAU president Troy Christensen said the company and AWE had reached a very satisfactory agreement and were now working together to ensure an orderly handover of the winery and a small parcel of adjoining vineyards.
“AWE plan to have the facility up and running for the 2011 vintage,” Christensen said.
AWE’s chief winemaker, Grant Semmens said he has been very pleasantly surprised by the positive grower reaction to the reopening of the winery.
“We’ve had a really strong response as it’s a first class processing facility,”
Semmens said.
“We believe we offer a much needed independent processing service into the district,” he said.
Winemaker Tim Adams together with his wife and business partner Pam Goldsack will be the new owners of the Leasingham winery and cellar door.
Contracts have been exchanged with CWAU and the sale is due to be completed in later this month (January).
The Leasingham brand is being retained by Constellation Wines Australia.
Christensen said it was great to see the winery going to someone who had such a strong connection to the area.
“We know Tim is keen to get the place humming again and that will be a great thing for the local community,” he said.
A spokesperson for CWAU told TheShout that both sales had been in the works for some time and the fact that they are occurring soon after the sale of parent company Constellation Wines Australia and Europe (CWAE) to Chant Private Equity was ‘coincidental’.
“We undertook a review of our Australian operation in 2008 and it was always our intention to sell off some local wine assets,” she said.