By Ian Neubauer
Macquarie Group has announced the purchase of Chalmers Vineyard, a 1250-hectare property in southern NSW. The property will be used for grape wine cultivation and as a seed asset for the planned Macquarie Diversified Agriculture Fund.
Chalmers Vineyard encompasses 650 hectares of planted grape wine varietals, including Chardonnay, Merlot, Shiraz and Pinot Grigio, contracted for sale to Casella, Foster’s and Australian Vintage, formerly known as McGuigan Simeon.
Vendor Bruce Chalmers, who has been retained by Macquarie as a viticultural consultant, said he chose Macquarie from a group of prospective buyers because of the group’s commitment to best environmental practices.
“We are really excited about Macquarie’s involvement with the vineyard and are delighted that the vineyard will continue to be run with the same sustainable principles we have spent so many years developing and implementing,” Chalmers said.
The Australian Financial Review reported Chalmers Vineyard was sold for $50 million. But Macquarie Group Corporate Communications executive, Stephen Yan, said the figure was speculative. He said Macquarie does not usually comment on the value of acquisitions.