Accolade Wines and Handpicked Wines have reached an agreement for Handpicked to acquire Tasmanian brand House of Arras.
The transaction includes the brand, 24 hectares of premium vineyards, inventory and the Bay of Fires winery and cellar door at Pipers River. The winery will join Handpicked Wines’ portfolio that spans the Mornington Peninsula, Tasmania, Yarra Valley and Barossa Valley.
Recently, the 2015 House of Arras Grand Vintage won the the Thorp Annual Trophy for Best Sparkling White or Rosé at the Sydney Royal Wine Show.
Handpicked Wines CEO and founder William Dong expressed his excitement about the acquisiton and looks forward to working with House of Arras chief winemaker Ed Carr.
“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,” he 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,” Dong added.
Handpicked Wines Chief Winemaker Peter Dillon echoed the sentiment.
“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,” Dillon enthused.
Robert Foye, Accolade Wines CEO, congratulated the new owners.
“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,” said Foye.
“While 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,” he explained.
Under the terms of the sale, Accolade will 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. Accolade is retaining its other premium Tasmanian brands Eddystone Point and Bay of Fires, which will continue to be made at the same site as House of Arras, under contract with Handpicked Wines.
The completion date of the sale will occur before the end of November.