Vinarchy, Australia’s second-largest wine company, is preparing to drop roughly 60 brands from its 160-strong portfolio over the next two years. The move will shrink the range to around 100 labels and redirect almost all marketing and innovation firepower toward three global pillars: Hardys, Jacob’s Creek and Spain’s Campo Viejo.
Chief executive Danny Celoni, who took the helm only four months ago, calls the current line-up “too crowded”. Most of the brands earmarked for exit are low-volume, single-market or dormant labels. Rather than simply retiring them, Vinarchy intends to sell the majority to regional producers, family wineries or private-equity buyers wherever possible.
This portfolio reset is just the first step in a much broader strategy to win over younger drinkers.
The bigger shift is a deliberate pivot to younger, moderation-minded consumers who drink less but demand more convenience, lower alcohol and fresher occasions. To reach them, Vinarchy is rolling out mini bottles, 187 ml and 250 ml formats, mid-strength Sauvignon Blanc, chilled-infused rosé and ready-to-drink wine spritzers. New packaging and sharper digital campaigns will follow, with the Australian Open in Melbourne in January serving as the launch platform after Vinarchy secured flagship sponsorship.
At the same time, Vinarchy is redrawing its operational footprint across Australia. The company has moved its headquarters from Melbourne to Adelaide and is spending A$30 million to turn Rowland Flat in the Barossa Valley into its premium-production hub from the 2026 vintage. Berri Estates on the Riverland will become the high-volume processing, packaging and warehousing centre. The former St Hallett and Tintara winemaking facilities will wind down, and the Rolf Binder and Banrock Station cellar doors have closed.
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The changes come eight months after the birth of Vinarchy itself, created when a Bain Capital-led consortium merged debt-heavy Accolade Wines with most of Pernod Ricard’s international wine portfolio. The combined group generates around A$1.5 billion in annual revenue and ships more than 10 million cases from Australia, New Zealand, Spain and South Africa.
Celoni, whose previous roles include running Carlton & United Breweries and Diageo South-East Asia, sees clear parallels with the beer category, where volume has been sliding for years yet premium and zero-alcohol segments keep growing. “Innovation in wine has been somewhat dormant,” he says. “Consumers now want the right format for the right moment – and that is rarely a full 750 ml bottle.”
The strategy echoes moves by Treasury Wine Estates and Australian Vintage, but Vinarchy is moving faster and more aggressively. While Treasury struggled to offload its commercial tier last year and has since been hit by weakness in China, Vinarchy is betting that ruthless focus on three powerhouse brands, combined with occasion-driven formats, will win back share among 25–39-year-olds.
Whether the gamble pays off will become clear over the next two harvest cycles. For now, one thing is certain: after decades of relying on scale and a handful of blockbuster labels, Australia’s second-biggest wine player has decided that survival belongs to the fast and the focused.
