Historic winery sold to Victorian company with plans to restart production
The winery's heritage-listed underground cellars have been little more than a tourist attraction of late. All that might be about to change.
Treasury Wine Estates has sold Seppelt Wines to Mornington Peninsula-based Stonier Wines, marking the first brand to be sold off by the wine giant as it reduces its portfolio from 76 brands to fewer than 30. Stonier plans to restart winemaking at the Seppelt winery in western Victoria, utilizing its heritage-listed underground wine cellars.
The sale includes Seppelt's vineyards and winery at Great Western and its Drumborg vineyard near Portland in south-west Victoria. Seppelt Wines, one of Australia's oldest and most renowned wineries, was launched by the Seppelt family in South Australia in 1851. Stonier CEO and co-owner Aaron Drummond expressed excitement about the region's potential and the quality of wine production possible in the Grampians and Great Western.
The winery facility was previously dormant but is expected to process about 2,000 tonnes annually under Stonier's ownership. Stonier also aims to restore Seppelt's historic underground cellars, which currently serve mainly as a tourist attraction. Treasury Wine Estates acquired Seppelt in 2011 as part of the Foster's Group acquisition.
While the wine industry faces challenges such as falling global demand, oversupply, and low prices, Stonier remains optimistic about the future, focusing on quality over quantity and producing premium fine wines.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
