Drinks giant Constellation insists its retention of the Amberley Estate brand name after selling off the assets does not set a precedent for future divestments.
The multinational corporation has a number of other vineyards on the market but says it will not necessarily keep those brand names after selling off its assets.
A Constellation spokesperson told decanter.com: ‘The Amberley circumstance was atypical in that we had a well established and valued brand that had actually evolved to the point that it drew a relatively small proportion of grapes from the eponymous vineyard.
‘We also had unique circumstances in which the potential buyer’s vision for the vineyard, cellardoor and restaurant involved developing a new identity,’ she added. ‘Hence it was an alignment of interests in a particular case rather than a broader strategy.’
Constellation’s Australian wine division has gone through a period of transition cutting 30 jobs at its Tintara winery in McLaren Vale and 40 more positions at its Reynella site after opening a new bottling plant in Bristol, England.
Written by Rebecca Gibb
