
Accolade Wines has sold its subsidiary brand House of Arras to the Australian company Handpicked Wines, as part of its plans to focus on major markets.
The deal, which will be completed before the end of November, comprises the House of Arras brand, 24 hectares of prime vines, stock, the Bay of Fires winery, and a cellar door in Pipers River, Tasmania.
According to Accolade Wines CEO Robert Foye, House of Arras is a luxury brand that does not mesh well with the rest of the company’s portfolio priority areas at this time.
In addition, Accolade has entered into a long-term arrangement with Handpicked Wines to continue producing and bottling all House of Arras labels.
The wines will be produced at Accolade network facilities, including Torresans in Woodside, South Australia, and the grapes will also continue to be sourced and pressed in Tasmania.
Accolade’s other premium Tasmanian brands, Eddystone Point and Bay of Fires, will continue to be produced at the same site under the contract with Handpicked Wines.
Handpicked Wines, a family-owned Australian wine producer, is known for producing wines in Australia’s finest wine regions, including vineyards and wineries on the Mornington Peninsula, Tasmania, the Yarra Valley, and the Barossa Valley.