Accolade Wines

Thomas Hardy and Sons

Accolade Wines traces its beginning to Thomas Hardy and Sons, a company founded in 1853 which grew to become Australia's largest winemaker. The company headquarters are in Old Reynella, South Australia.

At 20 years of age, Thomas Hardy arrived in South Australia after sailing from the English county of Devon in 1850. He worked at Reynella Farm for John Reynell, then drove cattle to the Victorian goldfields. Hardy used the money he had earned to purchase a property on the banks of the River Torrens, which he named 'Bankside'. Shiraz and Grenache vines were planted on the Bankside property. Wine was sold locally and in England, and the profits enabled Hardy to buy the Tintara Vineyard Company about 1876. Hardy steadily expanded the company over the years, purchasing a bottling plant at Mile End, cellars on Currie Street in Adelaide, and a disused flour mill in McLaren Vale.

In 1938, then chairman Tom Mayfield Hardy was killed in an aeroplane crash along with other leading South Australian winemakers. His cousin, Kenneth Hardy, became chairman. In 1968, the company established extensive vineyards in the Padthaway area. In 1976, Thomas Hardy and Sons made its first corporate acquisition by purchasing the London-based Emu Wine Company, which included Houghton (Western Australia's largest winery) and Morphett Vale. In 1982, the company purchased Chateau Reynella, where Thomas Hardy had first worked, and converted it to its headquarters. In 1989, the company sold a portion of the Houghton Estate known as "Oakover Grounds" to a Swan Valley family. Further expansion came in 1992, when Thomas Hardy & Sons merged with Berri Renmano Limited to form what then became Australia's second largest wine group, BRL Hardy Limited.

In 2003, the brands of BRL Hardy and those of Constellation Brands were merged to create the world's largest international wine business. BRL Hardy Limited was renamed The Hardy Wine Company. In 2006, Constellation Brands acquired Vincor International, adding the West Australian brands of Amberley and Goundrey to the Hardy portfolio. On 31 March 2008, The Hardy Wine Company changed its name to Constellation Wines Australia.

Accolade Wines: 2011-2025

In February 2011, Constellation Brands sold 80 per cent of Constellation Wines Australia, along with sister company Constellation Europe, to CHAMP Private Equity. Constellation Brands retained a 20% stake in the newly named Accolade Wines. In October 2015, Accolade sold its 50% share to British drinks distributor Matthew Clark. In November 2016, the company acquired the Australian premium wine portfolio (Fine Wine Partners) of beverage giant Lion.

In March 2017, CHAMP Private Equity scrapped its plans to float Accolade on the Australian Securities Exchange. The decision was made after overtures from potential Chinese buyers, and a drop in the value of the British pound due to Brexit. Until 2018, the company was 80 per cent owned by the Australian private equity firm CHAMP Private Equity and 20 per cent owned by the United-States-based alcohol giant Constellation Brands. 100% of the company was sold to the Carlyle Group in 2018. In October 2019, Accolade divested itself of the historic vineyards and buildings at the Houghton Estate in the Swan Valley to move production of Houghton Wines to its Nannup facility. The site was purchased by the Yukich family that had previously purchased the Oakover Grounds portion of the estate. The old Houghton site is now known as Nikola Estate.

Vinarchy: 2025-2026

Australian Wine Holdco acquired Accolade Wines from Carlyle Group in 2024, by taking Accolade Wines' debt on in exchange for shares. In July 2024, Accolade announced it would merge with Pernod Ricard Winemakers, and the sale of Pernod Ricard to Australian Wine Holdco was completed in April 2025 for an undisclosed price. Accolade was merged with Pernod Ricard to form the company Vinarchy following the sale to Australian Wine Holdco Limited (AWL), a consortium of international institutional investors which comprises funds backed by Bain Capital, Intermediate Capital Group, Capital Four, Sona Asset Management and Samuel Terry Asset Management. In June 2025, Australian Wine Holdco was seeking an A$700 million ($454 million) loan for financing Vinarchy.

Vinarchy in mid 2025 was the second-largest wine group in Australia, and was primarily supplied by CCW Cooperative, an organization of 500 grape growers in Australia. Ben Clarke was Vinarchy chairman. In June 2025, it was reported that Vinarchy was investing AU$100 in the Rowland Flat and Berri Estates in Riverland, with Berri Estates to become its primary logistics site. ABC described the closure of Banrock Station cellar by Vinarchy in June 2025 as a "shock" to the region.

Vinarchy sells its products in over 80 countries throughout Australasia, North America, Asia, and Europe.

It has branch offices in the United Kingdom (Weybridge and Bristol), Australia (Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne), and South Africa (Stellenbosch), as well as in Moscow, Warsaw, Shanghai, Singapore, Beijing and California.

As of June 2025, Vinarchy produces 32 million cases of wine annually, with $1.5 billion in annual net sales revenues.

The business is the largest wine company by volume and value in the United Kingdom and Ireland, a highly-competitive market with thin margins. Its popular brands there include Hardys, Kumala, Echo Falls, Stowells, and Banrock Station.