Fogarty expands via McWilliams deal

Fogarty Wine Group’s Margaret River Vintners business has expanded its operations, taking on the Evans & Tate brand and assets, the Smithbrook and Pemberton Estate vineyards, and buying the Amadeus vineyard at Wilyabrup

Selwyn Viticultural Services has also been merged into Margaret River Vintners.

The changes will result in Fogarty Wine Group owning 70 per cent of Margaret River Vintners, with McWilliams Wine Group owning the balance.

McWilliams is the current owner of the E&T brand and assets, which include the Redbrook cellar door and vineyard om Caves Road.

The other assets being folded into Margaret River Vintners have been wholly owned by Fogarty Wine Group.

The changes will allow McWilliams to focus on its east coast wineries.

They will also result in E&T once again becoming a single integrated Western Australian business, 10 years after it fell into administration.

Fogarty Wine Group (FWG) chairman Peter Fogarty said Evans & Tate had been Margaret River’s most popular wine brand for more than 30 years.

“It has consistently been Margaret River’s number one selling wine by volume and in recent years has further increased that volume,” he said.

FWG already owns the Deep Woods brand, and Mr Fogarty said he proud to have two of Margaret River’s finest wine brands in the group’s portfolio.

McWilliams Wine Group (MWG) chairman Jim Brayne said the expanded alliance with FWG was a great outcome for both businesses.

“MWG has taken Evans & Tate to significantly higher volumes since we acquired it in 2007 and, through the expanded alliance with FWG, we expect growth to accelerate,” he said.

“The FWG and MWG management have built a strong relationship over 10 years since Peter Fogarty assisted us with the acquisition of Evans & Tate back in 2007.

“We expect the expanded MRV alliance to flourish.”

Fogarty Wine Group comprises Deep Woods Estate (Margaret River), Millbrook Winery (Perth Hills), Smithbrook (Pemberton) and Lake’s Folly (Hunter Valley).

Margaret River Vintners is the region’s largest wine processing business, and was bought by FWG and MWG in 2012.

It operates 379 hectares of vineyards, and has a processing facility comprising production capacity of 12,000 tonnes, tank storage of 13 million litres and storage capacity for 4,000 barrels.

It predominantly processes grapes for Evans & Tate and FWG, in addition to a number of long-term preferred contract customers.