The Calabria family has launched the Calabria Family Wine Group signifying a new era for the Griffith-based family winery.
Following a year of significant brand acquisitions, namely the historic McWilliam’s Wines brand and Hanwood Winery, along with Deakin Estate and La La Land Wines, the rapid growth of the family business has evolved significantly, cementing them among the largest family-owned wine groups in Australia.
The Calabria Family Wine Group (CFWG) will house the family’s collection of brands and aims to ensure each of the brands continues to carry their distinct identities, portfolios, and distribution strategies.
Vintners & Co. Merchants is the new distribution arm of the company representing Calabria Family Wines’ international distribution partnerships and includes the Italian brands Canti and Librandi, prestigious Portugal port house Dow’s, Argentinian winery Dona Paula, and renowned French champagne producer Champagne Deutz.
“It’s been an exciting year for us at Calabria Family Wines,” said sales and marketing director Andrew Calabria.
“We have rapidly expanded from a single producer-owned and operated wine company to a wine group housing some of Australia’s best-loved wine brands and a selection of diverse international wine distribution partnerships.
“The creation of the Group is a direct response to this growth and our mission to showcase each of these brands in the best way possible.
“This evolution is a significant step and a proud moment for us as a family. Calabria Family Wine Group now sits among the largest family-owned wine groups in Australia and made even more significant given we’ve just celebrated our 75th anniversary.
“Our offering in the international wine space provides us with more scope to work with a broad range of bespoke and boutique wine cellars, as well as the on-premise channel.
“We’ve been incredibly selective in these distribution partnerships, with most representing generations of family heritage behind the wines, which we feel connects strongly to our own family-owned values,” said Calabria.
With the new acquisitions, CFWG’s portfolio has grown from 140 SKUs to 283 SKUs in the past ten months.
The brands and products will be serviced by the Calabria Family Wine Group sales team, which has added seven new members – mainly from McWilliam’s Wines – to ensure the knowledge of these wines is carried over to the newly established Group.
“We’re thrilled to be welcoming a new group of talent to the Calabria fold, including Scott McWilliam as our global brand ambassador,” Calabria said.
“We’re confident he and the rest of the team will help us bring together the Calabria and McWilliam’s families in the best way possible, while also helping the Calabria Family Wine Group on a path to growth.”
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