Homeland News
by Joe Gilbert
Published: January 29, 2024
Specialist wine importer Hallgarten & Novum Wines has been appointed as the exclusive UK distributor for Rathbone Wine Group, a leading family-owned group of fine Australian wine producers that is now making the leap from Bibendum.
Wines from Yering Station (Yarra Valley, Victoria), Mount Lange Guerin (Grampians, Victoria) and Xanadu (Margaret River, Western Australia) will all join Hallgarten's portfolio, thus expanding its Australian offering available on trade.
This appointment is the first of its kind since Hallgarten came under new ownership announced at the end of last year. The distributor now sits alongside Lay & Wheeler, bonded warehousing Coterie Vaults and wine lender Jera in the Coterie Holdings portfolio under CEO (and former Bibendum chairman) Michael Saunders.
Meanwhile, the Rathbone Wine Group is a collection of unique wineries spanning the length and breadth of Australia.
Yering Station is home to Victoria's first vineyard planted in 1838, while Xanadu (established 1977) was one of the first wineries to support Margaret River as a winemaking region.
Lange Guerin mountain vines were first planted in the 1880s and are now home to one of Australia's distinct cool climate wines, Lange Shiraz. In total, 19 wines will join Hallgarten's portfolio from the three wineries.
“It is a great honor for our brands to be included in the prestigious global wine group Hallgarten & Novum. They are extremely highly regarded by their peers and the UK wine industry has also been awarded IWSC Wine Distributor Award 2023.”
“Both companies are committed to fine wines, working sustainably to deliver them to consumers. We look forward to being a key supplier partner, supporting Hallgarten & Novum's strategic growth plans.”
Jim Wilson, Portfolio Director at Hallgarten Wines, added: “We are very excited to offer wines from three of Australia's finest wineries within the Rathbone Wine Group. These wineries epitomize the direction we are looking to guide the Hallgarten portfolio, offering premium commercial wines from some The most popular regions in Australia and helps consumers replace their wine list.
Hallgarten Wines will be showcasing wines from the three cool climate wineries at the Australian Trade Show on January 30 in London and February 1 in Edinburgh, and at the annual Hallgarten Wines tasting on Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 February at Lindley Hall in London. .
