Cabonne and Trinchero link up in global alliance

Published: 23 July, 2008

Australia's best kept secret a player

Cabonne Limited, a publicly-listed wine company based in Sydney, has announced a global alliance with Trinchero Family Estates, a leading US wine producer which owns Sutter Home, America's biggest wine brand. Cabonne expects to supply approximately 175,000 cases of its Reynolds branded premium wine in the first year for distribution throughout the USA and the world, excluding the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. The company is planning on shipping 500,000 cases a year within five years through this linkup. Cabonne chairman Malcolm Irving said that the company, which was started from scratch six years ago, was the "quiet achiever" among its peers. "Cabonne has been Australia's best kept secret but with this deal, we have shown that we are now a player in the global wine market," he said. Trinchero is privately owned and Sutter Home, its main brand named after the family winery, claims to be the biggest brand by volume and dollar value throughout the USA. Producing 10.5 million cases a year, it is believed to have turned "Americans on to wine" following the launch of its white Zinfandel in 1972. Roger Trinchero is credited with introducing in the 1980s and 90s single-serve varietals, the VinLoc non-cork closure and introducing the clear label. Australian imports to the USA have been growing in excess of 25% a year for the past five years. Cabonne's vineyards and Cudal winery near Orange in New South Wales will be capable of producing 25,000 tonnes of wine a year.

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