Vega Sicilia moves to London

By Barnaby Eales

Published: 11 July, 2016

Spain's Vega Sicilia aiming to capitalise on London's vibrant global wine market

Spain's Vega Sicilia, one of the world's top vineyards, has moved to London.

Bodegas Vega Sicilia has been placed, via its holding company, El Enebro, under the ownership of Mezqual Limited, a company established in London by Pablo Álvarez Mezquiriz, Managing Director of Bodegas Vega Sicilia and four of his siblings, who together own a majority share in the vineyard.

Álvarez said the move to London would allow Bodegas Sicilia to increase investments in wine and top of the range food products. Bodegas Vega Sicilia owns Hungarian vineyard, Tokaj Oremus and several Spanish vineyards. It is understood that the company will now make further acquisitions internationally from its London base and the move could lead to further joint ventures with the Rothschild family.

"[Mezqual Limited] was set-up as an instrument to allow the family to continue investing in the world of wine and food," Álvarez said.

"We believe that the world's wine business is largely based in London, so we thought this was the best option to take" he told Harpers.co.uk.

Álvarez said Vega Sicilia's move to London was made prior to the Brexit vote, the outcome of which had not changed Vega Sicilia's investment plans:

"I don't know if Brexit will have an impact or not," he said adding that,

"Mezqual intends to continue investing primarily in the world of wine, but also in high-end food products," he said.

Álvarez declined to provide further details of investment plans in London.

Sitting on the board of directors of Mezqual Limited are the Álvarez Mezquiriz siblings and two British directors: Roy Neil Arthur and Susan Elizabeth Lawrence, who was appointed to the board on June 1^st this year.

Bodegas Vega Sicilia has a joint venture with the Rothschild family, the owners of Chateau Lafite, in Bodegas Macán in Rioja, Spain, where this year, a €24m investment has been made in a new winery that will house over 2,000 barrels and produce more than 300,000 bottles of wine a year.

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