The Australian wine company Accolade, one of the largest in the world, has been sold for 772 million US dollars to the US financial investor Carlyle Group in Washington. Accolade currently owns 51 wine brands that are sold in over 140 countries. It is also the largest producer of Australian wines. Among them is the supermarket brand "Hardy's", which is well-known in Germany. The Group also owns wineries in Chile, USA, South Africa, Great Britain, New Zealand and Italy. Accolade employs more than 1200 people in twelve nations. According to the group, the annual production is 38 million cases.
Until now, 80 percent of the shares were held by the Investor Champ III Funds and 20 percent by the former owner Constellation Brands. Accolade generates more than two thirds of its turnover outside Australia. In recent years, the group has also built up a "fine wine" brand portfolio with a strong focus on exports to China. There, the interest of the middle class in premium wines is growing significantly. China is currently the largest sales market for Australian wines. In 2017, the value of Australian wine exports there rose by over 60 percent.
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