
Treasury Wine Estates warns of weaker performance from money-maker Penfolds
In an investor update to the market on Tuesday, the company said it now expects earnings for Penfolds in 2025-26 to record low to mid double-digit growth — down from a previous forecast of about 15 per cent.
It is still expected to make up the lion's share of earnings.
'Following the focus on re-building distribution in China through F25, customer inventory holdings across several of Penfolds' other key markets are below historic levels while depletions remain strong, most notably throughout the rest of Asia,' the update said.
'This is expected to support the delivery of Penfolds' global growth expectations in F26.'
For its Treasury Americas division, TWE said economic uncertainty and weaker consumer demand had been reflected in declining wine consumption trends across key sales channels throughout the second half of the current financial year, a softer market more pronounced at the below $US15 ($23) price points.
The company also revealed a new operating structure to take effect from July 1 that will pour its budget-friendly offerings — including Speaking Pig, 19 Crimes, Wynns, Lindmans, Blossom Hill and Wolf Blass — into a new division called Treasury Collective.
TWE also announced plans to launch an on-market share buyback for up to 5 per cent of its issued capital as part of its full-year results update in August.
The update comes just weeks after the company announced it would need to find a new path into the Californian market after its local distributor said it would cease operations later this year.
The shock decision by Republic National Distributing Company is a serious blow for the winemaker, with the shuttered distributor responsible for about 25 per cent of TWE's sales for its Americas division and 10 per cent of total group sales.

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7NEWS
15 hours ago
- 7NEWS
95-year old vendor will "start thinking about my future" with $2.7m sale
A much-loved Californian bungalow at 55 Tyrell Street, Nedlands, Perth changed hands for the first time in 62 years on Saturday, selling under the hammer for $2.7 million, well above reserve. The auction drew a crowd of more than 70, with neighbours spilling onto lawns and driveways to witness the historic sale. Five active bidders competed through 20 rapid-fire bids that dwindled to $500 increments before a local family secured the keys. According to listing agent Thomas Jefferson Wedge of Ray White, they plan to build a new home on the quarter-acre block. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today "It was an emotional day," said Wedge. "This sale is a great story for the neighbourhood. It's one of the most prestigious streets in Nedlands and opportunities like this are rare. The energy on the day reflected that." The vendor, a 95-year-old woman, had lived in the home since 1963. After the final bid, Wedge asked her what came next. Her reply: "Start thinking about my future." She plans to move in with her older sister at an aged care residence. Set on a 1012-square-metre elevated block between Elizabeth Street and Princess Road, the heritage home blends old-world charm with redevelopment potential. Zoned R10 and close to UWA, the river and Perth's Hospital Zone, it is well positioned for long-term value. From start to finish, the sale carried the hallmarks of a once-in-a-generation moment, an end of an era and a fresh beginning on one of Perth's most tightly held streets. Investor wins bidding war in Gilles Plains showdown The chill in the air did nothing to cool off the action at 11 Terry Crescent, where a fierce bidding war saw an investor outduel a homeowner for the keys to this updated Gilles Plains gem near Adelaide. "Despite the icy weather, the bidding was hot," said Belle Property agent Mustafa Razaee. "We opened at $680,000 and it jumped in twenties, then tens. It stalled for a bit at $750,000 but picked right back up. The final result was $820,000 under the hammer." With 26 groups inspecting the home across the campaign and between eight to fifteen bidders expected on auction day, the stage was set for competition. Placed on 661 square metres and superbly presented, the home drew attention from families, investors and developers alike. "There was not a single piece of negative feedback," said Razaee. "Everyone loved the layout, the land size and how well it was kept." As bidding climbed, it came down to two determined buyers, one investor and one owner-occupier, jostling for control. The investor eventually prevailed, securing the property with a decisive final bid. The property's dual-living layout, stone-topped kitchen and leafy backyard struck a chord with those chasing lifestyle flexibility and future potential. Its location in a fast-growing suburb, within walking distance to schools and minutes from shopping and transport, added to the appeal. "The seller was an investor too, so it was investor-to-investor in the end," said Razaee. "They saw value, and they went hard for it." One family, 135 years. New Farm estate sells for $4.575 million A legacy five generations deep drew a large crowd to the heart of New Farm, where the historic 810 square metre estate at 3 Mark Street changed hands for the first time since 1890. Listed as 'Whroonga', the grand Queenslander saw bidding open at $3 million before rising in sharp $50,000 lifts, eventually shifting into $25,000 and $10,000 bids before the hammer fell at $4.575 million. "It was high-energy bidding," said Place agent Heath Williams. "We had nine active bidders and a huge crowd of mostly families, all drawn by the block size and the potential of the site." Although brimming with character, the 1890-built home is in poor condition, offering what Williams described as "a complete renovation opportunity" or possibly a redevelopment, subject to approvals. The buyer, a family, now holds one of the largest parcels left in this prized inner Brisbane enclave. The four-bedroom home retains original detailing including wrap-around verandahs, timber floors, soaring ceilings and cast-iron front fencing, along with nostalgic elements like an original outhouse and mature poinciana. With the possibility of also acquiring the neighbouring address at 1 Mark Street, which holds demolition approval, the sale hints at a future transformation for this corner of New Farm. But for the selling family, who have held the home since the late 1800s, it was a moment of heartfelt transition. Across the nation, auction momentum lifted across the country this week, with 1,774 homes taken to market, a near 14 percent increase in volume compared to the previous week. It marked a standout moment for clearance rates too, with the preliminary national figure reaching 74.7 percent, the strongest early result since July last year.

Sky News AU
4 days ago
- Sky News AU
'Peter Gago's troubleshooter': New Penfolds Director of Winemaking Steph Dutton reveals her priorities across the company's global empire
Introducing Steph Dutton, the new director of winemaking at Penfolds, Australia's greatest wine company. The 39-year-old Melbourne Girls Grammar old girl answers to Peter Gago, the legendary Penfolds chief winemaker who led the vintner's audacious push into US, China and France. The arrival of Penfolds as a global winemaking powerhouse is on show with its new Australian releases where local treasures like Grange, RWT and Bin 389 compete with vintages from the other side of the globe. Under the guidance of Gago and Dutton, Penfolds now manicures a universal vineyard straddling the two hemispheres. At any time in either the Barossa, Coonawarra, Coal River or Napa valleys or at Ningxia in the aptly named Shangri-La vineyards in China, or further south in Yunnan near the Burma border, the grapes are ripening. Penfolds also has an ongoing collaboration with Champagne Thiénot and its holding company Treasury Wine Estates owns the Chianti winery Castello di Gabbiano in Tuscany (a pleasant 37-minute drive south of Florence) and more wineries at Marlborough in New Zealand. Dutton has emerged as Gago's troubleshooter across an impressive portfolio of properties that now includes Château Lanessan in Bordeaux. She says it is an honour for an Australia firm to take charge at the left bank Lanessan vineyard which has been owned by a succession of eight generations of the Bouteiller family. The 390ha of land in the Haut-Médoc appellation has 80ha under vine, she said. It produces cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and petit verdot. Dutton, a mother of two whose parents were advertising executives, climbed the ranks from senior winemaker to group winemaker before being named the director of winemaking. She and her husband Andrew 'Baldy' Baldwin, another gun winemaker at Penfolds, had six-month stints together directing operations at the Penfolds vineyards in Napa and at Paso Robles. They were on a steep learning curve, she said. 'Napa cabernet tannins are very different to Australian tannins for example, so getting to know which barrels were going to match which tannins in different regions is a challenge.' If there was a problem, it has resolved itself spectacularly in Penfolds Bin 704 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, a sumptuous offering bottled after 16 months in French oak barriques. Dutton grasps the historical significance of the bold Bordeaux acquisitions and the equally brave push into China and California. Lanessan contains two chateaux, one derelict. TWA has just appointed French architects for a major restoration of the cellar door and winery. TWE has a second left bank winery 15 minutes away at Château Cambon la Pelouse at Macau on the road leading to Margaux and Pauillac. TWE purchased the property in 2019. Dutton sees room for expansion. She already had her masters in genetic science before completing her winemaking degree. So how does she keep the predominantly male winemakers in line? 'You can't. It's impossible to keep these guys in line,' she said. She modified her answer by saying she doesn't have to. 'The Southern hemisphere crew in Australia are pretty well established and know what they are doing. 'The big focus for me in the last couple of years is making sure we are authentically and highly skilled in the northern hemisphere as well.' Penfolds winemaker Shauna Bastow is now living permanently in Bordeaux guiding the experimental FWT (French Winemaking Trial) series, including the FWT 585, a cabernet, merlot, and petit verdot blend. However Dutton is the 'boots on the ground' winemaker in sites where the same variety of grapes produce different flavour profiles. 'As you know the art of blending is incredibly important for us at Penfolds,' she said. 'In France, we want flexibility to bring in little grower plots, both from our own vineyards and our grower network there _ just as we do in Australia. 'Our immediate priority is getting Chateau Lanessan in tip top shape.' Dutton says it is a personal goal to create another iconic wine from the Lanessan fruit. 'It might come next year, or it may take eight years. We are still doing the work.' She wants to plant another 20ha of vines at Lanessan while 'rejuvenating' 15ha of existing vines. As the flagship and luxury brand of TWE, Dutton says Penfolds aspires to be the 'best of the best'. 'The combination of a grower network and owned fruit gives you more blending opportunities and options,' she said. 'And it is a little bit of an insurance policy in sourcing from vintage to vintage. We are still finding our feet.' 'We have trials going all the time at Penfolds.' Some have begun in right bank territory and Penfolds is looking at syrah in the Northern Rhone Valley.' She and Baldy often sip chardonnay on Friday night. 'We have slightly different tastes. Baldy does love the softer more voluptuous chardonnays while I tend to look for some of the racier styles. There are some that race across the palate and some that expand across the palate and the best examples do a little both of both.' And if you ask a Penfolds winemaker for their favourite wines they will probably nominate three or four, she said. St Henri will invariably be among them. 'For me, St Henri is an example of a highly saturated wine, full in body but still elegant,' Ms Dutton said. It is often described as a counterpoint to Grange because it shows little, if any, oak. Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2022 has a commanding bouquet of black fruits, plum and licorice leading to a richly layered palate. It will gain soft, mocha-like characters with age. Penfolds Grange 2021 is another blending masterclass that will have the serious collectors queuing up. Grange doesn't get much better than this. I scored it 98 points. There is a remarkable synergy from grapes harvested in the Barossa Valley (66 percent), McLaren Vale (26) and Clare Valley (eight). This year's edition has six percent cabernet sauvignon. Mr Gago's tasting notes described it best: 'A vortex of mid-palate sumptuousness flanked by sleek, dusty tannins and chocolatey brûléed-suggestive oak.' Where did the flavour come from? Perhaps the Clare delivered Dutch liquorice and menthol, he muses. The Barossa berries contributed the dark satsuma plum, star anise and roasted quince notes while the Worcestershire sauce, squid ink, corned beef and peppercorn notes were delivered from McLaren Vale fruit. The wine was matured for 18 months in American oak hogsheads. (100 percent new) - More reviews next week.

Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
The verdict on the new Grange is in, but it's $1000. Should you splash the cash?
When Penfolds releases its anticipated 2025 Collection on August 7, fine wine collectors around the globe will start to wonder if its biggest star, the coveted 2021 Grange, is worth forking out for. The multi-vintage, multi-vineyard South Australian red is one of the most collectable wines in the world, and the 2021 has a price tag of $1000. So, is it worth the big bucks? The answer is maybe, but it depends on how much patience you possess. If you don't mind holding on to it for a couple of decades and then selling it, the return on investment could prove fruitful. The first Penfolds Grange vintage was 1951 and has been known to fetch more than $150,000 at auction. A full set of Penfolds Bin Grange from the 1951 to 2018 vintages fetched a record $430,000 at the Penfolds Rewards of Patience Auction hosted by Langtons in 2022.