Accolade Wines is continuing to reframe its business, confirming the divestment of another brand in its portfolio.
Stone’s Original Ginger Wine is the latest out of the door, with the near-280-year-old brand heading to joint venture Ringtail International. The new owner is a partnership between Caribbean-focused beverage alcohol distributor Stansfeld Scott and Select Brands, a 12-year-old importer and distributor based in Jamaica.
Financial details about the sale were not disclosed.
When contacted by Global Drinks Intel today, a spokesperson for the JV confirmed that the purchase represents the first for the partnership. The spokesperson also said that Stone’s has annual volumes of around 500,000 cases, with the brand’s top markets being Australia & New Zealand, Jamaica, the UK, the US and collectively the Caribbean region.
“Stone’s Original Ginger Wine traces its origins to 1740 when it was first created by Joseph Stone in the city of London,” said Ringtail International. “Over the centuries, it gained a cult following driven by Ginger’s medicinal properties, which was hailed to ward off disease, aid in digestion and known as an effective aphrodisiac. It is now sold in over 50 countries worldwide.”
Almost a year ago, private equity-owned Accolade hived off The Park, its bottling and warehousing site in the west of England. The sale, framed at the time as supporting “our premiumisation strategy in the growth markets of Europe and around the world” by CEO Robert Foye, was followed last month by the divestment of Tasmania’s high-end House of Arras wine business to Handpicked Wines.
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