One of New South Wales' largest and perhaps most infamous wineries, Warburn Estate, has been sold to a family business best known for processing orange juice.
Key points:
- After 55 years of ownership the Sergi family is selling its winery in Griffith
- The Taliano family have set up a new business, Meditrina Beverages, to buy the winery
- The sale has been welcomed by the local industry
The winery, at Griffith in the state's south, was established in 1968 by the late Tony Sergi, a man known as the "don of dons", who police have said was instrumental in building the Calabrian mafia's Australian cell.
The ABC is making no suggestion that other members of the Sergi family are, or have been, involved in organised crime.
Warburn Estate's assets were bought by the Taliano family, which owns the Real Juice Company and has agricultural interests in nursery production and fruit trees.
With Australia experiencing a red wine glut, Tony Taliano conceded it was a tough time to enter the industry.
But he said he believed there was an opportunity to build on Warburn's successful brands in both domestic and export markets.
" I do enjoy a challenge," he said.
"As low as the industry is at the moment, I still believe that Australian wines are favoured by many consumers."
Mr Taliano said his family would use the winery's facilities to produce new products, drawing on their expertise in juice processing.
"We need to always be looking at new product developments and also the opportunities and trends that are out in the marketplace," he said.
"We also look at overseas markets as a guide and we have been able to identify some crossover there."
The Taliano family have set up a new business, Meditrina Beverages, to buy the winery.
The Sergi family could not be contacted for an interview but in a statement on the Warburn Estate website, fourth-generation winemaker Antonio Sergi said, "It is time for us to step back, and to focus on our family".
"We welcome the Taliano family into the wine industry and know their passion for agricultural-based business in the local region — the brands and history of the company will continue under their family ownership," he said.
Encouraged to see winery won't be 'mothballed'
Riverina Winemakers Association president Andrew Calabria said the investment in the local industry was positive.
"We're seeing lots of other wineries across the country that just close and not even sold, they've just been mothballed," he said.
"The fact that there's actually a new, quite energetic family coming through, it's probably quite encouraging."
Mr Calabria said having a diversity of winemaking interests was important for the region's growers.
"We want to see more wineries, not less," he said.
"I think the fact that the doors are staying open at the Warburn Estate is actually good for all."
The ABC understands that some growers who supplied fruit to Warburn Estate in previous years are still awaiting payment, but Mr Taliano said those growers would receive some money.
"We've had confirmation from the Warburn Estate company that those growers will be definitely paid," Mr Taliano said.
"We can't make wine without the help of growers, just like we can't make orange juice without the input from our growers, so we definitely asked that growers be considered for payment as promptly as possible to help the changeover and this year's vintage."
Mr Taliano said meetings with local growers ahead of harvest had been positive.
"It can't be purely the retailer or the processor making money, it has to be a full circle of everyone being able to share in the spoils," he said.
"I've obviously come in at the bottom end of the market and it's definitely tough times for growers, as it is for processors — so we're in this boat together."