General News
2 August, 2026
Stonier, Fallen Giants linked to Seppelt sale
PARTIES associated with Stonier Wines and Fallen Giants are understood to be involved in Treasury Wine Estates’ sale process for the Seppelt brand and Great Western winery. The Stawell Times-News/ and Ararat Advocate has received information from several independent sources identifying parties associated with Stonier Wines and Fallen Giants as being involved in the sale process.
The newspaper has not been able to confirm whether the parties have been selected as the preferred purchaser, entered into exclusive negotiations or reached an agreement in principle.
Treasury Wine Estates declined to comment, saying it was unable to discuss the potential sale process because of its commercial confidentiality.
Aaron Drummond, chief executive and co-owner of Stonier Wines, who is also involved in local business Fallen Giants, said he was “not in a position to comment” and would make contact if that changed.
Treasury Wine Estates announced in May that it intended to divest a number of wine assets as part of a broader rationalisation of its global portfolio. It later confirmed to The Stawell Times-News that those assets included the Seppelt brand, the Great Western winery and vineyards, and the Drumborg vineyard near Portland.
The company has previously said the Great Western cellar door would continue operating while the sale process was underway.
The latest information follows comments from Great Western Estate chief executive Bruce Ahchow, who previously told West Vic News that his company had sought to acquire the Seppelt assets but believed it had been excluded from the process.
Mr Ahchow said Great Western Estate remained interested in purchasing the historic winery and brand but believed Treasury Wine Estates had moved forward with another party.
While Treasury Wine Estates has not confirmed whether a preferred purchaser has been selected or exclusivity granted, Mr Ahchow’s comments suggested the sale process had progressed beyond an open bidding process.
Stonier, based on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, was sold by Treasury Wine Estates in 2022 to a consortium of local wine industry families.
Fallen Giants is a Grampians wine business based at Halls Gap.
If parties associated with Stonier and Fallen Giants are ultimately successful, the acquisition would combine an established premium wine producer with a business already embedded in the Grampians wine region.
Seppelt is one of Australia’s oldest wine brands and has operated at Great Western since the 1860s.
The site includes the historic underground Drives, regarded as one of the Grampians’ best-known tourism attractions.
The proposed sale has attracted considerable interest because of Seppelt’s historic importance to the region, its role in the local wine industry and tourism sector, and uncertainty surrounding the future ownership of the Great Western site.
Treasury Wine Estates has not indicated when it expects the sale process to conclude.
Read More: Great Western