The European arm of Viña Concha y Toro has acquired a majority stake in sustainable winery Maison Mirabeau.
Founded by husband-and-wife team Stephen and Jeany Cronk in 2010, the Provence rosé brand is distributed in more than 40 countries, including the UK, the Netherlands and Australia.
Concha y Toro said it intended to make minimal internal changes to Mirabeau and would respect all existing distribution agreements upon completion of the deal.
Stephen Cronk, who co-founded the Regenerative Viticulture Foundation, led Domaine Mirabeau to become the first vineyard in France to be both ROC (Regenerative Organic Certified) and Certified Regenerative by AGW. It was also recently named in the World’s 50 Best Wineries by Forbes.
He remains CEO of Mirabeau under the new ownership, joining VCT Europe general manager Simon Doyle and finance and operations director Andrea Mirone to form a new board of directors for the brand.
“Since launching Mirabeau from the spare room of our house in Cotignac in 2010, Jeany and I have poured our hearts into shaping it into the world-class Provence rosé brand it is today,” Cronk said.
“Alongside our dedication to making exceptional wines, we’ve always prioritised genuine engagement with our customers and are deeply committed to advancing our environmental performance.
“Joining the Concha y Toro family marks an extraordinary new chapter, one that enables us not only to accelerate our commercial momentum, but also to fast-track our environmental objectives and move closer to becoming a truly planet-positive business.”
Doyle added the acquisition united two businesses with strong strategic synergies.
“Maison Mirabeau is a very impressive wine business whose strengths clearly complement our own,” he said. “We share common values, a clear vision for the future, and a deep commitment to quality and to sustainability. Together we see significant opportunities to add value for customers, consumers and shareholders alike. We look forward to enabling Maison Mirabeau to continue their impressive development and growth.”
Viña Concha y Toro CEO Eduardo Guilisasti said Maison Mirabeau was “much more than a strategic investment” for the Chilean group.
“It is a concrete expression of our conviction in the future of wine and in premiumisation as a path to sustainable growth,” he added. “Its brand, recognised among the most valued in the French rosé category, opens the door to a highly relevant new origin and, above all, brings us together with Stephen and Jeany Cronk, with whom we share a common vision of the wine industry – one deeply committed to sustainability and respect for the environment.”
VCT Europe is the trading name for Viña Concha y Toro across the UK, Ireland, mainland Europe and the Nordic countries, supplying brands such as Casillero del Diablo, Trivento and Diablo to retail, wholesale and the on-trade.
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