Winemasters South Australia Pty Ltd at Monash in the Riverland has entered administration.
The contract winery – one of Australia’s largest – was put on the market in September last year, but failed to sell.
It was a major supplier of bulk red wine sent to China before the crippling the tariffs.
The tariffs were lifted after three years, but now there is an oversupply of red wine as consumers across the world cut back on alcohol.
According to a report in The Advertiser, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank are owed about $3.2 million.
The ATO is owed around $300,000.
Business turnaround adviser Eddie Griffith is working with the company’s director, David Harris, on a deed of company arrangement proposal.
“The business has been on the market for approximately six months without generating reasonable third party interest,” Mr Griffith told The Advertiser.
Patrick Lyons of Hall Chadwick said, “Given the early stages of the appointment, our preliminary view is that the challenging economic conditions and shrinking consumer demands currently impacting the wine industry have contributed to the appointment of the administrators.
“We are in the process of collecting and reviewing the company’s books and records and will provide a further update to creditors in due course.
“Furthermore, we have been advised that on 16 April 2026, Mr Tim Mableson and Ms Emily Seeckts of KMPG were appointed as receivers and managers of the company.
“Pursuant to their appointment, the receivers and managers are now in charge of the ongoing operations and assets of the company.
“We are considering all available options and will continue to work with relevant stakeholders to achieve the best possible outcome for all parties.”
Winemasters SA is a private company registered in South Australia.
Established in the late 1970s, the winery has a storage capacity of 35 million litres.
CBRE’s John Harrison and Angus Bills were appointed to manage the sale.
“This large-scale winery has convenient access for both B-Double and B-Triple wine transport trucks with an extremely efficient layout,” Harrison said.
“It represents an outstanding opportunity to acquire a highly efficient wine processing and storage facility with the ability to process fruit and prepare wine from all the major South Australian wine regions.”
Bills added, “There is further scope to develop the site for commercial purposes subject to council consent, with approximately 16 hectares potentially suitable to develop.”
Nicola Centofanti MLC – who is from the Rivereland – says the situation is “yet another stark reminder” of the crisis gripping the wine industry.
“Our growers are crying out for access to concessional loans so they can exit with dignity and transition to other crops,” she says.
“This is something we in the Opposition have been consistently calling for.
“The Labor Government must start listening – this action is long overdue.”
The first meeting of creditors is on Wednesday 22 April.
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