Endeavour’s winery overhaul is gathering pace as its Chapel Hill business lets go of its chief winemaker after 22 years and Oakridge in the Yarra Valley loses its long‑time head of winemaking.
The exits land just weeks after Endeavour’s chief executive mapped out a strategy to streamline the pubs, drinks and liquor group by selling wineries, slashing grape production and shrinking headcount.
Chapel Hill’s historic McLaren Vale cellar door shut permanently in June and is now up for sale, signalling Endeavour’s intent to exit bricks and mortar wine assets.
Oakridge, acquired by Endeavour in 2021 and regarded as one of Australia’s benchmark wineries, is also being prepared for sale but without the winemaker who helped build its reputation.
Oakridge’s outgoing chief winemaker has led the site’s winemaking team since 2002, steering the label to a string of local and international trophies across red and white styles.
Under Endeavour’s restructure, he becomes one of the most high‑profile casualties as the company moves to offload wineries and push grape production close to zero while taking $300m out of costs via around 180 separate efficiency initiatives.
Endeavour investors have been told this transformation is designed to lift returns after years of underperformance and a weak share price, with management repeatedly stressing a need to “show you the money”.
Chapel Hill and Oakridge now sit inside a legacy winery division that looks increasingly non‑core alongside Endeavour’s major brands Dan Murphy’s, BWS and its national pub and hotel network.
Oakridge’s leadership change lands awkwardly, with the Yarra Valley estate currently shortlisted for winery of the year in the Halliday Wine Companion Awards to be decided in August.
The brand has built a cult following under its departing winemaker, especially for its Yarra Valley chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon, including flagship 864 releases that leading critics have singled out as defining the region’s modern style.
Its 864 Funder & Diamond Drive Block Chardonnay 2022 has already been named white wine of the year and chardonnay of the year by Halliday judges, adding to a bulging trophy cabinet.
The outgoing winemaker has also been recognised individually, taking out Gourmet Traveller Winemaker of the Year in 2017, previously topping the Len Evans Tutorial and co‑founding the Victorian Pinot Noir Workshop in 2002.
Endeavour says senior winemaker Tim Dexter, who joined Oakridge in 2023, will now step up and continue working with award‑winning viticulturist Steve Faulkner, with operations described as business as usual.
Endeavour’s winery retreat unfolds as the broader Australian wine sector faces what industry figures describe as brutal conditions with falling wine consumption and too much capacity.
Treasury Wine Estates, the country’s largest listed winemaker, is also cutting deep, planning to shrink its portfolio from 76 brands to roughly 30 and either sell or close a significant number of wineries.
Multiple premium estates could therefore hit the market at the same time as Oakridge, creating a crowded sales pipeline in a tough buyer environment.
Corporate owners have long pushed wineries to hit financial KPIs and run lean, but Endeavour’s fresh round of cuts is testing the balance between cost discipline and the creative leadership that built brands such as Oakridge and Chapel Hill in the first place.
