Casella Family Brands
Casella Family Brands is an Australian family-owned wine and beverage company best known internationally for the Yellow Tail brand.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Casella Family Brands is an Australian family-owned beverage company whose principal business is the production and marketing of wine. The company is best known for Yellow Tail, a high-volume brand that became one of the most visible Australian wine labels in the United States and other export markets. Its portfolio also includes regional and premium Australian wine labels such as Peter Lehmann Wines, Brand's Laira of Coonawarra, Morris of Rutherglen, Baileys of Glenrowan, Atmata, The Magic Box Wine Collection, Young Brute, Casella and Shaw Family Vintners. The group has also expanded beyond wine into beer and whisky. The Casella family's Australian agricultural activity began in the mid-1960s. Maria and Filippo Casella, immigrants from Sicily, purchased land in New South Wales in 1965 and initially grew grapes for other winemakers. In 1969 they began producing wine under their own operation, establishing the foundations of the company. This combination of family ownership, vineyard production and branded consumer marketing remained central to the business as it expanded. The company's international profile was transformed by Yellow Tail. Casella began selling the brand in the United States in 2001, where its accessible style, recognizable packaging and broad distribution helped it reach a mass consumer audience. Yellow Tail became the company's best-known name and an important symbol of Australian wine exports. The group continued to maintain a broader portfolio alongside Yellow Tail, using regional labels to participate in premium and heritage segments associated with areas such as the Barossa Valley, Coonawarra and Rutherglen. Casella diversified its beverage activities during the 2010s. In 2016 it entered the beer category with Yellow Tail lager in the United States and acquired Morris Wines of Rutherglen from Pernod Ricard Winemakers. Morris later supported the company's move into whisky, with whisky products sold under the Morris of Rutherglen name from 2021. Casella also became involved in Australian Beer Co., and in 2022 acquired Coca-Cola Europacific Partners' stake in that business. Australian Beer Co. subsequently acquired the Ampersand brand in 2023. The company has periodically adjusted the balance between agricultural assets and consumer brands. In 2022, following a strategic review, it sold approximately 7,000 hectares and 35 Australian properties to Canada's Public Sector Pension Investment Board. The reported rationale was to redirect capital away from owning vineyards and toward brand development, while retaining its position as a major wine producer and exporter. The transaction illustrated the distinction between Casella's role as a beverage brand owner and its historic involvement in vineyard ownership. Casella Family Brands remains privately held and family controlled. As of 2023, John Casella was identified as managing director. The company has been described as Australia's largest family-owned winery and the country's largest wine exporter by volume, although rankings and market shares depend on the measurement period and methodology. Its present portfolio spans mass-market wine, regional and premium wine, beer and whisky, with Yellow Tail continuing to serve as its leading international brand.
History
Casella Family Brands developed from the agricultural and winemaking activities of Maria and Filippo Casella, who migrated from Sicily to Australia. In 1965, the couple purchased land in New South Wales and began cultivating grapes for local wineries. Four years later, in 1969, they started producing wine themselves. The early business therefore combined vineyard operations with winemaking rather than beginning solely as a marketing company. The decisive expansion came through Yellow Tail. Casella introduced the brand to the United States in 2001, where it found a large audience for approachable Australian wine sold through broad retail distribution. Yellow Tail became the group's internationally recognized flagship and helped establish Casella as a major Australian wine exporter. The company continued to develop a multi-brand structure, retaining labels connected with established wine regions and producers while using Yellow Tail to serve the high-volume end of the market. Its regional and premium portfolio included Peter Lehmann Wines from the Barossa Valley, Brand's Laira of Coonawarra, Young Brute from Wrattonbully, Morris of Rutherglen, Baileys of Glenrowan, The Magic Box Wine Collection, Atmata, Casella and Shaw Family Vintners. These labels gave the group exposure to different Australian regions, grape varieties, price points and brand histories. Morris of Rutherglen was added in July 2016 when Casella purchased the business from Pernod Ricard Winemakers. Casella also pursued beverage diversification. In February 2016, it began selling Yellow Tail lager in the United States, marking a move into beer under the company's best-known wine name. The Morris of Rutherglen business later became the basis for a whisky offering, which was being sold under that name from 2021. In January 2022, Casella bought Coca-Cola Europacific Partners' stake in Australian Beer Co. The subsidiary subsequently acquired the Ampersand brand in November 2023. The group made a significant portfolio and asset-allocation decision in 2022. After a strategic review reported in May, Casella sold roughly 7,000 hectares and 35 Australian properties to Canada's Public Sector Pension Investment Board in November. The stated strategic direction was to shift capital from vineyard ownership toward investment in consumer brands. The transaction did not represent an exit from wine; rather, it reduced the group's direct property holdings while preserving its role as a producer, brand owner and exporter. Casella's family ownership remained an important part of its identity. Marcello Casella, who held a minority ownership interest and had left management in 2014, pleaded guilty in 2018 to helping conceal marijuana plants in Australia. The event was a legal and reputational matter involving a family shareholder rather than a reported product or operational scandal concerning the wine brands themselves. By 2022 and 2023, Casella was described as Australia's largest family-owned winery and largest wine exporter by volume. It was also identified among the country's largest wine companies by production and revenue, depending on the ranking used. John Casella was serving as managing director in 2023. The group's modern structure combines a globally distributed flagship wine brand, Australian regional and premium labels, beer activities and the Morris whisky line.
- 2023
Ampersand joins the portfolio
[1]Australian Beer Co. acquires the Ampersand brand.
- 2022
Casella expands beer ownership and sells vineyard properties
[1]Casella acquires Coca-Cola Europacific Partners' stake in Australian Beer Co. and sells approximately 7,000 hectares and 35 properties to PSP Investments.
- 2021
Morris whisky is introduced
[1]Whisky begins to be sold under the Morris of Rutherglen brand.
- 2016
Casella enters beer and acquires Morris Wines
[1]The group launches Yellow Tail lager in the United States and purchases Morris Wines of Rutherglen from Pernod Ricard Winemakers.
- 2001
Yellow Tail enters the United States
[1]Casella begins selling Yellow Tail in the United States, establishing the brand as its leading international name.
- 1969
Casella begins producing its own wine
[1]The family moves from supplying grapes to producing wine under its own operation.
- 1965
The Casella family purchases land in New South Wales
[1]Maria and Filippo Casella acquire Australian land and begin growing grapes for local winemakers.
Products and positioning
A family-owned Australian beverage house combining high-volume internationally distributed wine brands with regional, premium and heritage labels, plus selected beer and whisky businesses.
Wine · 2001
Yellow Tail
Yellow Tail is Casella Family Brands' best-known wine brand and its principal international growth vehicle. It is positioned as an accessible Australian wine range distributed through large retail and export channels. The brand entered the United States in 2001 and became closely associated with Casella's global profile. Its portfolio has included multiple varietal and style formats, while the Yellow Tail name has also been used for beer.
Regional and premium wine
Peter Lehmann Wines
Peter Lehmann Wines is an Australian wine label associated with the Barossa Valley. Within Casella Family Brands' portfolio, it provides a regional and more premium-facing counterpoint to the high-volume Yellow Tail business. The label contributes exposure to Barossa wine heritage and to consumers seeking wines with a stronger geographic and producer identity.
Regional wine
Brand's Laira of Coonawarra
Brand's Laira of Coonawarra is a wine label linked to South Australia's Coonawarra region. It forms part of Casella's collection of geographically identified Australian brands, extending the group's range beyond mass-market international offerings and connecting it with a recognized regional wine style and provenance.
Wine and whisky
Morris of Rutherglen
Morris of Rutherglen is a heritage beverage brand acquired by Casella from Pernod Ricard Winemakers in 2016. It is associated with the Rutherglen wine region and has historically represented fortified and other wines. From 2021, Casella also sold whisky under the Morris name, making it a bridge between the group's wine heritage and its newer spirits activities.
Regional wine
Baileys of Glenrowan
Baileys of Glenrowan is an Australian wine label in the Casella Family Brands portfolio. Its inclusion reflects the group's strategy of maintaining regionally rooted brands alongside nationally and internationally distributed labels.
Wine collection
The Magic Box Wine Collection
The Magic Box Wine Collection is a Casella wine label or collection listed among the group's brands. It represents the company's use of distinct branded ranges to address consumer segments beyond its principal Yellow Tail franchise.
Regional wine
Young Brute
Young Brute is a wine label associated with Wrattonbully and included in Casella Family Brands' Australian regional portfolio. It gives the group another geographically differentiated offering alongside brands from the Barossa Valley, Coonawarra and Rutherglen.
Beer · 2016
Yellow Tail lager
Yellow Tail lager was Casella's early beer extension under its best-known wine brand. It was introduced for sale in the United States in 2016 and marked an attempt to apply the Yellow Tail brand's consumer recognition and accessible positioning to a different beverage category.
Beer
Ampersand
Ampersand is a beverage brand acquired in 2023 by Australian Beer Co., a business in which Casella Family Brands became the full owner of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners' stake in 2022. The acquisition broadened the group's beer-related brand portfolio.
Controversies
2018
Marcello Casella marijuana-concealment case
Marcello Casella, a family shareholder who had left management in 2014, pleaded guilty to helping conceal marijuana plants in Australia. The case involved an individual associated with the ownership family and was not described as a product recall or consumer-safety matter involving Casella's beverage brands.
Brand decisions
2023
Acquisition of AmpersandM&ABackground
Casella's beer activities were being developed through Australian Beer Co.
Action taken
Australian Beer Co. acquired the Ampersand brand.
Aftermath
Ampersand became part of Casella's broader beverage portfolio.
2022
Acquisition of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners' Australian Beer Co. stakeM&ABackground
Casella was already diversifying from wine into beer and had an interest in Australian Beer Co.
Action taken
Casella acquired Coca-Cola Europacific Partners' stake, making its ownership of the business more complete.
Aftermath
The transaction strengthened Casella's control of its beer platform, which later acquired Ampersand.
2022
Shift from vineyard ownership toward brand buildingStrategyBackground
A strategic review considered how capital should be allocated between owning agricultural properties and developing consumer-facing beverage brands.
Action taken
Casella sold approximately 7,000 hectares and 35 Australian properties to Canada's Public Sector Pension Investment Board.
Aftermath
The move reduced the group's vineyard-property ownership while directing resources toward brands and beverage-market development.
2016
Launch of Yellow Tail lagerProduct launchBackground
Casella's best-known brand was established in wine, but the company sought to extend its consumer reach into beer.
Action taken
The company began selling Yellow Tail lager in the United States.
Aftermath
The launch marked Casella's move into beer and complemented later participation in Australian Beer Co.
2016
Acquisition of Morris Wines of RutherglenM&ABackground
Morris Wines was available for sale from Pernod Ricard Winemakers, offering Casella a heritage regional brand.
Action taken
Casella Family Brands purchased Morris Wines of Rutherglen and took full ownership.
Aftermath
The acquisition added Rutherglen wine assets and later supported Casella's whisky offering under the Morris name.
Sources1 sources
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