Small Victorian producer Cheviot Bridge is on the verge of making it straight to the big time. Brainchild of former Talavera founder and Mildara Blass executive Hugh Cuthbertson, Cheviot Bridge began its business as a virtual winery and brand designed to showcase the vineyards of the Yea Valley, one of which is Murrindindi, owned and established by Cuthbertson’s parents. Quick to understand the global perspective of wine marketing, Cuthbertson forged strong links in the US market, where Cheviot Bridge now has its own sales and distribution network. Cutherbertson also saw the opportunity to expand in Australia, and has also set up his own sales and distribution facility here, which he hopes to augment with three or four ‘like-minded’ brands. Without offering a precise figure on the size of the brand, Cutherbertson said that it remains ‘on track’ to sell 80-100,000 cases, against the recently reported figure of 20,000 cases. Cuthbertson is however close to finalising a deal with Bruce Tyrrell to buy the Long Flat brand, which OnWine reported in May 2002 as being for sale. If all falls into place, Cheviot Bridge will have another 250,000 cases to sell and pump through its US and Canadian channels. The rumoured price for the brand is around A$18-20 million. If it comes through, former Beringer Blass chief executive Ray King will come on board as Cheviot Bridge chairman, completing a team of very highly credentialed and experienced wine business operators within the company. ‘The wine industry is all about brands and distribution’, says Cuthbertson, ‘and brands like this don’t come up for sale more than once every ten years’. We should know within a few days whether or not Cuthbertson has been successful with Long Flat, and what approach he and his team intend to take to raise the capital.
