In a reversal to several recent occasions on sporting arenas around the world, the British have finally knocked the Australians for six. This time the arena was in New Zealand and the prize was its largest wine producer, Montana. Unlike the Ashes series, where the British effectively packed up their bags and refused to play hard ball, Allied Domecq plc has demolished Lion Nathan’s hopes of developing its own Fosters-inspired wine division. Lion Nathan, cashed up after selling out of Montana, has since been loosely linked with Miranda, McWilliam’s and Brown Brothers, but even in the unlikely event that either of these privately owned companies would contemplate selling up, why would they do it now? Surely the value of all medium-sized Australian producers will escalate rapidly over the next two to three years.
