Cumulus History

Cumulus Wines was established in 2004 when Sydney based Assetinsure acquired the extensive vineyards and state-of-the-art winery from Reynolds Wines.

World renowned winemaker Philip Shaw was appointed by Assetinsure to develop the new wine company focusing on cool climate, high-altitude varieties of exceptional quality — from Orange and the Central Ranges.

Since then, Philip has created exciting wines with innovative packaging, including extremely distinctive label designs.

Cumulus wines have been widely acclaimed by wine judges and recognised with numerous trophies and awards.

In 2005 Jeffrey Wilkinson joined us as CEO and established a worldwide distribution network. This now has its own sales teams in Australia (headed by Sam Mete), USA (under Ron Mertz) and Europe (under Liz Stich).

Few other wine companies can claim the achievements of Cumulus in such a short time. The ROLLING and Climbing labels, enjoyed by wine lovers in over 25 countries, have achieved exceptional global sales.

Further background

In early 2007, Assetinsure entered into a partnership agreement whereby 51% of the Cumulus Wines shareholding was acquired by the Berardo family of Portugal.

The family, headed by Joe Berardo and son Renato, is the largest premium wine producer in Portugal. It owns two of the most historic and impressive vineyards in the country at Loridos and Bacalhoa.  

Other wine interests are with Eric de Rothschild (of Chateau Lafitte) in their joint ownership of Quinta do Carmo, 33% of Sogrape (Portugal’s largest wine company) and 50% of Colio Wines (one of Canada’s major wine producers).

Joe is passionately involved in the arts; over the years he has created Portugal’s largest art collection.

For more information please visit:

www.bacalhoa.com
www.berardocollection.com
www.montepalace.com