International wine and spirits producer the SPI Group has acquired the Spanish Arinzano Winery for its new luxury wine division, HEW Holding.
International wine and spirits producer the SPI Group has acquired the Spanish Arinzano Winery for its new luxury wine division, HEW Holding.
Arinzano is one of the few wineries to produce Vino de Pago, the highest classification of Spanish wine.
The prestigious Penin Guide to Spanish Wine 2015 described the 2008 vintage Gran Vino de Arinzano as "approaching sensory perfection".
The SPI Group also owns three Italian estates - Tenuta dell'Ornellaia, Castelgiocondo and Luce della Vite - in a joint venture with Marchesi de'Frescobaldi and Michael Mondavi.
It acquired Argentina's Achaval Ferrer in 2011.
The Arinzano estate is situated in a valley in the Pyrenean mountain range in the north-east of Spain, between Rioja and Bordeaux.
Wine was first produced on the estate in the 11th century. Wine making was revived in 1988 by the Chivite family, after a hiatus of 200 years.
Alexey Oliynik, SPI Group chief executive, said: "It is with this clear heritage and commitment to quality that makes Arinzano such a great fit with the brands of SPI Group."
The SPI Group was founded in 1997. Its best-known brand is iconic vodka Stolichnaya.