Editing Peter Lehmann (winemaker) (section)

==Peter Lehmann Wines==
Founded in 1979, Peter Lehmann Wines produces around 600,000 cases annually, with distribution to Australia, the [[United Kingdom]], the [[United States]] and many other countries. It is located in the [[Barossa Valley]], approximately 70 kilometres north of [[Adelaide]] in South Australia.<ref>[http://www.peterlehmannwines.com/Default.aspx?p=3 Peter Lehmann Wines]</ref>

In 1977, Saltram instructed then winemaker/manager Peter Lehmann to buy less [[grapes]] from their Barossa growers. Since Peter had given the growers his word to buy the grapes, he refused. After months of negotiations with [[Dalgety plc]], which owned Saltram, he was allowed to start an outside company called Masterson Barossa Vineyards in order to buy and process the grapes.<ref>Aussie Rules, a guide to Australian wine 2005</ref> Tyre retailer MS Mcleod gave financial backing to the venture. The inspiration of the name came from the legendary gambler Sky Masterson (see [[Guys and Dolls (musical)|Guys and Dolls]]), because starting the company was such a gamble, and in keeping with the theme the [[queen of clubs]] was chosen as the logo for the company.

In 1979 Saltram was sold to Canadian multinational spirit producer [[Seagram]] which informed Peter that he could no longer make wine on the side, so he quit his job at Saltram and worked fully for Masterson.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> In 1982 the company was renamed Peter Lehmann Wines.

In 1992 MS Mcleod decided to divest themselves of their investment in the company, and with no local buyer in the offing and the company again facing closure or a fire sale to a multinational, a public float was devised. While the core shareholding was intended to be taken up by the growers themselves and by staff, it was feared that the capital raised would be insufficient and so a share and option package was offered publicly. In the end the float was oversubscribed and the new company performed strongly.

In late 2003 'PLW' became the subject of a heated bidding war between UK-based [[Allied Domecq]] and Swiss based [[Hess Group]]. Allied Domecq had acquired 14.5% of Peter Lehmann Wines when it first submitted a takeover bid on 22 September. Peter Lehmann and the board of directors countered by recommending sale to the Hess Group instead. Hess matched the Allied Domecq offer, adding a special dividend to the deal, and purchased the company for a market valuation of $103 million [[USD]].<ref>J. Gaffney ''"[http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Archives/Show_Article/0,1275,4466,00.html Battle for Australian Winery Ends With Hess Group as Winner] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007030232/http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Archives/Show_Article/0,1275,4466,00.html |date=7 October 2008 }}"'' The Wine Spectator 15 December 2003</ref>

By 2016, Peter Lehmann Wines was owned by [[Casella Family Brands]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.casellafamilybrands.com/peter-lehmann-wines/ |title=Peter Lehmann Wines |publisher=Casella Family Brands |accessdate=15 December 2016}}</ref>