Collina home appraised, Mercedes-Benz AMG sold in $32 million-plus Griffith winery liquidation

A Mercedes-Benz AMG car was sold and a spacious Collina house is being appraised as part of the multi-million dollar liquidation of a Griffith winery, according to a recent report to creditors produced by the liquidator.

Sans Pareil Estate, owned by Hanwood’s Aaron Salvestrin, went into liquidation in October 2022. The company allegedly owes $32 million to the Australian Tax Office (ATO) and hundreds of thousands of dollars to regional small businesses.

Several luxury vehicles owned by the winery have thus far been sold, including a McLaren P1 Supercar for $1.47 million and a Mercedes-Benz GLE53 for $137,100, according to reports to creditors by liquidator Chifley Advisory published in January and February 2023.

The latest liquidator report, released on 5 December 2023, provided an update on the sale of further assets owned by the winery since February 2023.

39 Brooks Street Property in Collina

Chifley Advisory has been unable to sell a spacious four-bedroom house at 39 Brooks Street in the Griffith suburb of Collina, which was purchased by Salvestrin Enterprises Pty Ltd, one of nine registered companies associated with the winery.

The problem for the liquidator is that this property was held within a trust.

But on 9 November 2023, the Supreme Court appointed Chifley Advisory the receiver and manager of this trust, giving it the power to sell the residential premises.

The December report states the 39 Brooks Street house is currently tenanted to an unrelated party and the liquidator is “obtaining marketing appraisals from local agents”.

The property was bought for $711,000 in February 2022. Before that, it was purchased for $465,000 in 2015. The land was acquired for just $60,000 in 2013.

Mr Salvestrin used to live next door to this house at 37 Brooks Street. That property was sold for $775,000 in February 2023.

2018 Mercedes-Benz AMG and 2022 Toyota Kluger GX 2WD

The January report to creditors listed three Mercedes-Benz vehicles owned by Sans Pareil Estate, including an Actros Truck worth around $400,000.

But there was no mention of a 2018 Mercedes-Benz AMG, which was referenced for the first time in the December 2023 report. The liquidator report says it was sold after February 2023 with another car – a 2022 Toyota Kluger GX 2WD.

The combined amount raised from the sale of both vehicles was $191,150.

All up, there were 31 vehicles owned by the winery at some stage during its operation (between 2018 and 2022) referenced in liquidator reports.

Bulk and bottled wine

Region understands San Pareil Estate wine was stored in a warehouse on Griffith’s Blumer Avenue and left unsold for several months.

The December report confirmed that bulk wine was sold for $98,677 and bottled wine was sold for $275,000 after February 2023.

Logos, labels and trademarks

The trademarks, logos and labels of Sans Pareil Estate were advertised for sale in October 2023, with an independent sales agent seeking expressions of interest of $50,000-plus.

The December report states that during the sales campaign, 16 interested parties signed a confidentiality agreement and received a business profile.

“I am taking steps to attend to the settlement of the sale transaction,” the report stated.

Legal proceedings

The liquidator has initiated Supreme Court proceedings against Mr Salvestrin for allegedly making “unreasonable director-related transactions”. Region has covered progress on this case extensively.

This court case has been in the civil jurisdiction, meaning it relates to property or money and is not a criminal matter.

In court documents, the ATO alleged the winery created false financial statements to receive GST refunds to which they were not entitled.

Mr Salvestrin has not been charged with any crimes in relation to this matter.

Original Article published by Oliver Jacques on Region Riverina.