In 1880, Owen McGuigan—Brian and Neil's grandfather—started tending his vineyard located in Rothbury in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales to make additional income aside from his dairy production business.

[1][8] His son, Percival (Perc) McGuigan, was influenced to pursue a career in the wine industry from helping his father in the vineyard.

[2][5][4] In 2005, it acquired Whitton vineyard, and divested of its Griffith-based winery and bottling operations to Dal Broi Family Wines.

[4] It partnered with WaverlyTBS, a UK-based wine distributor, in 2006 to achieve one of its key company strategies, i.e. to grow its exports.

[12] The company generates 97% of its revenue from wine processing and packaging, 2% from the management of vineyards, and the remaining 1% from unallocated sources.

[4] Its operations span primarily across four continents: Europe— with an emphasis on the United Kingdom and Ireland, Australia, Asia and North America.

[12][4] The UK/Europe region is the leading export markets, generating 44.9% of the company's total revenue, with Australia coming next at 39%, then Asia and North America at 7.4% and 6% respectively.

[18][17] Australian Vintage Limited has made major investments as their "commitment to the Chinese market [grows] stronger than ever".

[19] This agreement grants COFCO exclusive distribution rights which is solely applicable to the McGuigan Wines brand.

[20][21] The partnership was signed in 2017 and involved Vintage China Fund raising $16.5m capital by purchasing 35.9 million of AVL's shares.