ACCOLADE Wines has been forced to axe 10 staff due to the ongoing decline in the sale of cask wine.

The company will be consolidating cask packaging from its Buronga, NSW, operation to its Berri site this month.

Accolade Wines global manufacturing director, Richard Lloyd, said the move reflected an ongoing decline in cask wine sales, which had been decreasing at the rate of 6 per cent per year for the past three years.

"We have recently reviewed the long-term prospects for cask and it's unlikely that the situation is going to change, with current projections pointing to further annual declines of around 7 per cent per year,'' Mr Lloyd said.

"Berri is our major cask packaging operation and this move will increase our efficiency at Berri.''

Most of the company's cask packaging operations are already carried out at Berri.

Mr Lloyd said the winemaking operations at Buronga would not be affected but the closure of the small packaging facility would mean 10 positions would be made redundant.

Accolade Wines assured Weekly Times Now that all affected employees would receive their full redundancy entitlements and support from outplacement services to help find new jobs.

The winery will not be putting on more staff at Berri.