Eighty years old he is now and still going strong. Although Sir George Fistonich is no longer in charge of the day-to-day running of the business, he has handed that over to his daughter Karen. But the blood runs where it cannot go. So to the internationally renowned winery Villa Maria: in this corona time, we call Sir George Fistonich and CEO Justin Liddell. WINELIFE editor Charlotte van Zummeren has, of course, visited Villa Maria in New Zealand before. Sir George Fistonich is an absolute pioneer of winemaking in New Zealand - rightly a man of taste.
TEXT CHARLOTTE VAN ZUMMEREN
Villa Maria has been New Zealand's most awarded winery for more than 40 years and was once again named one of the World's Most Admired Wine Brands by Drinks International earlier this year. This makes Villa Maria the highest-ranked New Zealand winery in the list. And inextricably linked to Villa Maria is its founder Sir George Fistonich.
How it began
George Fistonich bought a few acres of vineyard from his asthmatic father in 1961, as his illness prevented him from working. The wines Dad made were largely for his own consumption. Viticulture was in its infancy in New Zealand 50 years ago. Now Villa Maria is a major winery with as many as thousands of hectares of vineyards and an endless string of awards and medals. This makes Villa Maria the most awarded winery in New Zealand and perhaps the world. Topping the cake is Sir Georges Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Wine Challenge 2011, a very prestigious award given to a man with a mission. This award is and was far more important to him than the knighthood he received in 2009, since when he has been allowed to call himself Sir George. Incidentally, he rarely, if ever, uses the title himself; he is more proud of his wines.
At high altitude
Villa Maria's winery is close to the airport. 'We normally have a lot of conferences and meetings here.' Sir George likes that: 'A lot of people came to us for corona between flights.' The distance between the airport and the winery is walkable - unimaginable in the Netherlands, but in New Zealand it is. Until he was 75, Sir George still worked daily; if not at the winery, then at home. But even after that, he travelled the world. 'One of the benefits of turning 75 is that you no longer have to take your shoes off at US airports,' he says. Flying brings him to Air New Zealand. This airline has chosen Villa Maria as its preferred winery for the wines to be served in Premium Economy and Economy class. 'Not everyone is happy with that choice. Because we are so close to the airport, we can supply very easily. Some fellow wineries are a bit jealous of that.' He does immediately add that only a few of his wines are rated high enough for Business Class. He is otherwise completely okay with that, as Sir George himself likes to travel Economy.
Read the whole article in WINELIFE #67. You can order here.
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