Fistonich Family Vineyards – The Resurrection of Sir George

GlengarryIssue 290 pg. 44

A name synonymous with leadership in wine, Sir George Fistonich
A name synonymous with leadership in wine, Sir George Fistonich

A name synonymous with leadership in wine, Sir George Fistonich has a history of success but has always operated with an eye on the future. In 2021, not content with retirement, Sir George embarked on a new venture: Fistonich Family Vineyards, fuelled by his passion for viticulture, winemaking, developing future talents and creating world-class brands.

Today, Fistonich Family Vineyards owns incredible vineyards across Hawkes Bay and Marlborough, including Cornerstone in the Gimblett Gravels and Ballochdale in the Awatere Valley. And on the horizon, Sir George is poised to unveil his flagship winery brand, crafted from his cherished Terraced vineyard site in Bayview, Hawkes Bay. It is a significant site for the New Zealand wine industry that Sir George himself meticulously planted over three decades ago.

Chief Winemaker Michelle Richardson is known for her extraordinary ability to translate the essence of a country, region, vineyard, or even a single row into the vibrant expressions in the wines she crafts. What is truly exciting for the New Zealand and Hawkes Bay wine scene is the winery restaurant and cellar door that will come in 2024. Envision sunlit patios stretching before you, overlooking terraced vineyards and the South Pacific Ocean.

As Fistonich Family Vineyards begins to build a diverse wine portfolio, the initial offerings are dedicated to providing a joyful and delicious range of crowd-pleasing wines. Among the first wines to be released are the Obliix and Forest Flower Collection wines.

As October rolls around, watch this space as Sir George unveils his flagship winery brand. This is an exciting new chapter in the legacy of Sir George Fistonich and his visionary contributions to the world of wine. As soon as the wines are ready in October, you’ll be the first to know and we’ll have them right here at Glengarry.

Also see Čuvar Winery.

Esk Valley and Gordon Russell tasting – August 2022

The Committee is excited to present Esk Valley wines with presenter and renowned winemaker Gordon Russell on Wednesday, 10 August 2022.

Range

An interesting range of wines will be presented, including a rose, three whites and three reds. These include several of Gordon’s recently released “Artisanal” ranges, which will be new to many of you. These wines will be available to order on the night at very special prices.

History

Esk Valley, Another Prestige Tasting for August
Esk Valley, another prestige tasting for August

Esk Valley winery has come a long way since Sir George Fistonich purchased the historic Glenvale Winery from the Bird family in 1986. Esk Valley broke boundaries by introducing new grape varieties and wine styles to Hawke’s Bay. From its original cellars in north Hawke’s Bay to the new purpose-built winery in the Gimblett Gravels area, Esk Valley has produced a collection of wines regarded as among New Zealand’s finest.

About Gordon

Gordon Russell, legend, winemaker
Gordon Russell, legend, winemaker

Gordon Russell was born in New Plymouth, and his desire to travel took him to England and Europe for three years after university. During that time, he expanded his interest in different flavours and food to include an appreciation for fine wine.

Gordon was appointed Esk Valley’s winemaker in 1993 after working as a cellar hand for Villa Maria in Auckland from 1987, then as assistant winemaker to Grant Edmonds at Esk Valley from 1990. Gordon produces a natural style of wine, paying attention to detail in the vineyard, using wild yeast and long-term lees ageing. These are modern styles of wine hand-crafted by a master.

This promises to be a great tasting by one of the legends among the country’s winemakers. We look forward to seeing you there.

 

Famous name in wines goes global

Michael Donaldson, Stuff | Oct 31 2021

Under new ownership, Villa Maria captures a global market

When Matthew Deller decided it was time to bring his family home from Napa Valley in California, there was only one place he wanted to work: Villa Maria.

He made his move in January 2020 after seven years as chief operating officer at Tor Wines – a winery globally renowned for its single-vineyard chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon.

And so, after a roller-coaster journey of sorts, he’s perfectly placed to oversee the first global launch of Villa Maria’s single-vineyard series of wines from tomorrow.

Deller, a master of wine, is Villa Maria’s chief global sales and marketing officer. In his almost two years with the brand, he’s experienced the rapid change brought by Covid-19 as well as seeing Villa Maria pass out of family ownership.

Villa Maria Estate Winery’s Blenheim acreage. <br /> Image: Brya Ingram/Stuff/Marlborough Express
Villa Maria Estate Winery’s Blenheim acreage.
Image: Brya Ingram/Stuff/Marlborough Express

Villa Maria’s parent company FFWL, owned by founder Sir George Fistonich, went into receivership late in 2020 and as part of that, Villa Maria was sold to Indevin, New Zealand’s largest wine-making company, in September.

“When we decided we wanted to move back to New Zealand and I was thinking ‘who would I want to work for?’ Deller says. “Villa Maria was the only option. There’s no other winery in New Zealand that makes the calibre of wines that Villa Maria does and that’s not going to change in under the new ownership.

“We’ve all been on a roller-coaster over the past 18 months. But the management at Villa Maria wasn’t exposed too much to that financial side as that was between the family and the banks.

“Indevin is very protective of the brand and what drove its success: it’s all about quality and global critical acclaim. And that’s not my opinion, that comes to us from our wine intelligence research.”

Other significant changes include the way Villa Maria is marketed.

“We’ve renovated every brand,” Deller said. “We’ve brought out Earth Garden range this year which is our first 100 per cent Biogrow-certified brand and fully vegan. And we’ve really ramped our global fine wine programme.”

As part of that global push, this year marks the first time that Villa Maria is doing a worldwide launch of its single vineyard series. That will involve events around the world throughout November. “We’re there in New York, London, Europe and there’ll be dinners, wine-maker tastings with a unified release of these single-vineyard wines.”

Indevin had been on the lookout for a quality New Zealand global brand for some time, says chief executive Duncan McFarlane.
Indevin had been on the lookout for a quality New Zealand global brand for some time, says chief executive Duncan McFarlane.

Single vineyard releases are a winery’s way of showing what a particular block of land delivers. The 10 wines Villa Maria are releasing come in tiny volumes – just hundreds of cases for some styles. The grapes are mostly handpicked and many are fermented with wild yeasts.

The idea is to create a series of bespoke wines that Deller says are chosen for their elegance and as “the greatest expression of a particular vineyard”.

The release features vineyards in Auckland (Ihumātao), Gisborne (McDiarmid Hill) Hawke’s Bay (Braided Gravels, Keltern) and Marlborough (Attorney, Taylors Pass, Seaspray, Seddon, Southern Clays).

Deller said it was the right time to make a global push as New Zealand wine – particularly Marlborough sauvignon blanc – was at a “tipping point” in terms of appreciation by critics and collectors.

“Now that New Zealand wines are getting really high scores from international critics, all of a sudden they’re of tremendous interest to the fine wine community, British wine merchants and top New York restaurants. The market has been created by those global critic scores.”

And that maturation of the industry, in terms of quality, has dove-tailed with Covid-19 to create a perfect storm of desire for New Zealand-made wines.

“What happened last year was a huge shift in awareness of, and demand for, New Zealand wine and Brand New Zealand was on fire last year. The insights I have from the US is that a significant part of that is our sustainability story.

“What’s happened this year is another seismic shift – and perhaps one that’s more exciting and of more significance for New Zealanders. We had a small harvest in 2021 but it’s high quality. And with that, we’ve reached a tipping point where New Zealand wines are now recognised as really good. They’ve always been regarded as good but now they moved to really good.”

The Villa Maria Keltern chardonnay.
The Villa Maria Keltern chardonnay.

He noted that one of the world’s leading wine commentators, Jancis Robinson, wrote a glowing report on New Zealand wine, focusing on sauvignon blanc and pinot noir which helped push Marlborough sauvignon blanc from a supermarket staple to standing proudly alongside the best France could offer.

“Marlborough sauvignon blanc had already surpassed France in terms of mass awareness but the more conservative critics have always considered the fine wines of Sancerre as superior to Marlborough sauvignon blanc but that seems to have changed and Marlborough sauvignon blanc is now a fine wine benchmark as well as a reliable benchmark.”

The other thing that’s happened is that a number of factors – including increased costs of packaging and shipping – drove up the price of New Zealand wine and no one blinked. In fact, demand increased.

Deller says not only are people in love with the flavours of New Zealand wine but they are “buying an experience they can’t get from anywhere else” and part of that is a story of sustainability, ethical employers, and a focus on quality.

For Villa Maria, a critical part of that story is staying New Zealand owned. When the receivers came in at FFWL they needed to find over $200m to pay back bank loans. Selling Villa Maria was critical to raising that money and there was a fear an iconic Kiwi brand could end up offshore.

But it stayed in New Zealand thanks to Indevin, a giant wine-maker that most people have never heard of.

Indevin’s model is to grow grapes and make wine. It leaves the sales and marketing to third parties including brewing giant Lion – for whom Indevin produces the Lindauer range, among others – as well as Waitrose and Tesco supermarkets in the UK.

Chief executive Duncan McFarlane says Indevin had been on the lookout for a quality New Zealand global brand for some time.

“Rather than Indevin doing the brand building and holding the sales expertise in-house we’ll partner with someone who has that, and we’ll focus on the parts of the supply chain where we have the expertise and can create value,” he explains.

“But that meant there was a significant part of the New Zealand category that we weren’t participating in – that wasn’t a problem as such as we’d been successful with our model – but we believed that as the New Zealand wine industry matured, with the right brand, the right proposition, there was a lot of additional value to be created.

“Our long-term strategy has been if the right opportunity came along to acquire a genuine global New Zealand brand then that would be a very interesting, exciting and rewarding acquisition.

“Identifying that and actually having the opportunity are two different things.”

McFarlane couldn’t have hoped for a better opportunity than the unexpected sale of Villa Maria after 60 years of family ownership. “We felt that not only was it an amazing opportunity it was an unparalleled opportunity.”

McFarlane says Indevin and Villa Maria will continue to walk their own paths when it comes to sales and marketing, with Indevin remaining a business-to-business model and Villa Maria being a business-to-consumer operation.

But behind the scenes, on the production side, there is huge room for efficiency and growth.

“In many cases, the two businesses literally have vineyards next to each other or in the same street – so it makes sense that the production side of the business will come together over time to work as a team.”

Villa Maria single vineyard Taylors Pass sauvignon blanc and pinot noir, part of a range of 10 it’s releasing globally.
Villa Maria single-vineyard Taylors Pass sauvignon blanc and pinot noir, part of a range of 10 it’s releasing globally.

Adding Villa Maria’s vineyards and expertise to Indevin’s means a diversity of supply that “de-risks” the business on one hand while “putting you in a strong position to maintain and provide consistent quality season-to-season”.

As the ultimate boss, McFarlane has no qualms about Villa Maria hosting a series of global launches during a global pandemic.

“Like any business, we’re conscious of Covid, and management of risk is at the forefront of how we do things, but at the same time there are growth opportunities overseas and where we can do it, and do it safely, it’s business as usual.”

As for his pick of the single-vineyard wines, the chardonnay lover says he’s “quite honestly staggered” by the Keltern Chardonnay from Hawke’s Bay.

Sidebar; The Villa Maria Single Vineyards

Auckland – Ihumātao

Located on Auckland’s Manukau Harbour, Ihumātao sits within a shallow, sheltered volcanic crater with a soil profile that is diverse with a calcified shell and ancient scoria on the edge of the basin, with heavier peat and clay soils toward the centre layered above a volcanic basalt rock base. The immediate proximity to the Manukau Harbour provides a cooling influence, favourable in the retention of fruit acidity during the ripening season.

Gisborne – McDiarmid Hill

Home to expansive fertile plains framed by forested hills on one side and 200km of coastline on the other, the province has an abundance of natural resources. Gisborne’s climate is characterised by warm summers and mild winters. McDiarmid Hill is positioned on an elevated north-facing hillside slope in Patutahi. Taking full advantage of sunlight, drying wind conditions, slightly cooler temperatures and natural water drainage, the additional elevation provides a wonderful advantage for producing this consistently outstanding wine.

Hawkes Bay Braided Gravels | Keltern

The Gimblett Gravels Wine Growing District is characterized by arid, stony gravels laid down over millennia then exposed by a huge flood in 1876 that altered the course of the Ngaruroro River. East of the Maraekakaho region, Keltern is a warm inland site, buffered by the Ngaruroro River. Established on an ancient riverbed that is very dry, but not as hot as the Gimblett Gravels.

Marlborough – Attorney | Taylors Pass | Seaspray | Seddon | Southern Clays

Marlborough is surrounded by the inland Kaikoura Ranges to the south and the Richmond Ranges to the north. These rugged mountains are responsible for New Zealand’s driest and sunniest climate with an average of 2435 hours of sunshine, regulated by the cooling ocean influence, elongating the ripening period. Marlborough is composed of three sub-regions, each with its own distinctive characteristics and nuances, which are experienced in every taste.

Source: Villa Maria

Villa Maria and George’s cellar


Glengarry’s Sunday ramblings of all things vinous, grain and glorious. Villa Maria and George’s cellar comes from The Sunday Sediment.

Sir George Fistonich
Sir George Fistonich

A true New Zealand original, Villa Maria Wine Estates, is over 55 years old, proudly displayed the Glengarry Wineletters from the early days, front and centre. You do have to appreciate what it has taken over the years to get this world-class, family-owned winery to its prestigious position, and you can put it down to the talent, attention to detail, and sheer determination of its founder Sir George Fistonich and his team.

Nick Picone
Nick Picone

Consisting of Villa Maria itself, plus the Vidal, Esk Valley and Te Awa Collection, we tip our hats to the wonderful consistency of quality that exists across VMs entire portfolio. Nick Picone is Villa Marias Group Chief Winemaker and has been with the company for 18 years and counting. A multiple winner of Winemaker of the Year titles and listed as one of the worlds young winemakers to watch, he is an asset to the New Zealand wine industry.

VM Library release Cab Sauv & Merlot/Cab Sauv

The nowadays iconic George Fistonich (that’s ‘Sir George’ to you mere mortals) decided a while ago to start selecting wines from exceptional parcels with a thought to aging them and releasing them in very limited quantities via the cellar door and through selected retailers (that would be us). The wines are at the ultra-premium level, and having been already aged by Villa Maria themselves, they are good to go, and very favourably priced for what’s in the bottle. Villa Maria, then, at its finest. Read more in the Glengarry Wineletter – #232 August 2017.