Villa Maria founder Sir George Fistonich today launched Cuvar Winery. Photo / Dean Purcell
Villa Maria founder Sir George Fistonich today launched Cuvar Winery. Photo / Dean Purcell
Wine industry pioneer Sir George Fistonich has launched a new winery, saying the sector should not be all about “profit, profit, profit”.
Addressing a sit-down lunch for around 50 guests at Parnell’s Cibo yesterday, Fistonich, aged 83, named his latest venture Cuvar Winery.
“Cuvar” is the Croatian word for guardian,custodian or watchman, he said.
This is the next step in his comeback, after founding Villa Maria in the early 1960s but then losing control of what was once a hugely successful brand, then a few weeks ago announcing production of wine under a new family label.
Villa Maria’s parent company, FFWL, went into receivership in May 2021, with ANZ and Rabobank calling in Calibre Partners over unpaid loans. The receivers then sold its assets to Marlborough wine company Indevin, prompting Fistonich to launch legal proceedings. The company is now out of receivership, although Fistonich is continuing with legal action.
He said today the new Cuvar, pronounced “chu-var”, paid homage to Croatian wine and viticulture pioneers who immigrated to this country to prosper and play a huge role in shaping New Zealand’s wine industry.
The wine showcased under the CuvarWinery label has images of the iris, Croatia’s national flower, which Fistonich said was important to him as well.
Guests at the launch included Liquorland chief executive Brendon Lawry, online wine distributor Black Knight’s owner and founder Richard Knight, author and wine reviewer Michael Cooper, food writer and author Lauraine Jacobs and Hawke’s Bay viticulturist Emma Taylor.
The Herald reported last month how Fistonich had created new brands Oblix, Obliix and New Zealand Forest Flower.
His new operations are run from two areas: one on the famous Gimblett Gravels, covering about 23 hectares in Hawke’s Bay’s Esk Valley; and the other in Ballochdale in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley. Fistonich Family Vineyards owns 74 per cent of Ballochdale Dam Company.
Cuvar winemaker Michelle Richardson introduced six new Cuvar wines under two collections: guardians and iris.
Fistonich said for him, the sector was about having a passion for wine, winemaking and viticulture.
“It’s not about a whole lot of new people. It’s not about profit, profit, profit,” he said.
Cuvar wines are being produced from grapes grown in Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough.
In Hawke’s Bay, Cuvar’s website cites three properties: Cuvar Terraces Vineyard at Bayview, Matapiro Vineyard and Cornerstone Vineyard.
Cuvar Terraces is planted in malbec, cabernet franc, syrah and merlot. Matapiro Crownthorpe has pinot gris, sauvignon blanc, pinot noir and chardonnay. Cornerstone is planted in syrah, merlot, malbec, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and viognier.
In Marlborough’s Awatere Valley, the Ballichdale Vineyard planted in sauvignon blanc and pinot noir will produce wine for Cuvar.
The new winery’s headquarters is at 745 Main North Rd, Bayview in Hawke’s Bay.
Villa Maria founder Sir George Fistonich launched new brands last month and an entirely new winery today. Photo / Dean Purcell
Last month, Fistonich also announced he had launched the new Fistonich Family Vineyards and spoke about how many of the staff who once worked for Villa Maria had returned, including chief winemaker Michelle Richardson and viticulturist Stu Dudley.
All up, he says the business produced about 300 cases from both vineyards, including rosé, a cabernet blend, cabernet, viognier “and of course chardonnay, and next year I’ll make a sav blanc as well”.
Fistonich said Cuvar Winery’s headquarters was beside the terraced vines he planted three decades ago when that property was called Esk Valley Winery.
The site is not open to the public yet, but he is planning for it to become a conference, corporate and wedding venue in the midst of the wines.
Fistonich said he had opened New Zealand’s first winery restaurant in 1979: Vidal’s of Hastings.
He remained inspired by that site, and wants to expand that property beyond its vineyard and winery functions for new public and private events.
“Retirement is boring,” he reiterated yesterday, vowing to continue in the sector with the new labels.
Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 23 years, has won many awards, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.
