Villa Maria among world's best

Sir George Fistonich says the international recognition is an accolade for the young New Zealand wine industry. Photo / Paul Taylor

Villa Maria’s founder thrilled to beat world-famous names to be voted 4th most admired wine brand.

For winemaker Sir George Fistonich, despite the dozens of awards his Villa Maria Estate has picked up over the years, being named by Drinks International magazine as the fourth most-admired brand in the world is a crowning achievement.

It's the first time a New Zealand wine brand has ranked so highly in the poll, which covered 200 of the world's top masters of wine, wine stewards and writers.

The relatively small, family-owned Villa Maria rated ahead of traditional heavyweights such as Chateau d'Yquem from France, which came in fifth.

Drinks International, an influential trade journal, ranked Villa Maria behind only Torres and Vega Sicilia of Spain, which ranked first and second, and Australia's Penfolds, which ranked third.

Further down the list was Chile's Casillero del Diablo (7th) America's Ridge (8th) and France's Chateau Margaux (9th).

To the uninitiated, fourth place may seem a modest boast, but Fistonich is overjoyed.

The quietly spoken Kiwi of Croatian descent saw Villa Maria's inclusion on the list as an accolade for the still young wine sector.

"When you think that the modern New Zealand wine industry really only started in the 1960s and early 1970s, we are a very young country," he told the Weekend Herald.

"When I started, it was all port and sherry. So we've gone from port and sherry to dry white, dry red, to commercial quantities of chardonnay, and merlot, sauvignon blanc - which drove the export side - and then pinot," he said.

Now, New Zealand sauvignon blanc is recognised as having special qualities, with hot days and cold nights giving the variety an additional five or six weeks to ripen.

Fistonich, who was knighted in 2009 for his services to the wine industry, said New Zealand pinot noir was recognised as world-class. He also noted chardonnay was making a comeback locally. "Personally, I think our chardonnays are world-class."

Fistonich started in the business 1961 in his early 20s, renting land in Mangere from his father to grow grapes. The company grew quite quickly but it was not until 1979 that a proper business plan was formed. At that point, Fistonich did not want Villa Maria to go multinational.

"We decided we would not compete with the big companies, so we focused completely on quality," he said. After an international search, Villa Maria appointed top winemakers Kate Bradburn and Kym Milne.

Villa Maria is now New Zealand's sixth biggest winemaker, exporting to about 60 countries.

The company was rated as one of the world's 50 great wine producers by Wine Spectator magazine in 2004.

In 2007, it was named New World winery of the year by Wine Enthusiast magazine in the US. In 2013 it was ranked New Zealand wine company of the year for the 13th time in 16 years by Winestate - an Australian wine buying guide and magazine.