IN SAFE HANDS

Sir George Fistonich established Villa Maria over 50 years ago, made his wine brand a household name globally, trained many winemakers and built a team of dedicated professionals. He is a pioneer and hero of the New Zealand wine sector. So it came as a bit of a shock earlier this year to learn that Villa Maria’s parent company FFWL was in receivership. Fast forward a few months to a more recent announcement that Villa Maria Estates have signed a conditional agreement with Indevin New Zealand for the sale of 100 per cent of the shares of Villa Maria Estate Limited, signalling a resolution to the challenges facing the company and brand. A big sigh of relief on my part because Villa Maria will remain privately, and New Zealand, owned. Indevin aims to put more focus and investment behind the Villa Maria brand and to drive its success globally ... and this means the New Zealand wine story will continue to include a premier producer. “Our business model is all about producing quality wines, creating authentic brands while retaining and building value for New Zealand wine in international markets,” says Greg Tomlinson, chairman of Indevin. If the sale is indeed finalised, it will include assets from Marlborough, Hawke’s Bay and Auckland wineries, vineyards, supplier agreements, the flagship brand Villa Maria as well as Esk Valley, Vidal and Leftfield. Villa Maria is one of the most important brands for Aotearoa, so if you have any spare reading time this year be sure to add The Winemaker: George Fistonich and the Villa Maria Story by Kerry R. Tyack to your booklist – and learn why George and the Villa Maria brand must continue.