Villa Maria Vineyards

The beginnings

Villa Maria is a New Zealand Wine Estate with over 60 years of experience, in different territories of the nation.
It all began with the enterprising Sir George Fistonich who, in 1961, at the young age of 21, inherited from his father 5 acres of land, in Mangere, near Auckland.
There, he planted his first acre of vineyard. Only a year later, he bottled the first vintage with the “Villa Maria” label. A successful start that led George to buy more vineyards in the Marlborough Region.

Villa Maria Vineyards

While remaining a family-owned winery, the Estate has continued to grow over the years, expanding its possessions and improving the entire winemaking process.
Today, Villa Maria takes care of several vineyards, in the most promising territories of New Zealand:

• Marlborough: a region famous for the quality of its wines made with Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir grapes.
• Auckland: a renowned region, perfect for the cultivation of Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay and Verdelho grapes.
• Hawkes Bay: famous for the excellence of its Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
• Gisborne: Chardonnay, Arneis and Gewürztraminer grapes have found a perfect habitat in this region … and Villa Maria Team knows it.

The Success of Villa Maria Wines

Given the appreciation obtained at home, Villa Maria Estate began exporting its products to Europe, North America, Asia and Australia.
Its wines show a typical and genuine imprint that people really enjoy. Products that tell the vines and the territory of New Zealand, under many nuances. For this reason, Villa Maria allows people to choose between different lines of wines, each with a distinctive quality and a strong personality:

• Private Bin – each wine of this line reveals only the best of a single grape variety, through a fruity charm and a highly drinkability.
• Cellar Selection – extremely food-friendly wines, created to be protagonists on the table, easy to pair with any occasion and different recipes.
• Earth Garden – The first Villa Maria wine range 100% organically grown and BioGro certified.
• Reserve – these wines are the result of an extreme care, in the vineyard as in the cellar, from the harvest to the aging period.
• Single Vineyard – wines that are the best expression of the most renowned Crus of the Estate.
• Icon – The true stars of the whole production, made only from great grapes, in great vintages.

Villa Maria: a Sustainable Brand Identity

Already in the ‘90s, the vocation to sustainability was a tangible element of Villa Maria production.

In fact, in 1995, the Wine Estate was one of the founding members of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ), a program that promotes environmental and biodiversity protection in viticulture.

In this regard, Villa Maria was the first winery in New Zealand to abandon cork and, consequently, the exploitation of oak forests, endowing all its wines with modern screw caps.
Precisely for its commitment to protecting the environment, in 2021 Villa Maria received the Sustainable Business Network Awards.