Villa Maria Estates

Villa Maria Estate is one of New Zealand's largest wine companies.[1] Their vineyards are located throughout New Zealand, with production bases in Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Marlborough and Auckland.[2][3][4]

Villa Maria Estates
LocationAuckland, New Zealand
Wine regionNew Zealand
Founded1961
Key peopleSir George Fistonich KNZM
Known forNgakirikiri
VarietalsMerlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Riesling
TastingOpen to the public
Websitewww.villamariawines.com

Sir George Fistonich KNZM founded the company in 1961, upon leasing a 5-hectare (12-acre) plot of land on Kirkbride Road in Mangere, Auckland from his parents. The company relocated to a larger site on Montgomerie Road in the same suburb, and has since expanded, but remains a family-owned and operated business.

Brands

Villa Maria Estate has a portfolio of several brands. These include Villa Maria, Vidal, Esk Valley, Thornbury, Riverstone, Left Field, Kidnapper Cliffs, and Te Awa.[2]

In addition to the New Zealand domestic market, Villa Maria Estate also distributes throughout Europe, North America, the Caribbean, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands.

Wines

Villa Maria has six tiers of wine: Ngakirikiri, Reserve, Single Vineyard, Platinum Selection, Cellar Selection and Private Bin.[5] Vidal covers three tiers: Legacy, Reserve and Estate. Esk Valley also covers three tiers: The Terraces, Winemaker's Reserve and Esk Valley Range. The Terraces is usually sold en primeur and is only produced during selected vintages. Te Awa produces two tiers: Te Awa and Leftfield. Thornbury, Kidnapper Cliffs and Riverstone operate on a single-tier basis.

Villa Maria produces wine styles that include [6] Sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay, 'Bordeaux' varieties (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec), Pinot noir and Riesling.[7] Less common varietals produced are Gewürztraminer, Pinot gris, Viognier, Verdelho, Syrah, Grenache, Chenin blanc, Albariño and Arneis.[8]

Wineries

Villa Maria Estate has wineries at its sites in Auckland, Blenheim (Marlborough) and Hawke's Bay, with bottling occurring at the Auckland site. The Auckland site was the first New Zealand winery to achieve BioGro status in early 2009. There is also active involvement in CEMARS and compliance with ISO140001.

Awards

Villa Maria Estate was named the supreme winner at the New Zealand Sustainable Business Network Awards in November 2012.[9]

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References
  1. Cooper, Michael (2019). "Regional Wine Profiles". Michael Cooper's New Zealand Wine Buying Guide. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  2. David Hayward The University of Auckland: The Largest NZ Wine Companies in Cat. 3 (over 2 million litres of production).
  3. Villa Maria Vineyards: "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 April 2008. Retrieved 6 May 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. About Us: "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 December 2009. Retrieved 27 December 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. Cooper, M. Michael Cooper's Wine Buying Guide. 2018
  6. Based on plantings and production in New Zealand- New Zealand winegrowers website http://www.nzwine.com/wine-styles/
  7. Grape Varieties from Villa Maria Estate website - www.villamaria.co.nz
  8. http://www.villamaria.co.nz/Our-wines/default.aspx
  9. "Villa Maria's sustainability winning awards". 3 News NZ. 26 November 2012.

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