Villa Maria is New Zealand’s most popular and most awarded winery today. George Fistonich was only 21 years old when he started this wine label. He got 5 acres of land in Mangere, Auckland, from his father, and set about to give wings to his winemaking passion. The very next year, he made his first wine from the grapes planted on this land, and he named the wine, Villa Maria.

For almost a decade, George managed this label almost single-handedly, with some support from his wife, Gail. He employed a blend of modern and traditional winemaking methods, and planted the grapes that Auckland’s soil allowed, to make his wines. Today, almost six decades after the company’s inception, you can find almost 250 people working in the wineries and vineyards. Close to 28 grape varietals are cultivated here. Villa Maria’s white wines find a presence in 60 countries across the globe today.

The grapes for Villa Maria wines are cultivated in some of New Zealand's most popular wine regions, such as Marlborough, Hawkes Bay, Auckland and Gisborne. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Pinot Noir are used for making red wines.  For the whites, varietals, such as Chardonnay, Albarino, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Riesling and Pinot Gris are used. If you love organic wines, you will find them quite a lot under Villa Maria’s label. Marlborough and Hawkes Bay are some of the premium regions from where Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc are used for making organic wines.

Apart from red, white and rose wines, Villa Maria also offers other categories of wines, such as sparkling wines, dessert wines, aged wines, open the cellar wines and organic wines. All of these are highly popular among wine lovers in New Zealand and across the globe. The vineyards are carefully chosen for growing different varietals that reflect the nature of the rich terroirs. 

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