The Villa Maria Story
Villa Maria is one of the most pioneering and best-known of New Zealand wine brands. It also has one of the broadest ranges in terms of style, from the very respected Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc, which is widely distributed in stores, to some of the most premium, single-vineyard wines that Villa Maria has to offer like their Taylors Pass Sauvignon Blanc.
It's one of New Zealand's top 5 wine brands, and the one which pioneered the start of the revolution towards the use of screwcaps. As a result of this, New Zealand led the charge towards this new style of closure, and over 95% of all New Zealand wines are now sealed with screwcaps instead of corks, which negates the risk of cork taint.
The Background
Villa Maria was founded in 1961 by Croatian immigrant, George Fistonich, who leased 5 acres of land near Auckland, on the north island. He began to make wine, and over the next 10 years started to buy land and explore the territory. He purchased land in Hawkes Bay in 1975, and over the years, began to build the Villa Maria brand, buying land in the up and coming Marlborough region in the early 1980s.
Today ,Villa Maria own vineyards in Hawkes Bay and Gisborne in the North Island and Marlborough in the South Island, covering just about every varietal and style that the country produces.
The New Zealand wine industry owes much to Fistonich - he was one of the first to start to bring in viticulturists to make sure the best grapes were grown in the best vineyards, in the best conditions, and worked to drive the quality of the wines and New Zealand's reputation.
It was in 2000 that Villa Maria first pioneered the use of screwcaps rather than cork for its wines, because he realized how many of his wines were being spoilt, and contaminated . He banned all cork and started using screwcap closures even for red wines in 2002. This was a revolutionary and very risky move at the time, but nowadays wines sealed with screwcaps dominate the shelves.
What styles of wine does Villa Maria make?
Is Villa Maria good wine?
Villa Maria produce a wide range of wines at several different levels, from vineyards from both North and South Islands, covering established and up and coming grape varieties.
The Private Bin range offers a wide variety of styles, from the familiar Sauvignon blanc to Pinot Grigio, Riesling and Rose, as well as a delicately fruity Pinot Noir.
The Cellar Selection range offers premium styles of some of the most classic grape varieties grown in New Zealand, including Sauvignon blanc, Riesling and Pinot Noir.
At the next level up is the Reserve range, represented here by Villa Maria Reserve Chardonnay, which demonstrates a complex elegant character, balancing gentle oak, and an incredible freshness.
In short, the wine is good, very good. They have a range of wines for all drinkers with a great ladder of quality. Thy make wines that are consistently refelctive of their terroir and the tropical New Zealand wine flavours. Simply ask people to name their favourite Sauvignon and Villa Maria will top many lists.
Food and wine matching
Villa Maria wines are perfect food wines, here are a few ideas to try to enjoy the wines and what you’re cooking, at their very best:
Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc – zesty and passion fruit fresh, this is a great wine to try with ginger and garlic steamed fish, thai chicken curry, goats cheese salad, and spicy, chilli-infused dishes. Also pretty good with fish and chips.
Villa Maria Private Bin Riesling – full of aromatic, lime zest and honeysuckle character, this is the perfect wine for Southern Indian dishes, smoked fish, and oriental seafood dishes.
Villa Maria Private Bin Pinot Gris – soft and gentle, with more character and depth than many of the Italian versions. Lovely with chicken Caesar salad, fishcakes, and creamy chicken risotto.
Villa Maria Private Bin Chardonnay – A medium bodied Chardonnay with the gentlest of oak influence. It allows the ripe fruit and citrus to shine with a hint of butter on the finish.
Villa Maria Private Bin Merlot - rich and juicy, this berry and spice scented red is great with lamb steaks, braised beef, and stir-fried pork dishes. A lovely touch of smokiness on the finish really caps it off.
Villa Maria Blush Sauvignon – a drop of Merlot gives their classic Sauvignon a delicate pink hue and adds cranberry and berry flavours into the mix.
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Sauvignon blanc – Vibrant and refreshingly zesty, this bright superstar cries out for a platter of the freshest seafood, spicy calamari or goats cheese salad.
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Pinot Noir - this soft, raspberry-scented red, with its velvety style is a natural match to tender duck breasts, roast pheasant, and hot spicy Asian dishes.
Villa Maria Sparkling Cuvée Brut – Yes, they've gone bubbly and a good thing to. A classic blend of Chardonnay and Pinot, it has lovely stone fruit and citrus notes. A great Prosecco contender.
Updated 11th March 2025