We catch up with George Geris – New Zealand Winemaker of the Year at the Winestate Awards 2007 – at the end of his 3-week Asian world tour. Between sips of Villa Maria Cellar Selection, we get him to tell what he drinks, when neither his delicious Sauvignon Blanc nor his beautiful Pinot Noir are options.

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George: “If it is the morning, I’ll start with a luscious sweet wine, like Botrytis Riesling, with a fresh fruit salad. If it’s lunchtime, a champagne, somewhere in the Mediterranean with some grilled octopus. Late afternoon, I’d have a beer from anywhere really! Creamy, with small bubbles, I’d say a Czech beer!”

Parched: And if Villa Maria wines are all of a sudden made available…?

George: “I was hoping you’d say that! Then I’ll have a Sauvignon Blanc with raw bluff oysters – these are from the very bottom of New Zealand, juicy, succulent, rustic, and just delicious – and the Pinot Noir with a chunky grilled fish, say a grouper, and I’ll finish my evening with a Tuscan Sangiovese, with a savoury meaty character, with some beef carpaccio. I’ll be outdoors with my wife, there’d be a view of mountains, the sea, and an incredible sunset.” 

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Villa Maria is New Zealand’s most awarded winery. Here are some milestones.

2001 Villa Maria goes 100% screwcaps

2009 Founder George Fistonich received the country’s first knighthood for his services to the New Zealand wine industry

2012 Villa Maria celebrates 50 years of exceptional wine-making

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