Knight of the Whites in land of the long white cloud

This 1970s photo shows the dining room of George Fistonich. [Photo/China Daily]

Most awarded

Fistonich is the founder and chief executive of Villa Maria wines, which boasts of being "New Zealand's most awarded winery".

The latest accolade came this month when it was, for a second year, the only New Zealand winery in a prestigious list of 10 most admired wine brands worldwide drawn up by Drinks International, a global drink magazine in London. The magazine polled more than 200 of the world's top masters of wine, sommeliers, wine buyers and industry experts to come up with a list of the top 100 brands.

The younger Fistonich's climb to the summit of winemaking is all the more remarkable in that his career very nearly did not happen. Instead, as a teenager he was told that his future lay in being a builder and carpenter.

His eldest brother went to university and the plan was for his young sibling to learn a trade, so when George turned 15 he began doing a building apprenticeship.