Knight of the Whites in land of the long white cloud

An early promotional tool George used to educate people about table wines. [Photo/China Daily]

"I didn't have the passion as a carpenter and joiner," says Fistonich, talking to China Daily at his winery, not far from Auckland Airport. "Making wine is in my blood. If you love something and you've got a passion you will be a lot more successful at it than if you are doing it because you have been told to do it."

When he grew up, drinking wine was part of family life and doing work on a vineyard for the family and being involved with the Croatian community he developed an interest in wine.

However, when Fistonich first set about opening the business he was told that breaking into the wine industry would be extremely difficult, and in the event at first he made no money out of it.

"New Zealand had very much a beer drinking-culture at that time," he says. "People who did drink wine, drank French, Italian, and German wine."