Nikola Nobilo
Encyclopedia
Nikola "Nick" Nobilo was a New Zealand
winemaker
and founder of Nobilo Wines. Nobilo was originally from Croatia
.
in 1913. His family's home village was Lumbarda
, located on the island of Korčula
. His family had worked in the winemaking industry in Croatia for 300 years before Nobilo moved to New Zealand
. Nobilo worked as a stonemason before his emigration.
in Europe
.
Nobilo and his family arrived in New Zealand in 1937 and settled in Huapai
.
Huapai is located west of the city of Auckland
. Nikola Nobilo and his family began planting grapes in Huapai in 1943. Gradually the Nobilos led New Zealand's wine industry away from hybrid grapes
to an emphasis on classic grape varieties which produce higher quality wines.
Nikola Nobilo came to head the family company, which grew to become on of New Zealand's largest winemakers. In 1998, the company, then called Nobilo Vintners, purchased another award winning New Zealand winemaker, Selaks. The Nobilo family company was, in turn, acquired by BRL Hardy, one of Australia's largest winemakers, 2000. BRL Hardy merged Nobilo with its Constellation Brands wines in 2003.
The new combined company, Constellation Wines, was able to distribute Nobilo wines throughout New Zealand, Australia, Europe and the Americas.
Nikola Nobilo continued to produce wines after the acquisition. Nobilo Wines were named New Zealand's wine producer of the year in 2003. Nobilo's sauvignon blanc
also won the award for best sauvignon blanc at the international wine and spirit competition in 2000.
in Auckland. He was survived by his wife, Zuva, and three children.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
winemaker
Winemaker
A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes:*Cooperating with viticulturists...
and founder of Nobilo Wines. Nobilo was originally from Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
.
Early life
Nikola Nobilo was born in present day CroatiaCroatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
in 1913. His family's home village was Lumbarda
Lumbarda
Lumbarda is a small village and a municipality located on the Eastern Cape of the Island of Korčula in Croatia, 7 kilometers away from the town of Korcula. A road passing through a picturesque area of pine woods and olive groves connects these two places...
, located on the island of Korčula
Korcula
Korčula is an island in the Adriatic Sea, in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. The island has an area of ; long and on average wide — and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 16,182 inhabitants make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk...
. His family had worked in the winemaking industry in Croatia for 300 years before Nobilo moved to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Nobilo worked as a stonemason before his emigration.
Nobilo Wines
Nikola Nobilo was ordered by his uncle to move to New Zealand in the 1930s. His uncle feared the signs of what would become World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Nobilo and his family arrived in New Zealand in 1937 and settled in Huapai
Huapai
Huapai is a locality north-west of Auckland, New Zealand. State Highway 16 and the North Auckland Line pass through it. Kumeu is to the east, Riverhead to the north-east, and Waimauku to the west....
.
Huapai is located west of the city of Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. Nikola Nobilo and his family began planting grapes in Huapai in 1943. Gradually the Nobilos led New Zealand's wine industry away from hybrid grapes
Hybrid grapes
Hybrid grapes are grape varieties that are the product of a crossing of two or more Vitis species. This is in contrast to crossings between grape varieties of the same species, typically Vitis vinifera, the European grapevine. Hybrid grapes are also referred to as inter-specific crossings...
to an emphasis on classic grape varieties which produce higher quality wines.
Nikola Nobilo came to head the family company, which grew to become on of New Zealand's largest winemakers. In 1998, the company, then called Nobilo Vintners, purchased another award winning New Zealand winemaker, Selaks. The Nobilo family company was, in turn, acquired by BRL Hardy, one of Australia's largest winemakers, 2000. BRL Hardy merged Nobilo with its Constellation Brands wines in 2003.
The new combined company, Constellation Wines, was able to distribute Nobilo wines throughout New Zealand, Australia, Europe and the Americas.
Nikola Nobilo continued to produce wines after the acquisition. Nobilo Wines were named New Zealand's wine producer of the year in 2003. Nobilo's sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
also won the award for best sauvignon blanc at the international wine and spirit competition in 2000.
Death
Nikola Nobilo died in Auckland, New Zealand, on 29 August 2007, at the age of 94. His funeral was held at the Holy Trinity CathedralHoly Trinity Cathedral, Auckland
Holy Trinity Cathedral is situated in Parnell, a residential suburb of Auckland, New Zealand.The first Anglican place of worship in Auckland was "Old" St Paul's, at the bottom of Princes Street, but Parnell residents tired of walking about over paddocks to reach their church. The first church...
in Auckland. He was survived by his wife, Zuva, and three children.