Honour a ‘tribute to the Nobilo family’

If each new vintage is like a newborn baby, then Nick Nobilo has a lot of children to keep track of. The 71-year-old, who today is appointed an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, has 54 behind him after leaving school at 17 to join the family business. That business was House of Nobilo, set up in 1944 by his father, Nikola Nobilo – a man credited with guiding New Zealand palates away from sherry and port to the delicate taste of table wine. Winemaking, it seems, is in the blood – Nobilo’s brothers Steve and Mark were also heavily involved in developing the business.