The team | Meet the craftspeople | Čuvar Winery, Hawkes Bay

We’ve gathered a team who believe that boundaries are there to be pushed. We’re united in our love of New Zealand fine wine, and in our goal of making it even better.

Pioneer

Sir George Fistonich

Having spent six decades standing shoulder to shoulder with the pioneers who’ve shaped New Zealand’s modern wine industry, Sir George is renowned for breaking new ground and creating possibilities. His energy – and signature bloody mindedness – is infectious, and sharing his love of wine is his greatest joy.

At Čuvar, he does so in down to earth Croatian style, making beautiful wine experiences accessible to everyone, while raising new talent and writing a new chapter for New Zealand wine.

Sir George, Lady Gail and daughter Karen Fistonich

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Karen Fistonich

Sir George’s daughter, Karen sits at the helm of Čuvar Winery to carry forward the Fistonich family legacy with her focus on continuing to produce exceptional wines.

Born into a Croatian family, a passion for wine has been a part of Karen’s heritage from an early age. Karen has long been involved in the family wine businesses with extensive experience in governance and management. Karen is passionate about creating world class wines from Hawkes Bay.

CONSULTANT WINEMAKER

Michelle Richardson

As much as she denies it Michelle lives and breathes wine. With intuition, experience and deep knowledge, she makes exceptional wines and has a wardrobe full of accolades to show for it. She’s travelled the globe, interpreting the beauty of a country, region, vineyard or single row in the vibrancy of her wines she creates.

In early 2025, Michelle embarked on a new chapter, but lucky for us, we still have her around for the 2025 vintage to help us out.

Viticulturist

Odette Preston

Odette’s love for wine began with food, travel, and working for the publisher of Cuisine Magazine. But hands-on winemaking stole her heart. After earning a Certificate in Grape Growing and Winemaking in 2012, she dove into viticulture, joining Villa Maria Hawke’s Bay in 2016.

With a passion for technical viticulture and a firm belief in quality over quantity, she brings her expertise—and plenty of dirt under her nails—to Čuvar Winery.

Winery Consultant

Fabian Yukich

You could say that good wine is in Fabian’s DNA. As the son of the late Frank Yukich, another one of the industry’s founding greats, he went from scaring birds on his family vineyard as a child to leading projects alongside Sir George at Villa Maria for 22 years and becoming an industry legend in his own right.

With a life lived so closely connected to the land, it’s no surprise that Fabian champions sustainability in wine, spearheading environmental and biodiversity initiatives and advocating through his roles with NZ Winegrowers, Sustainable Winegrowing NZ (SWNZ) and the Organic Exporters Association.