Nick Nobilo senior, the patriarch of the Nobilo wine family, has died aged 94.

Mr Nobilo (left), who established the House of Nobilo wine label, was one of the pioneers of New Zealand's modern wine industry.

He died late on Wednesday night at a private hospital in Henderson, Auckland, with his family at his bedside.

Originally from Croatia, Mr Nobilo emigrated to New Zealand in 1937, establishing vineyards on five hectares of land in Huapai, west of Auckland, six years later.

Mr Nobilo poured the concrete for his cellar and made his own wine casks.

The company, which originally produced fortified wines such as port and sherry, eventually introduced New Zealanders to more sophisticated wines such as mueller-thurgau, chardonnay and pinotage.

Today, the company, which helped lead exports of New Zealand wines, is the country's second-biggest winemaker.

Mr Nobilo always said he wanted to transform New Zealander's approach to drinking wine and boasted that he never produced what was popularly known as "plonk".

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200708301427/death_of_house_of_nobilo_founder

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