KEY POINTS:
When a young Nikola Nobilo left his hometown of Lumbarda in Croatia 70 years ago, he also left behind the village brass band he played for, work as a stonemason, family and friends and a childhood sweetheart named Zuva.
Ordered by an uncle to come to New Zealand
to preserve his family name, fearing the outbreak of war in Europe, it would be two years before Mr Nobilo wrote a letter to Zuva, asking for her hand in marriage.
Zuva accepted but her wedding was unusual, with Mr Nobilo's brother standing in for him at the ceremony.
After a six-week journey by sea, Mr Nobilo met his new bride at Princes Wharf in Auckland with hugs, kisses and her wedding gift - gumboots.
"It's the kind of story that movies are made of," said Mr Nobilo's son, Nick, in a eulogy at his father's funeral at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Auckland at 2.30pm yesterday.
Mr Nobilo snr had just celebrated his 94th birthday when he died on August 29.
While he had forsaken many things close to his heart, Mr Nobilo did bring with him his knowledge of winemaking, a 300-year-old family tradition.
He started planting vines at Huapai, northwest of Auckland, in 1943 and his company became one of the largest players in the New Zealand wine industry. He helped local wines move away from hybrid grape varieties and fortified wines towards classic and higher quality wines.
The company was bought by BRL Hardy, Australia's second-largest wine company, in 2000.
In a DVD celebrating Mr Nobilo's life played to the gathering of about 400 people, he said New Zealand was "backwards" in its wine growing industry and culture when he arrived but he was proud at having played a part in seeing it grow in stature over the decades.
"I'm proud of myself to be an example to others, to be modern in every walk of life ... I tried my best to show how people should live," he said.
Nick Nobilo said his father was a committed family man, a philanthropist and a devout Christian.
"He was the supreme example of a family leader, the patriarch and the person you turned to for counsel."
Nick Nobilo is survived by his wife Zuva and his three sons.
