Wine industry veteran Nick Hern, chief executive of premium drinks distributor EuroVintage, has been made a Knight of the French Order of Agricultural Merit for his exceptional contribution to the French wine industry.
Nick’s 40-year career spans a wide sector of the wine business. A brand manager with New Zealand Wines and Spirits Ltd in the 1980s, he established a family retail enterprise in the 1990s which was subsequently sold to Lion Nathan, then managing director of South Corp/Penfolds Wines and he began importing French wines in 1992.
In 1997, Hern established Vintage Wines and Spirits Limited which in 2010, purchased Wellington-based Eurowine and now trades as EuroVintage.
What began as a small wine shop business (based in Newmarket, Auckland) importing wines into New Zealand has become a national distributor, employing 70 people and selling 1.2 million bottles of French wine annually.
Above: Nick Hern (right) pictured with Vincent Hebrail, Agricultural Counsellor
Mr Hern was nominated for the prestigious Ordre du Mérite – the Order ofAgricultural Merit – by another recipient of the award, Xavier Pignet-Dupont, Asian Managing Director for France’s largest wine producer, Castel Groupe.
“Obviously, I was very surprised but honoured to receive this award", says Nick. "I have been fortunate to work with some of the leading French producers and brands over many years but this award also acknowledges the Eurovintage team who have worked hard in the trade selling these wines for along time.”
