Celebrating a Centenary

Family is what it’s all about at Babich Wines, who is celebrating 100 years of family winemaking this year. As a significant player in the New Zealand wine industry, their wine portfolio includes estates across Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough.

 

Josip Babich made the journey from Dalmatia, now Croatia, aged 14 in 1910 to join his brothers near Auckland. A few years later, at the tender age of 20, he was bottling his first wine under the Babich Brothers label.

 

A founding father of New Zealand wine, Josip has been the inspiration for not only his own family, but a host of New Zealand winemakers. Graft and determination raised Babich from their original beginnings in 1916 to their position today as one of the country’s most respected wine producers.

 

Josip’s sons Peter and Joe, as well as grandson David, proudly continue this legacy with their ongoing commitment to quality advances in viticulture and winemaking. Focusing on two key regions, Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay, the Babich ethos is to “have vineyards in the right regions on superior sites, and get the right varieties on those superior sites”. This is clearly evident in their five distinct growing areas across the Wairau and Awatere Valleys in Marlborough, where Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Pinot Gris wines are produced.

 

With spring just around the corner, it is the perfect time to celebrate Babich’s centenary with a glass of Marlborough Sauvignon in hand. Read the 100 stories that have shaped this family winery and contact your Account Manager for more on our Babich Wines spring promotions or to organise point of sales materials.