Babich Wines New Zealand

Winemaking is still an art, but there's a healthy dose of science. Many of Joe Babich’s best wines began from experimentation with new techniques. And as winemaking has evolved, so has the science behind it. We now use equipment, technologies and quality control systems that our founder Josip, and even Joe, would never have dreamed of.

Fun Fact: Back in 1995, our Irongate Vineyard, located in the Gimblett Gravels sub-region of Hawke's Bay, was the the very first vineyard in New Zealand to be certified as sustainable by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand. Accredited vineyard #001!

Today all 14 of our family-owned vineyard estates are certified 100% sustainable; because the best grapes can only come from the best environments.

Where most saw dirt & stones, Joe Babich saw potential.

These days, wines with the Gimblett Gravels appellation are synonymous with some of New Zealand’s most prized vineyard real estate. But a little over 30 years ago, the land was practically worthless. That all changed when forward thinking winemakers like Joe Babich saw the huge potential the gravelly soil had, and turned an overlooked stretch of Hawke’s Bay farmland into one of New Zealand’s premier wine regions.

📍 Irongate Vineyard, Gimblett Gravels, Hawke's Bay NZ

Multitasking to do less. With eyes firmly planted on the future, we introduced new fuel-efficient tractors and multi-row equipment, allowing us to do two tasks in just one pass. This means more energy efficiency, lower carbon emissions, and lower soil compaction.

📍Mt. Adde Vineyard, Awatere Valley, Marlborough NZ

Cheers to celebrating New Zealand Wine throughout the month of May. Although May is drawing to a close, we still encourage you wherever you are in the world to enjoy the delights of Babich wine and all that New Zealand wine has to offer

Sip, sip, hooray, it's Chardonnay Day!

Chardonnay remains one of the world’s most popular wine varietals, and with the variety and sophistication of Babich's Chardonnay range, it’s not hard to see why.

From the unoaked, fruit forward style of our Babich Hawke's Bay Chardonnay, to our lively and complex Family Estates organic Marlborough Chardonnay; and of course our flagship Irongate Chardonnay; buttery, complex and delicious. With Chardonnay, there's something for everyone!

and join us in celebrating

It's International Pinot Gris Day today! So we're celebrating the juicy and delicious drop. A food-friendly style, offering tropical and stone fruit flavours with a touch of spice.

Did you know the grape is pink-skinned, often giving the wine a rose gold tinge? All that glitters, truly turns to gold.

Join us and this International

Harvest may be well and truly over, but the winemaking continues.

On May 3rd we raise a glass to Marlborough and celebrate International Sauvignon Blanc Day!

From speculative beginnings in the early 1970s, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has grown into one of the world's most popular wine styles, famous for it's crisp, zesty flavour profile and stunning aromatics.

Sauvignon Blanc is the backbone of what we do here at Babich Wines, with a variety of styles and winemaking expressions to enjoy. So why not make it a !

Join us through the month of May as we once again celebrate the delights New Zealand wine has to offer, and Pour Yourself a Glass of New Zealand!

All smiles from our winemakers as they do their daily checks.

Harvest draws to a close for another year, with all grapes now picked and in the winery. It's now over to our wonderful winemakers .... watch this space.

The golden hints of Autumn starting to show in the vineyards 🍂

How good do these Pinot Gris bunches look? Ripe for the picking, we say! 🍇

Someone has to draw the short straw and clean...Ricky doesn't seem too bothered, though!

Keeping a watchful eye: the caps on the Pinot Noir are checked before plunging.

Did you know: The "cap" is a term that describes the grape skins, pulp and stems that float to the surface of the juice during fermentation. Because the skins and stems hold the most pigment and create flavour, they are plunged down into the vessel to keep them submerged in the juice.

Testing, testing, 1,2.3. Juice from select bunches that were freshly crushed are ready for lab testing. The team in the lab look at things like the pH, acidity and sugar levels in the juice, all to help the winemakers with their tasks at hand - making wine!

This month, our Marlborough Winery turned 10. Designed by Joe Babich and built in 2013, it's first vintage was produced in 2014. Over the past decade, we have invested in various ways to further ensure the efficiency and quality of the wine we craft is met, and we're committed to doing so for another 10 years and beyond.

Golden hour harvesting

Many hands make light work!

Following on from our Hawke’s Bay crew, the Marlborough team kicked off vintage too, with the hand harvesting of Pinot Noir at our Cowslip Valley Vineyard. Vintage is well and truly underway! 🍇🍷

📸:

And just like that, vintage 2024 has begun! With the hand harvesting of our Chardonnay grapes at the iconic Irongate Vineyard in Gimblett Gravels, kicking off the occasion. Watch this space...

Exciting times are ahead, with harvest just around the corner officially marking the start of vintage 2024. It'll soon be time to dust off the harvesters, pick up the shears and get stuck in...watch this space.

During summer, we only mow every second row between vines, to encourage beneficial insects that feed on flowering field plants like clover and dandelions. These beneficial insects take care of hostile insects that want to damage our vines.

Happy Lunar New Year!

The team at Babich Wines would like to wish everyone happiness, luck and prosperity this Year of the Dragon.

百碧祺酒厂
祝您新年快乐

Happy NZ Rosé Day! We love this delicious pink drop, perfect whatever season you find yourself in.

Join us and celebrate

Warm summer evenings mean enjoying a glass of Babich wine in the vineyard after a hard days work.

Our Hawke's Bay crew keeping a watchful eye on the vines at our iconic Irongate Vineyard, as 2024 harvest draws near.

At this time of year, the vineyard team are trimming the vines and plucking leaves, the vines are working hard to start pushing the grape berries through veraison.

Caught in action: a winemaker keeping a watchful eye on his Pinot Noir. In the early 1980’s, Babich Wines was the first New Zealand wine company to win a Gold Medal for Pinot Noir, and that legacy of excellence remains.

It can get incredibly hot and dry in Marlborough over summer. That’s why we build dams across our vineyards to collect water during the wet season, allowing us to irrigate throughout summer whilst minimising any need to take from local rivers.

Fun Fact: The dams will hold enough water to carry the vineyard through summer, even if we have three months without rain!

📍 Echelon Vineyard, Waihopai Valley, Marlborough NZ