Babich Wines was founded in 1916 when Josip Babich made his first New Zealand wine, selling it in cask and bottle under the name Babich Brothers. However, the story started long before that first wine was bottled. In 1910 fourteen-year-old Josip emigrated from Croatia to New Zealand to join his three brothers, who were earning a living digging and selling kauri gum in New Zealand’s far north.

In 1912 Josip planted his first vineyard on the terraces above the Kaikino Swamp gum field, and a few years later the first bottle of Babich Wines was created. In 1919 the Babich brothers moved to a new site in Henderson Valley, West Auckland (a property they had put a deposit on in 1911). This site became the family homestead and company headquarters (still in operation today).

Since then, Babich Wines has become an internationally awarded and respected brand. Josip’s legacy continues to guide the family company today. “A love of wine and family. A vision for the future and to produce nothing but excellence. To share and to enjoy – but these gains can only come from honest hard work, a care for the land and a care for the people. These are the things, we at Babich Wines, will never lose sight of”.

See the selection of fine Babich Wines here