BABICH WINES CELEBRATES SAUVIGNON BLANC DAY WITH AN EXCITING CENTENARY HARVEST
Babich Wines, one of New Zealand’s oldest wine brands, has finished harvesting its 101st vintage, just in time for the seventh annual International Sauvignon Blanc Day on May 6.
Sauvignon Blanc Day is an online celebration, which kicks off in New Zealand and travels around the globe. Wine brands, restaurants, bars, retailers and consumers all celebrate Sauvignon Blanc for the day, and share what they’re up to by using #SauvBlanc on Twitter and Instagram.
Babich is looking forward to taking part in the online conversation, and sharing the news about its latest crop, which the family owned brand believes will yield yet another generation of world-class wines.
“I think there will be some fantastic wines coming out of 2016,” says David Babich, General Manager and third-generation winemaker. “The sunny days in Marlborough continued well into April, which was perfect for flavour development in the Sauvignon. I am especially looking forward to the single vineyard organic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from our Headwaters vineyard. The vineyard is old riverbed and the wine reflects this with intense mineral, flinty notes on the nose and palate.”
The fact that Babich Wines is currently celebrating its 100th anniversary makes this year’s harvest even more special.
“It’s amazing to think that my grandfather, Josip Babich, produced the first bottle of Babich wine a century ago,” says David. “So much has changed since then. In the 1900s, wine was sold purely to the domestic market. Now, we export about 90% of our production. In litres, that would be around 4 million from the Sauvignon Blanc vintage we’ve just had.”
David has some easy-to-follow tips for anyone looking to enjoy a glass of Sauvignon with their lunch or dinner on Sauvignon Blanc Day.
“Sauvignon is a fresh flavour style of wine, so matching is reasonably easy – anything that has to be very fresh to be good is a start point, so fish, seafood and salads would all work well. I also have a rule that if you could squeeze a lemon on it and it will improve it (for example fish) then Sauvignon will probably work with it!”
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Contact:
Jennifer Boyes, Salt & Pepper PR
Phone: +64 21 667 873
Email: jennifer@saltandpepperpr.com
Nicole Lees, Babich Wines Marketing Manager
Phone: +64 22 523 5211
Email: Nicole@babichwines.co.nz
About Babich Wines:
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”.
For more information, visit www.babichwines.co.nz