Vineyards & Wineries

Facts

Hawke’s Bay wines have become world famous – and for good reason. The Hawke’s Bay wine region has an international reputation for producing beautiful red wines, thanks to
being blessed with a superb climate for viticulture – sufficiently cool to ripen grapes slowly, yet warm and sunny enough to promote optimum fruit ripening. With an extended growing season, this region produces some remarkably complex and drinkable wines.

On a latitude 39.4 ֯ south, this is a region characterised by its temperate, maritime influenced climate, and soil diversity with more than 20 different soil types in this region. Soil types range from river terraces, volcanic loess, alluvial silts to deep river gravels. As New Zealand’s largest red wine region, Hawkes’ Bay produces 71% of the country’s red wines, with almost half the region’s plantings dedicated to these varieties.

Grape Variety

Hawke’s Bay contributes the fruit used in many of Babich’s most-loved wines, including the iconic Irongate range, famous for its Chardonnay and red blend, and The Patriarch — our unparalleled flagship Hawke’s Bay red wine. This region is blessed with a superb climate for viticulture – sufficiently cool to ripen grapes slowly, yet warm and sunny enough to promote optimum fruit ripening. Hawke’s Bay vineyards have a tradition of quality winemaking which stretches back to the 19th century, its reputation evolving steadily as a source of deep-flavoured and slowly evolving Hawke’s Bay Chardonnays, robust and tropical Sauvignon Blancs and stylish, scented Cabernet and Merlot-based reds, more recently adding Gewurztraminer, Viognier and Syrah.

Climate

The colonial missionaries were first to plant vines in Hawke’s Bay back in 1851 – and today it’s known around the world for its exceptional red blends, Syrah and Chardonnay. With a long growing season and temperate climate, it’s the alluvial planes shaped by ancient rivers that make this terroir so unique and special.