Justin’s love of wine began in an unlikely place: the storage room of school friend Luke's family bottle shops in Adelaide. Those early years tasting wines from around the world sparked a passion that would take him from Adelaide to the Yarra Valley, then on an almost decade-long adventure through Italy before returning to Australia and settling in Tasmania.
Justin’s Italian journey began at Barolo, before basing himself in the heart of the Chianti region in Tuscany. What was originally intended to be just a few vintages became almost a decade immersed in Italian wine. Along the way, Justin completed vintages in some of Italy’s celebrated wine regions, including Veneto and Sicily, building an intimate understanding of the country’s diverse regions and winemaking styles.
When he returned home in 2009 to take up the role of Chief Winemaker Pooley Wines and Clarence House in Tasmania, he joined forces with Luke (now a successful Adelaide hotelier and also third-generation Italian) to launch his own Italian wine brand.
Taking its name from the Italian nickname for a tool used to measure Baumé in ripening fruit, BABO was born.
Today, Justin works remotely with an exceptional network of growers and makers across Italy, combining his deep knowledge of Italian wine with a contemporary winemaking approach. His vision has helped BABO — and, more recently, the Babino range — build a reputation for authentic Italian wines that deliver quality, character and exceptional value.