Back in 2009, Justin Bubb had spent almost a decade in Italy leading the transformation of the winemaking at famed winery, Castello Di Gabbiano. He had been sent there to help improve the winemaking and also be a conduit for the Australian owners at the time (South Corp). Originally only planning to stay for a short period, Justin was instrumental in growing the winery. He also was able to spend time working vintage in some of the most famed wine regions of Italy including Piedmonte, Veneto and Sicilia.
His time in Europe had also helped him see there was an opportunity to bring great quality Italian wines back to Australia. Having decided to return to Australia with Anna his new wife, he sketched out very briefly wanted to do:
•He wanted to produce great value Italian wines, so more Australians could fall in love with Italian wines (like he had)
•He wanted to shake any stuffy or old-fashioned stereotypes of Italian wine by offering contemporary wines styles that suited the wine savvy palates of Australia.
•He wanted to continue working with the amazing next work of growers and maintain the deep connection he had with his adopted country.
Taking an Italian nickname for a tool that measures ‘baume’ in fruit,
BABO was born.