Seriously, is sharing the new succession?
Aotearoa is really just starting out on its winemaking pilgrimage. We had some early adopters, mainly in the guise of immigrating Europeans and without the OG wine pioneers — the Croatians, we may not have a wine industry because it was they who really got stuck in.
Having landed in Northland and West Auckland in the late 1800s and early 1900s, these communities played a crucial role in establishing commercial winemaking here in the Shaky Isles.
Families like Babich, Nobilo and Brajkovich became prominent names in New Zealand viticulture and winemaking but fast forward to now and you’ll find almost 700 wineries in Aotearoa and they ain’t all owned by these legacy families.
Part of the reason we know those names so well even today is down to the fact that the baton was handed to the kids — as is oft the way in the farming world.
When Josip and Mara Babich founded Babich Wines in 1916 after emigrating from Croatia it’s likely they pictured their sons, Peter and Joe Babich, joining the business and in 1949 and 1958, respectively, they did — contributing significantly to its growth and reputation.
Fast forward to current custodians and you’ll find David Babich, Peter's son, sitting in the CEO seat having stepped into the role (originally as GM) in 2001. David has been instrumental in expanding the company and André Babich, grandson of founders Josip and Mara, now works in the family biz as a Principle representative. It’s a right old family affair.
Much like the Brajkovich family, who grow and make wine in Kumeu, West Auckland. After the purchase of a small vineyard in 1944, Mick and Katé Brajkovich, along with their son Maté, founded Kumeu River and the winery has remained family-owned and operated to this day. As you read this article, the third generation, comprising of Maté's children — Michael (MW), Milan, Paul, and Marijana — manage the winery, each playing a vital role from winemaking to vineyard management and administration. This seamless (at least they made it seem that way!) generational transition underscores the family's dedication to maintaining the quality and reputation of Kumeu River Winery, a wine brand that produces some of our finest Chardonnay wines and most certainly acts as a leading ambassador for New Zealand wine abroad.
These are a couple of absolutely stellar examples of how succession in our local wine industry has nurtured wine brands with serious clout and integrity. However, of the many wineries that exist in New Zealand today, most of them have been started by purely passionate folks who didn’t have a generation before them to learn from but who were prepared to put their sweat, blood and pesos into converting a cow paddock into some tasty Pinot Noir. There are defnitely a few exceptions but many of our current vignerons didn’t inherit land, so they’re mortgaged up to the top wire, and many are first generation winemakers learning the craft one demanding season at a time. It’s on the shoulders of the Croatians that we stand but it’s also on the back of the crazy, are-you-completely-mad, foolishly romantic daydreamers who make up our industry as we know it and those guys really only started in earnest in the late 1980s.
So, if the New Zealand story is just starting out, why do we even need to think about succession?
Viticulture and winemaking is a gruelling pursuit. Farming a piece of land well requires a key ingredient — time. Reading how a site responds to a drought or too much rain is pivotal to planning effective, sustainable land management. Investing in growing great soil takes seasons of attention and care and critical learning. As these wine growers and makers who stepped into wine in the ‘80s start to age out of their own businesses, how do we ensure we retain all that knowledge so we maintain a thriving wine industry if they don’t have family able to step in?
Vineyard buying billionaires aside (so fashionable/unfashionable right now) what happens to all that incredible experience and those learnings if they aren’t handed down? Do we lose all that on-the-ground wisdom if there are no kids to step in or the kids don’t want to muck about making vino?
You could ask the question, who cares? Valid, but hear me out.
One reason why our wine industry matters is it plays a part in our food culture. I’m talking about the appreciation of agriculture and artisan craft producers. We grow good stuff in this country and wine is a beverage made from the land, not mixed in some plant, made to a recipe.
Also, New Zealand wine has an industry-wide determination to do better by the environment. Sustainable practices are paramount (although it has to be said the bar could be higher for accredited sustainability) but overall viticulture and winemaking are relatively low impact when it comes to agricultural pursuits making it a most worthy contributor to our nation’s GDP while not fucking up too much of the kingdom beneath our feet (to paraphrase Monsieur Jimmy Millton).
And speaking of finance, the New Zealand wine industry makes bank, with significant impacts on exports, employment, and tourism. In 2023, NZ wine exports reached NZD $2.4 billion, making it our 6th largest export sector. The wine industry supports over 21,000 jobs directly and indirectly and contributes hundreds of millions annually to the tourism sector.
But…there’s always a but.
New Zealand’s wine industry, though globally respected, faces significant challenges. Rising land costs, climate variability, and increasing competition from larger wine-producing nations all threaten the viability of our smaller producers. Add all this to the fact that wine is having to work twice as hard to stay in favour as many of us choose to drink a mezcal margarita instead or opt out of drinking booze altogether and you’d be right to wonder what the future holds for the industry.
It stands to reason then that one of the most effective ways to secure the industry's future is through co-operative sharing of vineyards and facilities and innovative ideas — and allowing the leaders in the industry now to pass on their knowledge.
By pooling resources producers can access high-quality winemaking infrastructure, reduce operational costs, and maintain financial sustainability. It’s easier said than done but it’s not impossible.
Grava Wines of Martinborough is a great example of such a commitment to a full circle wine business. Al and Karla, the farmers behind Grava, not only create their own wine for their own label but they offer grape supply, facility sharing to the likes of Jannine at Huntress and Haidee and Ben at Halite as examples and in some cases offer contract winemaking to brands that might have their own fruit but are not quite at the point of being able to produce their own wine. What this co-operative approach achieves is fiscal sustainability for Grava but also adds a pillar to the foundations of a special winemaking region of our country. There’s a massive amount of shared learning and a committed community that is formed in the process. These three wineries invite you to taste the Wairarapa through their own unique expression of it and, more to the point, they possibly wouldn’t exist without each other.
Such co-operatives foster knowledge-sharing, strengthen regional identity and ensure that traditional and sustainable viticulture practices continue across generations — no blood relatives required. Again, that’s rocking good news for those of us wandering around the wine aisle trying to buy wine that lights our fire while aligning with our values.
Perhaps most importantly and beyond economic benefits, co-operative structures encourage resilience and adaptability. As climate change introduces unpredictable weather patterns, shared resources enable winemakers to mitigate risks, invest in research, and implement sustainable practices at scale.
I saw this first hand while attending the Aotearoa Chardonnay conference hosted by Hawkes Bay Wine last year. One of the most intriguing presentations was by Dr Chandré Honeth, Lecturer on Viticulture and Wine Science at EIT, on the positive affects clonal choice can have on developing climate-change resilient vineyards. Her research was carried out through the co-operative assistance of Hawkes Bay and Martinborough based wineries. This sort of collaborative innovation could be utterly critical to the future of New Zealand wine.
Access to shared organic and biodynamic processing facilities can also accelerate the transition to environmentally friendly viticulture and who doesn’t want that? I know I do.
Additionally, collective marketing efforts help smaller producers gain broader recognition, ensuring that each winery (and New Zealand wine in general) remains competitive in the global wine market. By embracing co-operative models, the industry can protect its diversity, empower independent producers, and future-proof the reputation of an industry that contributes so much to our little Pacific Island. You only need to visit the Halcyon Days insta account to see Amy & Olly reference the Two Terrace Vineyard - a site they don’t own but see as paramount to their winemaking, or watch them collaborate with folks like Holly, Hester & Casey at Three Fates, Amy at Amoise and Dave at Kenzie. I mean it’s an utter love fest and the FOMO it generates makes me wanna get amongst the party! Isn’t that the point of yummy wine?
Part of the romance and intrigue of wine is its history. Wine brands that can tell a story of multi-generation commitment and custodianship do have a certain, j’ai ne se quois but if we want to secure a future of delicious, well-made, beautiful wine that speaks to place and feels local, continues to contribute to New Zealand both as part of NZ Inc. but also to bring joy to our lives then surely our future lies less with the kids and more with those keen to cooperate because sharing, it seems, is surely the new succession.
Grab a glass of your favourite, locally produced, hand-made NZ vino, get up from your chair and get down to this absolute banger by these muppets.
* It would be remiss not to mention the Nobilo family in greater depth. Nikola “Nick” Nobilo (Snr) founded Nobilo Wines in 1943 — what a ledge. While there was healthy family succession for some time, Nobilo Wines was sold in 2000 — the same year that Nick Nobilo (Jnr) established his own wine brand, Vinoptima. Regrettably, the brand encountered financial difficulties and went into liquidation in 2019. It goes without saying that many of us learned a great deal from this family of instigators and Nick Nobilo has a special place in my heart as a true gent. Kudos to anyone giving this winemaking malarkey a crack. It ain’t easy and at least the Nobilo whānau put their hat in the ring.
we’re super grateful to our pals at antipodes water company. they supply us with the good water for our chats. antipodes is an artesian water that contains no chemicals, and when you’re pouring an organic wine that is gold. the mineral content also keeps the palate fresh so you can taste the wine the way the winemaker and nature intended you to. thanks antipodes, you’re the bomb. antipodes.co.nz
