It’s hard not to get over-excited about the wines from this talented producer—they offer such deliciousness, value and drinkability. The Babo range delivers the afore-mentioned qualities in spades, while still maintaining superb classicism. They taste like the places they come from, but with a purity and balance that is a rare find at these price levels.

The man behind the label is the talented Justin Bubb (today also known for his work in Tasmania, with his wife Anna Pooley at Pooley Vineyards). Justin cut his winemaking teeth working in Chianti and it was during his time in this region, working for a large company, that he realised he had an opportunity to produce some great value Italian wine for his home market. And so, Babo was born. 

The Chianti captures plenty of the region’s trademark sour cherry tang: it’s just a delicious, fresh red that Justin aptly describes as a “Beaujolais from Italy”.  

But really, the story is just that, a story. The key here is the quality that we find in the glass. They are simply terrific and unbelievably fairly priced. While every wine in the range over-delivers in terms of quality and value, three key wines deserve a callout.  

With just 10 g/L residual—the lowest possible for Extra Dry—we’ve seen Babo’s Prosecco go from strength to strength in recent years. Most Prosecco consumed in Australia clocks in at around 17 g/L, making this both drier and more intense than many other examples out there. The Pinot Grigio is sourced from San Martino al Tagliamento in Friuli. Pinot Grigio from Friuli generally has more fleshy layers than, say, those from Veneto and Trentino, a feature Justin Bubb underscores by allowing some skin contact in the press. Then there’s a delightful, vibrant Chianti. Quality fruit—sourced from Vinci (near Empoli) from a south-west facing vineyard—and partial carbonic maceration elevate this to a status that far exceeds what you’d normally expect at this price point. It was also the first Chianti, as far as we know, to be bottled under screwcap and to be offered in a Burgundy-shaped bottle.