Winery a dream come true for Timboon couple

Babche is the brainchild of Tim Byrne and Niki Nikolovski, who have spent the past three years hand-planting 3000 vines of Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay.

While the vines mature, the pair have been sourcing fruit from other organic-certified growers and selling their specialty wines at some of the best restaurants in the country, as well as the Warrnambool Fresh Market.

The owners of the in-progress vineyard will make an appearance at the upcoming Timboon Artisan Festival on November 25.

Mr Byrne said the venture was a dream come true for the two who met working vintages together on the Bellarine Peninsula.

"When we first met, we had a bit of a chat about what we wanted to do and we discovered we had similar dreams and that's what made us go for it," he said.

"We met in a working capacity, Niki started working at the vineyard I was running and did two vintages there with us while travelling as a winemaker.

"We settled this property in about 2020 and the focus was to get the vines in the ground sooner rather than later as they take four to five years to produce fruit.

"We'll wait for these vines to mature, but even then, our philosophy will still be to continue to buy fruit from other growers."

Mr Byrne explained Babche - an ode to his partner's Macedonian grandmother who made wine in south-eastern Europe before the world wars - would eventually be developed into a tasting room.

"Once we get the winery built we'll go through the council processes to get permits for having it open by appointment," he said.

"(We might even) have a cellar door, ideally in town."

Babche wine is available to purchase on their website.