Wine On Bali – Now Publicly Traded At Hatten Winery

The next time you visit Bali, you cannot only taste delicious Indonesian cuisine, but also pair it with wine made on Bali from the island’s first publicly traded winery – Hatten Wines. As the oldest of the four wineries now on Bali, and after nearly 30 years of operating as a private company, Hatten winery successfully completed an IPO in January of 2023. Since that time, the stock price has quadrupled.

“We were founded in 1994 by Ida Bagus Rai Budarsa, a native of Bali who grew up right here in Sanur,” stated Mr. Made Arinjaya, Assistant Cellar Door Manager, during a recent visit I made to Hatten winery. “All of the employees were very excited when the IPO occurred.”

The seaside town of Sanur, where the Hatten winery and tasting room is located, is only 8 miles (12.6 kilometers) from Bali’s international airport in Denpasar and is known for its relaxed beach lifestyle. It is home to upscale resorts, charming shops, relaxing day spas, and casual restaurants on the sand serving fresh fish brought in by the many small fishing boats lined up along the beach. And most of the restaurants serve Hatten wines.

Hatten Wines completed their IPO on the Indonesian Stock Exchange on January 10, 2023, trading under the name of ‘WINE.’ The IPO price was 129 IDR, which has steadily grown in value, closing at 595 IDR on July 3, 2023. The 52-week range was 147 to 795 IDR, according to Bloomberg.

Growing Wine Grapes on the Topical Island of Bali

“What is different about making wine on Bali is that, due to the tropical climate and warm weather, we have three harvests per year – usually in November, April, and August,” explained Arinjaya.

Their 50 hectares (123 acres) of vineyards are located on the west side of the island near the villages of Seririt and Sanggalangit, where they also have a second tasting room and offer vineyard tours. The vineyards are planted to both native and international grape varieties. The most famous local grape is called ‘Alphonse Lavallée,’ which is a red table grape that they use in their rosé and red wines.

On good years, Hatten wineries produce around 2 million bottles of wine per year, but they also import some grapes from Australia to make a second label called ‘Two Islands.’ Some of the wines have won prestigious international awards, such as their Pino de Bali, which has won 16 medals to date, including the coveted Decanter Best in Show for Asia Wine Awards 2014.

The vineyard soil is volcanic, and with the hot, humid climate, situated 8° south of the equator, the local wines are fruity in nature with a hint of iron minerality. The head winemaker is Mr. James Kalleske from Australia, working with Ms. Yeni Iramahayani, Balinese assistant winemaker, who has been with the company since 2011.

Portfolio of Wine Brands from Hatten Wines

Part of the secret to Hatten’s success may be the large portfolio of wine brands they offer to meet the needs of different segments of wine drinkers. “We have five different portfolios,” stated Arinjaya.

The portfolio includes: 1) Premium Hatten wines made from local grapes and sold in glass bottle; 2) Hatten 2 Liter Wine Cask sold in box and made from local grapes; 3) Two Islands wines made in Bali, but with imported Australian grapes; 4) Two Islands Reserve wines with longer aging; and 5) Dragon Fly wines, with a sweeter profile and colorfully labeled bottles, made on Bali with imported Australia grapes.

The wine styles include, white, rosé, red, sparkling and dessert wines. The international grape varieties are chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, riesling, pinot grigio, grenache, chenin blanc, shiraz, and blends.

Some of the local grape varieties grown on the island have exotic sounding names, such as their signature grape – Alphonse Lavallée, along with Muscat St. Vallier, Colombard, Muscat Bleu, Malvasia Nero, and Probolinggo Biru.

Tasting Hatten Wines Made on Bali from Local Grapes

One of the stand-out wines in the premium Hatten wine collection is the Aga White Blend, named after the local Aga tribe that lives on the island. It is off-dry, with a floral nose, peach and citrus on the palate, and a refreshing finish. It pairs well with the local fish and lobster.

The Hatten Aga Red Blend is designed to pair with meat, cheese, firmer fish dishes or grilled vegetables. It is dry and slightly tannic with notes of mixed berries, plum, and exotic spices like clove, star anise and black tea.

Another crowd pleaser is the Hatten Sweet Alexandria, which has a perfumed nose of honeysuckle, with pear and honey on the palate and soft acidity. It is great chilled as an aperitif, or paired with a fruit dessert.

The highly awarded Hatten Pinot de Bali wine is similar to a sweet madeira, with caramel, dried fruits and a hint of orange peel. It is aged for five years in French oak under a Solara system, and is fortified. Truly delicious on its own, or pair with cheese or nuts.

Wine Consumption and Education on Bali

Given that Indonesia is 88% Muslim, not many of the locals drink alcohol. However, since an average of 5 million tourists visit Bali each year, the four wineries on the island (there are not yet wineries in any other part of Indonesia) mainly achieve their sales from tourists and expats living on the island.

Interestingly, during the pandemic, people started drinking more alcohol because local stores could deliver wine, beer, and spirits to residents. “We now see consumption going up slightly across Indonesia,” stated Arinjaya.

Wine education is also increasing, as the local wineries try to assist hospitality staff at restaurants, bars, and hotels in making recommendations to match consumer needs.

Hatten Wine Founder, Ida Bagus Rai Budarsa, is a big proponent of wine education. “Hatten Wines is currently focused on wine education, where our hope is that wine knowledge will increasingly develop in Indonesia, especially in the world of tourism,” he stated in a YouTube interview.

The other three wineries located on Bali include Sababay Winery, Plaga Wines, and Isola wines by Cantine Blaita.