With the help of their grandmother and mother, the Spence brothers bought their own block of land on Matua Road in North-West Auckland.
Being true innovators, the brothers hunted up and down the country for grape varieties others in the industry had been unwilling to try. On their conquest they planted extra seeds they found as trial varieties and sold some on the side to gain extra income. They found many of the new varieties on governmental plots scattered across the land. Unfortunately, quite a few weren’t capable of growing fruit or were rendered useless due to viruses.
Undeterred, the brothers pushed on with their trial and what they found started the brand we know today. Several of the vines exhibited strong growth potential. Those that did were Semillion, Cabernet Franc, Grey Riesling and, of course, Sauvignon Blanc.