KEY POINTS:
When Croatian winemaker Bartul Soljan emigrated to New Zealand early last century he found a tea-drinking culture and a government set against wine drinking.
But the cheap, empty land in West Auckland provided a fertile starting point for grape-growing, for someone coming from the rocky, arid slopes of
Stari Grad on the island of Hvar in Croatia.
His family survived their poor beginnings and strict legislation to celebrate 70 years of wine-making in West Auckland last week.
Henderson was the wine capital of New Zealand in the early 20th century. It was home to 13 wineries, including many of the larger companies which have since branched out with more vineyards in Hawkes Bay and Marlborough.
They faced a cultural wasteland which was not receptive to wine. New Zealanders knew only hard spirits and syrupy wines, and cheese came in just two categories - tasty and mild. The remnants of the prohibition movement meant parliamentarians did not understand the value of wine.
Bartul's grandson Tony, who heads the Soljan estate, said that until the late 1960s wine was not sold in restaurants. "We had to take wine into a restaurant in a brown bag and drink it under the table."
Brian Corban, of the Corbans wine family, said wine could only be legally bought two gallons at a time, which killed the market.
Until legislative reform extended pub hours beyond 6pm, and introduced BYO licences in restaurants, Soljan's production was primarily sherry and port from American hybrid grapes, as well as generic red and white wines.
In the 1970s they shifted to more fashionable varietals, in particular chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. Tony Soljan said the industry survived in West Auckland because he saw his neighbouring vineyards as compatriots, not competitors. A group called Young Wine Makers met fortnightly to share tastes and trade secrets.
"We had to work like crazy to create a product which could be accepted. All of us, Nobilos, Babich, Delegats and others, got on extremely well."
"We not only had great communication among wine-makers, but also an ongoing dialogue with politicians." He recalls times when Sir Robert Muldoon was invited to wineries, fed large amounts of roast pork, and told of winemakers' concerns.
As the Lincoln Rd area became increasingly industrialised, Mr Soljan felt the need to shift the estate. In 2001 they built a Croatian-style stone winery in Kumeu.
"I don't reckon that any area in New Zealand can say it is better or worse for growing grapes. It is all a matter of planting the right varieties in the right areas. Some of the hardest country in the world makes the greatest wines," Mr Soljan said.
He returned to Croatia for the first time 1998 and was shocked when he saw his grandfather's first vineyard.
"It was all rocks. You could hardly stick a spade in it. They must have worked like demons to make an existence."
Three generations on from Bartul Soljan's first plantings in West Auckland, Tony's grandson Tyler is keeping the legacy alive. Aged 5, he made and labelled his first Merlot this year.
But Tony Soljan will not be made redundant just yet. "I love what I do. I am chomping at the bit to get out to work every day."
