I recently had the chance to read a preview copy of the book from Destiny Bay founder Michael F. Spratt – a rollicking tale of how this excellent Waiheke wine producer came to be. The blurb is intriguing…
“Eighty million years in the making. When Ann and Mike Spratt stood on a hill on Waiheke Island, they didn’t see a vineyard. They saw a quirk of nature. A north-facing amphitheatre shaped valley that could trap and reflect heat. They were told making world-class Cabernet blends in New Zealand was a fool’s errand. They were told the standards they set were financially suicidal. They did it anyway. Forged in Fire is the story of how a small family travelled from one side of the world to the other side and redefined the limits of New Zealand wine. It is a journey of discovery, heartbreak, redemption and triumph when a small island estate outshined the great First Growths of France. This is destiny.”
A deeply personal rendition of a journey that has its twists and turns and delivers a fair few laugh-out-loud moments too. We come to hear about how the name Destiny Bay came to fruition, and the background to the cool ‘comet’ symbol that adorns each label. But the most rewarding parts are the most personal. Well, there’s no point in writing a book about a voyage and leaving out the prickly parts.
The trip starts in 1998 with a month long holiday, rapidly accelerating by early 1999, when the couple “realised a change in the trajectory of our lives was necessary.” And ends with the pair renouncing their US citizenship, to pin their colours to the mast of New Zealand – in their words, to “enjoy citizenship of a country we chose—a country that believes in science, respects privacy, offers universal healthcare, promotes environmental protection, appreciates immigrants, enjoys political stability and values work-life balance” Hurrah for that.
Along the way there have been many memorable ‘lessons learnt’ – like the first vintage in 2002, when sixteen people de-stemmed several hundred kilo of grapes by hand. One hilarious segment tells of the time that they forgot to install both the internal screens AND the external valves on a tank – resulting in the winemaker (that’s Sean) being drenched head to foot in freezing juice… twice in twenty minutes.
A pivotal moment in their history came when Anthony Dias Blue, editor-in-chief of the Tasting Panel, awarded the 2005 Magna Praemia a 95/100 score in 2008. Another valediction came with the “Blind Tasting the World’s Best Cabernet’ event at Cape Mentelle in 2016 – with Magna Praemia (their top wine) being judged the best of the best. But there are lows too – In 2017 and 2023 they made no wines. A bitter pill to take for a team that strives all year for excellence in the vineyard – to have their work ruined by the weather gods.
Concepts such terroir, phenolic compounds and pressing of fractions come to be understood by this cast of characters, and the book can sometimes stray too far into the scientific wonder of the process, but at its heart are an entertaining array of supporting characters who pepper the prose.
Amongst many – Sean, their son “was seduced into joining the madness” and moved to NZ from the USA. David Jordan becomes the ‘seasoned viticulturist’ who recommends Chris Hammond as their vineyard manager. PITA is their temperamental but magnificent Alfatek Robot 7 Bottling Line. Peter Reggio the Principal Race Officer of Challenger Regatta racing on the Hauraki Gulf – a fellow weather geek and details fiend. And Kiwi and Tui – the manic pair of Australian Shepherd dogs pop up in many of this tome’s tales.
A story such as this – “An Impossible Place Meets Improbable People” and their search for perfection could easily have been a bit formulaic. It has its share of home-spun wisdoms for sure, but the story is told in a way that never takes itself too seriously – even if the subject itself is pretty serious. Bottles of wine costing hundreds of dollars aren’t everyday items, but the tale of how every day, and every small step, matters along the way to a point where a customer holds one in their hand, is eye-opening and quite riveting.
