Urban vineyard thrives on the sunny slopes of Mt Eden

For Mike and Angela Sparks there is immense satisfaction to be found looking out over their vineyard while sipping a glass of syrah made from the grapes they’ve grown there. Not such an unusual thing in a winemaking country you might think, except the Sparks’ family vineyard is right in the middle of Auckland city, planted in the backyard of their home. Where other people might have shrubs, trees and vegetable beds, they have vines staked in neat rows, growing up a high wall and over a pergola, covering a large part of their steep section on the slopes of Mt Eden.