In a year’s time the Wellington waterfront will be awash with New Zealand’s best Pinot Noirs, the world’s leading wine media and wine lovers and traders, makers and viticulturists. It is Pinot Noir NZ 2013 – New Zealand’s premier wine event. It starts 28th of January and wraps up on the 31st. This is the fourth … Read More
Columns
Dramfest Is On!
Dramfest ‘12 brings wealth of whisky to Christchurch and if you’ve got tickets from last year’s event which was scuppered by the earthquake fret not – they’re still valid! This popular biennial event, organised by Michael Fraser Milne of Christchurch whisky specialist store, Whisky Galore, takes place in Christchurch from 24-26 February 2012. The expo … Read More
Classy new Glass
If you lamented the loss of the old style of champagne saucer, or ‘coupe’ then you’ll be pleased to know that its usurper, the ‘flute’, may also soon be turfed into untrendy territory. For umpteen years the coupe was rumoured to have been modelled on the breasts of a well known female French aristocrat and … Read More
Ash Ridge gets busy…
It is exactly one year since Ash Ridge Wines opened their tiny, tin shed cellar door on State Highway 50, ten minutes drive southeast of Hastings. Offering a handful of wines, coffee, tea and good old gap-fillers like antipasto, cheese platters and lasagne, they’re perfectly poised to snare parched and peckish people speeding north from … Read More
Shiraz with a bit of Sparkle…
If there’s one thing surer than death and taxes, it’s that by now you’re probably wondering what on earth to do with all that excess Christmas chocolate, the boxes of crystallised ginger that grandad keeps forgetting to take home with him, all the uneaten Round Wine’s or Krispie’s left in the Griffins Sampler tin and … Read More
Sweet As For Summer!
“We will NEVER do nine stickies in one year ever again” says a worn-out Dr Andrew Hedley. 2011 is Andrew’s tenth year at Framingham Wines, and to celebrate he and his team thought it might be clever to have a crack at making every style of sweet white wine under the sun. Yet having been … Read More
Is Purple Death the worst wine in the world?
There’s a bit of a survey making the rounds of the Twittersphere asking if Purple Death might be the worst wine ever made. I think that’s a tad harsh. Back when I was a teenager and it was the only thing I could afford that actually had any alcoholic strength; I thought it was pretty … Read More
Tasty Treats for Christmas
Lordy where on earth has the year gone? I swear it feels like only yesterday that I was racing around trying to buy Easter eggs and now it’s Christmas! It’s been a manic, rollercoaster of a year and I’m sure my poor adrenal glands have totally wizened up to the point of resembling ropey old … Read More
Waipara? Why Not!
Waipara’s where your wildest dreams come true… Fourty minutes drive north of Christchurch central and you’re in Waipara, which is (after an incredibly generous spring) an absolutely stunning looking, heaving mass of lush, green grapevines. Until relocating to Canterbury back in January, I’m embarrassed to say that I’d only ever visited the region once; even … Read More
Register for Burgundy Tasting at Pinot Celebration 2012
BURGUNDY TASTING TO EXPLORE THE ‘CRU’ QUESTION Pinot Noir – that wonderful heady variety generates such passion in people – it inevitably leads to posing more questions than it does answers. The 2012 Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration – being held in Queenstown 26-28th January not only includes tastings of Central Otago pinot noir, Winery … Read More