Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 13 Jun 2015 I’ve said before in this very paper, that I’m a sucker for a good wine festival; and coming up over the next few weeks are two real goodies. The first is just days away on June 14th, so if you’re anywhere near Auckland I suggest you scuttle … Read More
Yvonne’s Blog
Money Wine and Whiskey
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 6 Jun 2015 I tend to daydream a lot about the things I’d do if I suddenly came into money. Overwhelmingly those things involve hiring people who are expert in their chosen fields to do all the hard work for me. I’d hire a cleaner, a gardener, a chef and … Read More
Crafting Genius
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 30 May 2015 I’m typing this whilst sitting at the hairdressers, chin-deep in a billowing black cape. I have a head covered in little tinfoil parcels containing chunks of hair that are slowly sautéing toward a lighter shade of something-or-rather. It’s hardly attractive. There’s something about hairdressers mirrors that make … Read More
The Philistines Wine Group
Published NZME Regional Newspapers Sat 23 May 2015 Once upon a time, back in 2006, four self-confessed “school dad’s from Napier hill” got together to form a club. “It was while we were celebrating my son Max’s 4th birthday,” says founding member Allister Bathgate. “The dads were relaxing on the lawn when the subject of … Read More
If you will be upstanding…
Here’s my dilemma. My job as a writer is making me fat! It’s making me fat because firstly, being self-employed, I obsess about every waking moment being used efficiently, to earn money to keep things ticking over if you will. I’m also a mother of two and wife of one, so if I take time … Read More
Meandering Through Martinborough’s Vineyards
Back in January my husband and I were lucky enough to attend the 10th Annual Martinborough Meandering Vineyard Lunch. This is a coup because tickets tend to disappear with alarming speed as soon as the date is announced. Why? Because it’s one of the best darn wine events this side of the Ruamahanga River that’s … Read More
Mead and Millton
I’d like to start this column with a pun. It’s one of a collection of puns that won comedian David Kearse (a ‘Kearse on humanity’ as he calls himself) the Rubber Chicken award for Britain’s Top Pun Artist at Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival held last week. It goes “Marvin Gaye kept a sheep in my … Read More
Decades of Dogs…
Last week I wrote about everything being better in two’s and how fun it is to taste two different vintages of the same wine side by side to pick out the differences. Well if the team at Dog Point in Marlborough didn’t just decide to dial that idea up by 500% and open up ten … Read More
“…and then one time, at Wine Camp…”
If you’re an aspiring hospitality professional with a hankering to upskill your wine knowledge, by far the best way to do that is by getting down and dirty in the vineyard and winery. There’s no better, faster, more authentic way to learn how this magical beverage is made, than by immersing yourself in the process, … Read More
Grange Rovers Unite
“Shall we double-decant the Grange’s?” isn’t something I hear everyday. My days are normally about as exciting as “Do you want fries with that?” or “What’ll it be; trim or full fat?” But for a wine nerd like me, the question “Shall we double-decant the Grange’s?” is akin to hearing fairytale-like phrases such as “Mr … Read More