Being Middle Earth in the Middle Kingdom
Zhongguo is the Chinese name for China, and translates literally as ‘Middle Kingdom’. It is a country that sits in the middle of the northern hemisphere, and with 1.4 billion […]
Blackenbrook celebrates ten years
Blackenbrook vineyard recently celebrated its tenth birthday. As vineyards go, it is pretty young — not even a teenager yet. Don’t let its youth confuse you though. Its wines would […]
A gift for Martinborough’s angels
The centuries-old expression ‘the angels’ share’ refers to the small amount of wine that evaporates through porous oak barrels during the ageing process. My own experience of angels is that […]
Changes of scenery proves fruitful
When Gary and Valley Neale came back from working overseas in the early 1990s, they returned to Nelson, the town where they’d met, and considered whether to try growing grapes […]
Aperitivi
Summer chillaxing presents a whole new opportunity for vinous appreciation. Whether you are out and about in the Big Smoke or stretched out on the back lawn, herewith are my […]
Beards and Rosé
If you have spent any time in the hipster bars and cafés of Wellington recently, you will no doubt have come to the same conclusion I have: Wellington is fast […]
Fresh Toast
There has been a buzz in Martinborough over the last few years. An injection of energy, coupled with a desire to be part of the Martinborough scene, is present in […]
Wines to drink your mortgage away
Just recently it was time to refinance the mortgage. After running through some numbers with my mortgage broker, he started expressing concern over my current financial plan of taking 25 […]
Hand in Hand
Why does wine go so well with food? Wine is essentially an acid, which cleanses the palate. More importantly, wine provides an array of aromas, flavours and textures that, when […]
Hollywood Pinot Blanc
In recent years, Wellington has become known as a magnet for filmmaking talent from all over the world, but it was wine-making that brought two Hollywood producers to Marlborough to […]
