Been There, Done That: Pouring New Zealand premium wines for the Room That Knows
Three wines, ten guests and one honest table at Christine’s (Ofa’s wife) family home. Mālō e lelei, fellow wine explorers.
WINE
Sips & Scrums II: The Week Before Kick-off
Day jobs by day. Itineraries by night. Here’s what Ofa and I have been building for the Hunter. Mālō e
Destiny Bay: Where the Vines Come First
A quiet midday on Waiheke, a warm welcome, and a winery that keeps its eyes on the vineyard. Mālō e
Pyramid Valley: The Story in the Glass Is Winning
A limestone hill, a swamp full of moa bones, and why wine with a real identity matters more than ever.
Semillon: The Grape Named After a Town That Doesn’t Want It
Three hundred years of being called the wrong thing — and still one of the great whites. Kia ora koutoa
The heatwave that changed Champagne’s rules
The heat came early, the juice came short, and the bottles are about to get harder to find. Mālō e
Are We Drinking Less Wine or Just Drinking Better?
I heard the numbers on the radio on Monday morning. Then I spent all week thinking about what they actually
Old World Rules, New World Question
On Ofa’s piece, and why the new world might need to start protecting its own names too. Ofa raised an
Organic or Biodynamic: What’s Actually in the Glass?
Two words that get thrown around a lot at the wine table. Today we sort out what they actually mean.
You Don’t Have to Finish It.
Open It Tuesday, Enjoy It Friday – Marketing at it’s best Mālō e lelei, fellow wine explorers. Four bottles. That