Some snaps from this brilliant Pinot Noir conference in Wellington. Marquis Sauvage of Burn Cottage, and below the Burn Cottage tattoo on his leg, which took 4 h and was…
In Gisborne with Millton
Annie Millton was honest enough to admit that she’d read the diary wrong and that her and James weren’t expecting me, when she picked me up from Gisborne airport. Despite…
In Marlborough, and four good visits
I’m beginning to get to know my way around Marlborough now. It’s a region with an incredible story, springing up from nowhere in the 1970s to its current position as…
Jasper, Rudi and Nick, and the 7 metre Wellington dive!
Wellington is a cool city. On the waterfront there’s a 7 m diving platform that’s very popular on a hot day like today. Jasper Morris, Nick Mills (Rippon) and Rudi…
New Zealand, day 3, in Nelson with Neudorf
I worked out that since November 2008, my first visit to New Zealand, I have visited five times in five years. That’s a significant accrual of air miles. But over…
New Zealand, day 2, Pegasus Bay in the Waipara
There’s a great story behind Waipara winery Pegasus Bay, which was the second visit of my New Zealand tour. Back in 1976, Christchurch neurologist Ivan Donaldson had caught the wine…
Q&A on oxygen and wine shipping and bottling
I have just taken some time to answer an email from a TV researcher about wine and oxygen, specifically related to shipping and bottling wine. Because it took a fair…
Some thoughts on Central Otago and the sense of place in wine
As I write I am flying from Queenstown to Christchurch after less than a full day spent in Central Otago, one of the most visually striking wine regions on the…
In New Zealand, day 1, Central Otago
It was hard to get my head round the contrast. One day I’m shivering in a snowy, dark-skied London. The next, I’m sitting on an internal flight crossing the dividing…