Yesterday, Air New Zealand and New Zealand Wine Growers collaborated to put on a special wine flight over five of New Zealand’s wine regions. I captured the experience in a…
Alternative Bordeaux (1) biodynamics at Château Palmer
Bordeaux. It’s the world’s most famous wine region, but peoples’ perceptions of this place are dominated by the 4% or so of famous properties that sit right at the top…
In Argentina (1) visiting the El Esteco winery in Cafayate
There’s something different about Argentina’s Calchaqui Valley. It’s the most northerly of the wine regions in Argentina, and it’s the highest. The light is a little clearer – startling, even….
Video: visiting Masi, masters of appassimento
Masi are one of the leading wine producers in the Veneto region of northern Italy. They are specialists in appassimento, the process of drying freshly harvested grapes on racks for…
Visiting one of Europe’s first commercial tea plantations in Portugal
A few weeks ago I was in Porto, and I joined fellow journalist Treve Ring to visit one of Europe’s first commercial tea plantations. It’s from Nina Gruntkowski and Dirk…
Video: the Beaujolais Magnum party!
Amazing night last night: the Beaujolais magnum party at Magpie. A great crew and some fab Gamay in magnum. Here’s the film.
In Vancouver: we buy and cook spot prawns straight from the sea, with chef Ned Bell
This was a fun day. We headed out to Granville Island, Vancouver, where we met up with chef Ned Bell at Edible Canada After a lunch of bison poutine, we…
Video: Pinhão station and its famous tiles
Ever since I first arrived at Pinhão station in Portugal’s Douro Valley, I’ve been amazed by its beautiful blue tiles (azulejos). Overall, there are 3024 of these hand-painted tiles, arranged…
Takaki Okada’s after-vintage hangi
I landed in New Zealand just in time to catch Takaki Okada’s (Folium Vineyard) after-vintage hangi. For the last few years Takaki has hosted this event. A hangi is a…