Charmian Smith

''Modern cameras are full of algorithms that can control almost everything you take and I rather enjoy finding out what the camera will take for me,'' says Gary Blackman, Dunedin photographer and artist.

A survey showing 18 years of work is an important mid-career event for an artist. Charmian Smith talks to Saskia Leek about her survey, ''Desk Collection'', which opens at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery on April 27.

Pinot gris seems to be more interesting than a few years ago. Ageing on yeast lees, and sometimes barrel fermentation, can create texture, weight and interest in what can otherwise be a fairly bland wine.

Krimo Guergoua, from the Savoy region of France, shows how to make a gateau de Savoie.

A new Roger Hall play opens at the Fortune Theatre next week, an insightful and humorous look at grandparenting and growing old together, Charmian Smith reports.

Pinot noir, especially from cooler regions such as Waitaki, Alexandra and Gibbston, benefit from an extra year or two's bottle age. It allows the components to meld and the acidity to mellow..

Over the next two weeks, Dunedin is hosting the southernmost festival celebrating the centenary of British composer Benjamin Britten's birth.

The first concert in the newly refurbished Dunedin Town Hall on Anzac Day is, appropriately, the RSA Choir's Anzac Revue. Charmian Smith reports.

Mike Colombo, whose family is Italian, shows how to make deep-fried olives.

Sauvignon blanc that has rested on yeast lees or been partially barrel-fermented generally has more texture, complexity and interest than those just fermented in stainless steel tanks then bottled.

Described by The New York Times as ''a fearless player with technique to burn,'' Daniel Müller-Schott is performing in Dunedin with the NZSO tomorrow. Charmian Smith talks to the young German cellist.

It's good to see chardonnay is coming back into fashion. I love a good chardonnay for its mouth-filling citrus or stonefruit flavours, subtle nutty, buttery or toasty oak, and its crisp dry finish.

Young riesling, if it's well balanced, is delicious but a few years bottle age can lift it to a new level. Of all the white varieties, it really repays the effort of cellaring.

I hate to admit it, but this year was the first time I managed to make it to the Clyde Wine and Food Festival as we always seem to spend Easter somewhere else.

Barry Cleavin's works may be uncomfortable but it's not the way he likes to live. Charmian Smith talks to the Christchurch artist who is enjoying refuge in Dunedin at the Caselberg cottage.

Charmian Smith brings home some everyday culinary delights from a recent trip to India.

A concert celebrating the sesquicentennial of both the City Choir Dunedin, through its various name changes, and the Dunedin Botanic Garden features music about nature. It includes a new work by Christopher Marshall, a former Mozart fellow. Charmian Smith reports.

Pinot gris is the the third-most planted white variety in New Zealand, and one of the most popular. Often slightly sweet with an oily texture and hints of pear, it is best served cold which disguises its sometimes hot, alcoholic finish.