The new Rippon Hall, with panoramic views over the vineyards far below and across the lake to the mountains beyond, was this year's venue for the Central Otago annual spring release media tasting.
Christmas is only a few months away - perish the thought - but if you are organised and planning ahead, Dame Alison and Simon Holst's latest book, Cooking for Christmas (Hyndman) is already out.
A performance that crosses the boundaries between a play, a concert and an art show features the relationship between two leading figures in the New Zealand art world of the 1940s, Rita Angus and Douglas Lilburn. Charmian Smith talks to playwright Dave Armstrong about Rita and Douglas.
Hahn-Bin, now known as Amadeus Leopold, is forging a name for himself as a gifted classical violinist who performs like a pop star with audacious costumes, make-up and gestures. Charmian Smith talks to the young virtuoso, who describes himself as "Viagra to classical music and aspirin to pop culture".
New Zealand syrah has a wonderful purity of fruit and lively finish that make it attractive, unlike some of the cheaper, jammy Australian shirazes which are the same variety. At the top level of both syrah and shiraz,you also get great complexity and structure.
Vibrant, energetic, colourful dances are an integral part of Afro-Brazilian life and spirituality. Charmian Smith talks to film-maker Rowena Baines about Balé Folclórico Da Bahia, which will be performing at the Otago Festival of the Arts.
A dance work featuring some of New Zealand's leading contemporary exponents has all the elements, reports Charmian Smith.
Lusciously sweet golden wines are too sweet and rich to drink in quantity, but with a crisp biscotti, someblue cheese or dried apricots, they are delicious to sip. Most of these are young and a an extrayear or so's bottle age will allow the best to develop more complexity.
Tasting several wines from a region together gives a good overview of its strengths and characteristics, so it was with much interest I braved the rugby crowds to go to a tasting of Waitaki wines at Castle MacAdam's Taste Merchants on Saturday morning.
During the Otago Festival of the Arts, the Fortune Theatre is moving out of its home to make way for other productions and is taking an unusual multimedia installation/performance to a historic Dunedin building. Charmian Smith reports.
Instead of simple, sweet fruit bombs with the heat of unbalanced alcohol on the finish, some of the more interesting New Zealand pinot gris are now balanced and textural with nutty undertones from maturation on yeast lees, and some are even barrel-fermented, giving more complexity.
The serious business of getting dinner (and breakfast and lunch) on the table 365 days a year without breaking the bank has concerned Sophie Gray for a long time. Charmian Smith reports.
Pinot noir can vary hugely in price, from simple, fruity light reds for less than $20 that you toss back with friends, to expensive, complex single vineyard wines meticulously made from low-cropped grapes for concentrated flavour and subtle nuances, which you want to savour and think about, and which will develop further complexity with bottle age.
In a world awash with images, Yvonne Todd tries to make photographs that demand another look. Charmian Smith reports.
Unless sauvignon blanc has some sweetness or exceptional balance, the lively acidity means it tastes better with food - something rich or cheesy, such as a gratin, to counterbalance the often assertive finish.
When three South African foodies, an event creator, a caterer and a writer who wants to prove that with a good recipe anyone can cook, get together to produce a cookbook you'd expect something a bit different, and Savour (Struik) certainly is.
To commemorate the centenary of Captain Scott's ill-fated journey to the South Pole, the Southern Sinfonia is presenting the world premiere of The Journey Home. Charmian Smith talks to composer Prof John Drummond.
Another world premiere of a work by a Dunedin composer will be given on September 11, this time by members of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, which commissioned the work for its upcoming NZSO In Miniature tour.
Chardonnay has fallen from fashion in the past few years, and it's not hard to see why giventhe many boring versions around, but sometimes you find a really delicious one, like some ofthose reviewed here.
Dunedin's many heritage buildings owe their existence to the fact that the city was one of New Zealand's leading commercial and industrial hubs in the second half of the 19th century.
