Charmian Smith

The pepperiness and the purity of fruit of Hawkes Bay syrah stand out as its best characteristics.

Viognier makes rich, mouth-filling wines that can provide a welcome alternative to chardonnay, especially as many have a hint of nuttiness from barrel fermentation and lees ageing as chardonnay often does.

New Zealander Pippa Cuthbert and Canadian Lindsay Cameron have written several cookbooks together since they worked together in London for seven years.

Years ago, the words "Ladies a plate" on an invitation was a signal for women to get baking. Charmian Smith talks to Alexa Johnston, author of a new book on the delights of recipes of a past age.

Some of the world's wine authorities will be speaking at the 2009 Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration on January 30 and 31.

A whiff of Marlborough sauvignon blanc speaks unequivocally of summer, with its pungent green aromas, vibrant fruit and refreshing crispness.

Amid the big stalls of major food distributors, deep-frying snacks, and the displays of commercial vacuum cleaners and mattresses at the annual Katrina Gordon Hospitality Trade Show in Dunedin last week were some local gems.

Cabernet Sauvignon at best is a deep-red wine with a firm structure from tannins which leave a grip or dryness in the mouth after you have swallowed it.

The big, fat October issue of the British wine magazine Decanter plumped in my letterbox last week.

In six years since it opened, Fleurs Place at Moeraki has gained an enviable reputation, attracting international culinary celebrities like Rick Stein to visit. Now a new book celebrates the restaurant, its food, its people and its place. Charmian Smith talks to Fleur Sullivan about her place.

Riesling fascinates many wine lovers and winemakers, and John Forrest of Forrest Estate in Marlborough is no exception.

With so many questions about the safety of food imported from places like China and no mandatory labelling of country of origin on foods sold in New Zealand, it falls to individual producers and supermarkets to let consumers know the origin of ingredients if they wish.

How can New Zealand sauvignon blanc, which is supposed to leap out of the glass, have little or no aroma, I had to ask myself as I tasted 16 recent examples of the "savalanche" - the flood of sauvignon now being produced, much of it for export.

There's a cachet to producing a wine from a single vineyard or single block.

There's a boom in books celebrating New Zealand's food history at present. Among them is Home Made: Stories and recipes from New Zealand stove tops, compiled by Kim Knight (New Holland, pbk, $40), a compilation of favourite recipes from New Zealand families and their stories from the Sunday Star Times' "Home Made" column.

A delightful variety of cookbooks that would be a welcome addition to any aspiring cook's kitchen.

Michael Cooper locates and profiles New Zealand's winemakers.

Brent Marris, winemaker and owner of The Ned was in Dunedin recently, "selling the sizzle" of his brand, as he says.