There is something almost naughtily decadent about drinking bubbles.

The Government's liquor law bill passed its first reading yesterday amid strident criticism from Opposition MPs.

If you have a taste for the high life, now's the time to bag a bargain - supermarkets and wine retailers are staging a "champagne war".

The Christchurch earthquake back in September caused plenty of grief down there, but it also had a rather nasty effect on this particular Aucklander.

Philip Rich will raise his glass up to 400 times this week as he turns his palate to the Air New Zealand Wine Awards.

When alcohol industry reps unleash their charm offensives on the corridors of power there is one office they dodge, that of Jim Anderton.

I'm often struck by the snobbery I encounter in our country when it comes to drinks. Talk about how you'd love a nice, cold lager and someone will pipe up and say: "Oh you don't drink that muck do you?

Graham Reid samples the delights of an Irish institution in Dublin.

Pernod Ricard New Zealand, the local arm of the French liquor company, has sold a dozen wine brands and some wineries to a Lion Nathan New Zealand-led joint venture for $88 million.

Alcohol has become so affordable that it is cheaper than bottled water and approaching the price of milk, says a study made public today.

Bourbon is the great American whiskey. It was named for Bourbon County in Kentucky and 95 per cent of it is still made in that state.

When a champagne house can name Marie Antoinette and Marilyn Monroe as fans, you'd think the brand couldn't get any more glamorous - then they announce a collaboration with shoe designer Christian Louboutin.

In a world of spirits that aim to be the biggest tasting and most highly flavoured, vodka has always been something of an enigma.

Many years ago I was sitting with a friend at a pub in Ireland when an American tourist came in and began studying the menu. He approached the bar and asked the barmaid for "a quicky".