An ambitious new venture aims to lure younger people to appreciating riesling.

My rule of thumb is that if an entree costs more than $20, it had better be something I can't stop thinking about the next day.

With New Zealand's sauvignon blanc no longer enjoying the revered international position it once held, we need to turn our attention to the next big thing.

It's Anzac Day tomorrow, which makes it a good time to present Fiction Addiction's list of the five best war novels.

April 25 may be a public holiday on both sides of the Tasman, but a batch of new picture books and novels will ensure its meaning is not forgotten for another generation of young readers.

The Japanese treat of skewered meats, and much more besides, is always a pleasant way to while away an evening.

This is one of those bars I really wanted to dislike, because every time I passed by there were people sitting outside enjoying a beer while I was stuck in traffic, fuming at the complete inability of people to drive.

Sadie Jones’ highly entertaining third novel seems perfectly conceived to appeal to two popular tastes — fascination with the Edwardian country house and the revival of the English ghost story.

Georgina Harding's Painter of Silence is set in Dumbraveni in Romania, and spans the period from the onset of World War II, through the war's ongoing impact, to the imposition of Communism.

We came here because we were staying in Mangawhai for Easter - along with several thousand other people; the coastal tourist spot was packed.

Ponsonby newcomer kicks off to a strong start.

Evaluating your Waiheke neighbour's wine is fraught with problems. Be too critical and you risk being frozen out; too effusive and you're accused of favouritism and sucking up.

A little Indonesia in the heart of Parnell.

We came here because my brother-in-law and his wife were housesitting close by and had made this their local for a few weeks. They were big fans, so we came to find out what the fuss was about.

The cost of Aussie fine wines is spiralling out of control.

The first and last time I saw Tristan, we were both stoned as chooks.

Remuera, I have an apology to make ...

Tanveer Ahmed has written a memoir that entertains but also gives you something to think about. The Exotic Rissole explores mixed cultural relations.

I don't mourn Cin Cin because its spirit has been dead so long.

If approached with caution, the pairing of chocolate and wine can prove delicious.

Lenny is "a perfectly unremarkable 20-year old who just happens to be in a wheelchair". He's there because of a rugby accident and he doesn't want to live any more. So he kills himself, in front of a parish priest.

It wasn't just the summer rain slicing through the street lights and pelting on the grey asphalt that made me think, for a moment, that I was in New York.

I never thought I'd say this, but I've just been into a pub with no beer.