Do wines taste better drunk from a glass while meandering among the vines from which the grapes were grown? I think so, but then I am hopelessly sentimental.

The media attention surrounding Prince William's trip to Christchurch and Greymouth was almost as big as the circus over pint-sized pop star Justin Bieber's New Zealand tour.

Our wine industry is a young one by world standards - but does it matter how well our bottles age?

"If champagne speaks of celebration, then port speaks of relaxation."

Wine-inspired initiatives are supporting quake-stricken Christchurch.

Scoffing at the merits of pinot gris is no longer fashionable - if, indeed, it ever was.

Entertainment and hospitality boost Soljan's revenue.

Over the past decade, chardonnay has been as popular as a fart in a lift.

Still they come. Men and women with vision, courage, zeal and determination. They dream.

Kerri Jackson soaks up more than just good wine on a Penfolds tour that's steeped in history.

For lovers of fine wine, March 1 is coming to mean only one thing every year: the annual release of Penfolds highly sought after Bin selection.

It's an exciting thing to discover a bar that has the right mix of interesting wines and good music.

When wanting to impress visiting overseas wine buffs, I have trusty favourites that I pluck from the cellar and open with a good deal of confidence.

Randall Graham, a founding member of Californian wine group, The Rhône Rangers, once claimed it was more difficult to get rid of a case of syrah than the clap.

When this variety is doing its job well it can transport you to a different place.

Wine writer John Hawkesby takes a look back over a year of sipping to come up with his 12 best bottles.

If you donned a "Jesus drinks riesling" T-shirt in the normal world, most people would think you were one sandwich short of a picnic, but among other riesling freaks it doesn't make the grade.

While summer continues to roll on, the fashionable tipple should still be rosé. No one is quite sure what is behind the rise and rise of this previously lowly ranked style, but it's popping up all over the place.

It's that time of year again when we're compelled to buy a sentimental card for our loved ones and go out for a set-menu meal - or wallow in our singledom.

Your guide to Valentine's Day drinking.

Blended families are very common these days. Yours, mine and sometimes ours. Extra patience, care and a whole range of sensitivities are required.

The New Zealand pinot noir movement is gathering pace and the great and good of the wine world jetted in from Singapore, Stockholm and San Francisco last week to experience Central Otago's take on the grape.

New Zealand wines of genuine distinction and world class status are not legion, but they do exist. Some tick some of the boxes some of the time. A few seem to get it dead right most of the time.

Getting experimental in our vineyards is a risky business, but one that has paid off in the past for our winemakers.

Dust your bunny ears down, the Year of the Rabbit is upon us.

The textures of New Zealand wines have developed from severe to silky.

Tasting wine that you can't afford is one of the pleasures of the job. It doesn't happen often but it's usually a joyous and memorable occasion when it does.

The wine festival and vineyard concert season is in full swing, with the next date for your diary the Hawke's Bay Wine and Food Festival on January 29.