Some of our most experienced wine entrepreneurs are among New Zealand's richest people.

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.

Recent wild growing conditions are posing challenges for winemakers across the globe.

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.

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.

The iconic Aussie drop has a new winemaker at the helm but drinkers shouldn't notice.

The annual Margaret River Wine Region Festival showcases wares from many of its 100 or more producers.

You'll rarely hear "subtle" and "Marlborough sauvignon blanc" in the same sentence.

Viva looks back on the year that was - and the year that lies ahead - for winemakers and drinkers.

The summer holiday period can be tough going sometimes, with plenty of parties, functions and barbies to attend, as well as the more relaxed few drinks at home.