Beachside is best in Sydney, finds Jo Bates.

It was bound to happen sooner or later and, frankly, it's come sooner than I would have predicted. New sauvignon blanc at $80 a bottle.

Let your taste buds run free in Hong Kong - a food destination full of surprises.

A cocktail's ingredients can be changed to match or enhance the flavours on the plate, unlike wine, which is already made.

Most wines can be made by following the textbook, a bit like following a recipe when you bake a cake.

New Zealand's wine industry is on the verge of producing a terrific vintage thanks to the long, dry summer.

Would you pay $80 for a bottle of Marlborough sauvignon blanc? Or, indeed, should you?

Mother Nature and state-of-the-art technology bring out the best in the grapes at the new Batch Winery on Waiheke Island.

Viva wine editor Jo Burzynska traverses plains, valleys and rivers on a pinot noir safari in Marlborough.

Global warming is changing the rhythms of grape ripening and harvest worldwide. But it could be cool for us

The Kiwi makers of a sparkling riesling have been ordered to can their "bottled happiness'' advertising slogan after a complaint that alcohol is actually a depressant.

The dry weather is helping Gisborne's grape growers, who are praising the high quality of this year's harvest.

Most of us know what we like and like what we know, and why not?

US businessman Bill Foley has found making wines in New Zealand and building their reputations is far more fun in retirement than playing golf

It says it is situated "at the unholy crossroads of Ponsonby and Richmond Rd" and takes pains to distance itself from the Greek neo-Nazi party of the same name.

Part of North America's appeal is size. It's so big ... big buildings, big highways, big open spaces, big ideas, supersized food and big hair.

When I hear the word "authentic" applied to any product, I am immediately suspicious.

There's nothing like a crisis to bring people together. It was the Depression of the 1930s that made growers in Europe join forces and form the co-operative wineries that still make a significant proportion of the continent's wines today.

Boom. I'm excited. At last Auckland has its own Basque-style tapas bar complete with a counter laden with just-prepared, ready to eat pintxos, the name given to traditional tapas in northern Spain.

A group of New Zealand's best winemakers will join forces in Germany next month to showcase Kiwi wine brands at a major international wine fair.

Low-calorie wines are catching on among health-conscious consumers - and critics say they don't have to be bland to be better for you.

Pinot noir is a woman: a statement made by an international speaker at a recent high-profile wine conference in New Zealand, as he launched into a culturally inappropriate attempt to conjure up the character of the variety.

Hollywood stars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are turning their hand to winemaking.

While internationally we're best known for white wines - notably sauvignon blanc - our reds are fast gaining attention, spearheaded by some classy pinot noir and succulent syrah.

Invariably, when only two wines are recommended each week in this column, there will be those that didn't get the attention they deserve. So, to rectify the situation, here are some wines that cover a range of budgets and are worth seeking out.

"I'm getting pretty sick of Oz wine people bagging Kiwi sauvignon blanc. You don't hear people over here dissing Oz shiraz."