Latest from Wine

<i>Don Kavanagh</i>: Misery mulls over company
Fight the cold-weather blues with a tasty, warming tipple, says Don Kavanagh.

Get merry in Matakana
Just north of Auckland is a cluster of our best vineyards, discovers Susan Edmunds.

Wine: Declaration of independence
Wine writing is a trade that must uphold certain standards to retain its credibility.

Leading ladies in an old boys' club
A luncheon in Auckland next week celebrates the achievements of successful female leaders in the wine industry.

Wine: With an artistic tinge
Owning a vineyard is often seen through rose-tinted glasses, writes John Hawkesby.

Wine: Spain eyes top wine spots
Spain has now embarked on a bold new initiative to compete with the best on the world's wine stage.

Indulging for a good cause
With all the cheap wine that's doing the rounds these days, it's nice to sometimes open a bottle of something reassuringly expensive.

NZ wines banned from top Oz shows
Australian winemakers are getting fed up with awarding their top prizes to Kiwis.

Wine: The riches of a good wine
Get your bling on to enjoy the higher end delights of the vinous scale.

Wine: Feting the forgotten sister
Malbec is a little-known, little-grown and not-so-often purchased varietal in New Zealand.

Good taste: Waitaki Valley
Most New Zealand wine producers wouldn't plant in the Waitaki Valley if you paid them.

Wine: The organic puzzle
Rebecca Gibb talks to the makers of some of our best organic wine about why they do it.

Wine: Proof that experience counts
In the great tradition of our national game, there are names that command respect and awe for prowess, skill, strength and the sublime qualities that made them giants of rugby.

Good taste: Big reds for winter
It's show season for the wine world. Trade exhibitions in Europe mean half the New Zealand wine industry is out of the country, pouring its wines day after day. It also means international wine competition results are out.

Worship of wine
Dating right back to the Greek and Roman gods, wine has always been part of religious culture.

Good taste: An unfavourable look at the bottle
The New Zealand wine industry prides itself on its green credentials yet has thus far failed miserably on environmentally friendly packaging.

Wine: Matchmaking over dessert
It is a strange irony that some red wines, like cabernet sauvignon, can often give off aromas of chocolate, yet chocolate on its own or as a flavouring for desserts is one of the most difficult of all foods to match with wine.

Wine: Striving for excellence
There are a number of local producers who have been so consistent over a significant period of time there is a danger of them being taken for granted. Those that have become such an integral part of the winescape we no longer notice them.

Europe: Drink and ride
What could be more romantic than a cycling tour of Europe's best wine regions?

Sarah Limacher: Award winning sommelier
If there is anyone who knows how to survive and excel as a woman working in a man's world, Sarah Limacher does.

Wine: Knowing when the price is right
The untrained palate may not always recognise an expensive wine, but that's not to say the quality isn't there.