Wine
top wine expert, Bob is one of only 394 people worldwide to earn the Master of Wine qualification. Awarded an ONZM in 2019 for services to the wine industry, Bob is a sought-after judge at national and international wine awards.
Holding back the years - wineries are re-releasing their premium bottles
A handful of “high end” and presumably well-resourced wine producers have been holding back a small amount of selected wines to re-release them up to 10 years later at a premium price. That strategy would have backfired a decade or so ago, when “latest” meant “greatest”. The qua...
Twice as nice - the joy of matching wine with cheese
Cheese is a tannin-tamer, as anyone who has attended my wine certificate course will testify. To make that point I choose a gutsy, astringent red wine that puts a pucker on the faces of most. Then I invite them to chew a cube of white Castello cheese and retaste the wine. The win...
Best cellar - investing in occasion wines
Thinking of buying a special bottle of wine as a christening present? The logical choice is champagne, or the local equivalent, but even with temperature-controlled storage conditions the 21st birthday celebrations are likely to fall flat when the treasured bottle of fizz is foun...
Message in a bottle - how to store an opened wine
One of the wine questions I am asked most often is, “How long does wine last once the bottle is opened?” There are too many variables to give a simple answer. When we remove the closure on a bottle of wine, air begins to react with the contents and the oxidation process starts. I...
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