Samuel Holloway hopes his music has the power to suggest other kinds of possibilities, things people may not have thought about. Charmian Smith talks to the 2013 Mozart Fellow.
Many people think sauvignon blanc has to be drunk young, but these, all from this year's vintage, were better the day after opening, indicating that several months, or even a year or so of bottle age will see them develop their potential.
Some delicious products for review have turned up in the features office recently.
Liqueur distributor Hancocks was in town recently offering selected tastings from its vast range of brands to members of the trade for the Christmas market. The wines on offer were all sparkling: after all, it's that time of year.
If you have a good cook in your family you are lucky, according to Julie Biuso.
More exciting than pyrotechnics or performance is the quietness of making or reading poetry, according to David Howard. Charmian Smith talks to the University of Otago 2013 Burns Fellow.
When I visited some vineyards in Central Otago last month, most of the vines were neatly pruned and the fat buds ready to burst.
Newly released pinot noirs at this time of year, tend to be tight and restrained, but swirl themin the glass and allow them a few minutes to open into more generous, integrated wines - orcellar them for several months or even a year or two.
The City Choir Dunedin is celebrating its 150th anniversary this weekend, but it's been a history of ups and downs, Dr Jenny Burchell tells Charmian Smith.
These 2013 sauvignon blancs have recently been bottled and are so young and fresh they develop charm and weight with 20 minutes or so in the glass. They will reward cellaring for six months to a year or more.
Wellington food blogger Lara Vincent, of hungryandfrozen.com, has moved into print with her first book, Hungry & Frozen (Penguin).
A remarkable collaboration between artists Bill Culbert and Ralph Hotere produced some striking works of art. Charmian Smith talks to Culbert about an exhibition of their work at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.
Flavours of home is a series of recipes from around the world cooked by people at home in Otago. This week, Courtney Campbell, from Mexico, shows us how to make Chilaquiles rojas de pollo.
Central Otago wine growers hosted their annual new-release tasting of 58 pinot noirs recently.
This attractive bunch of pinot gris includes simple ones with lovely fruit and others with lees character which give a suggestion of creamy nuts, texture, and the ability to develop with a year or so's bottle age. They are best served chilled.
Two works on Scottish themes feature in this month's Celtic Festival: a historical masque about the tragic heroine, Mary Queen of Scots, and a new interpretation of Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth. Charmian Smith reports.
From Scotland 500 years ago to Dunedin 500 years hence, the Globe Theatre's upcoming production of Shakespeare's Macbeth will be different from many, director Dale Neill said.
Many of us live on tight budgets but few of those reading this will be at the extreme poverty level, having to subsist on the equivalent of $2.25 a day as 1.2 billion people in the world do.
Sitting round a table enjoying a meal and a bottle of wine with family and friends is what the annual Selaks New Zealand Roast Day is about. Charmian Smith talks to this year's chef, Nici Wickes.
Contradictory advice about what to eat or how to lose weight can be confusing. The Nutrition Foundation's inaugural Nutrition Week aims to clarify some of the myths, fads and fashions in eating. Charmian Smith reports.