Baroque music (from about 1600 to 1750) played on period instruments sounds quite different from the same music played on modern ones, according to Tomas Hurnik.
It's worth giving pinot noir time. A young wine may initially appear gawky, but the following day may have developed charm and silkiness, indicating it will develop with bottle age.
Mozart's music has been described as divine, but conductor Andrew Grams tells Charmian Smith that, for him, Mozart is about knowing what it means to be alive as a human being.
Pinot gris is generally rich and mouth-filling but sometimes the sweetness of the fruit and high alcohol dominate unless there is enough acidity and fruit weight to balance. Lees contact or ageing in old barrels adds interest and texture to what is sometimes a simple but unfocused fruity wine.
''Free range'' is a marketing term and has no legal definition, according to Juliette Banks, who manages the SPCA's Blue Tick programme.
Russian music, spiced with a couple of British works, features in the Southern Sinfonia's concert this Saturday. Charmian Smith talks to conductor Nicholas Braithwaite.
New Zealand's most prestigious reds are characterised by price, packaging - often heavy bottles, large punts and long, good quality corks, concentration, structure and potential longevity. Such wines can be tough to approach for the first year or two but three or four years allows them to mellow and integrate.
One of the marks of great wine is its ability to develop and change for the better with bottle age.
Having the world one screaming fan at a time, the Altar Boyz spread irreverent humour in a satire on boy bands. Charmian Smith reports.
Well-made sauvignon blanc can be delicious, overflowing with fruit, zesty, fresh, mouth-filling and crisp but not assertive. Those with more assertive acidity are usually best with food which balances the sharpness.
Caribbean food is not well known in this part of the world so it's intriguing to browse through The Pepperpot Club: A Celebration of Caribbean Cuisine by Jonathan Phang (Hardie Grant Books).
Olveston, Dunedin's grand house museum on the hill, is filled with treasures collected from around the world by the Theomins, who built it in 1907.
Baked beans or hummus, Indian dal or Mexican frijoles, mushy peas or chilli con carne - all these make good use of legumes, a group of plant foods that have been important ingredients for thousands of years in almost every cuisine around the world. Charmian Smith explores peas, beans and lentils.
A popular newspaper column from days gone by has found a new life as a play. Charmian Smith reports.
Possibly the world's best value pinot noir, Mission Martinborough 2012, which recently won a gold medal at the International Wine Challenge in London, is priced from $15.
Jane Ferrari is no ordinary winery PR person. She wears a T-shirt, jeans, no make-up and speaks with a broad Australian accent. But can she tell a story!
The intriguing links between music and physics and the latest results from the Large Hadron Collider are the subjects of a lecture illustrated with music followed by a concert of music Einstein loved. Charmian Smith reports.
I love good chardonnay, something that hints of citrus and nectarines, with nutty undertones, subtle oak, a steely backbone and lingering aftertaste. As long as the oak isn't overdone, it's versatile with many foods.
Joseph Haydn may have been in the same room as the 250-year-old instrument on which Ashley Brown will play his cello concerto in the Southern Sinfonia's upcoming concert, he tells Charmian Smith.
Riesling can be powerful and mouth-filling or intensely delicate with a lively backbone of acidity. A little botrytis and even barrel fermentation can add weight, complexity and texture.