Mark Henderson

When I taste the wines for this column I do so blind.

In her 1959 recording Dinah Washington sang ''What a difference a day makes, 24 little hours'' ... so just imagine what two or three years would do?

To quote jazz great Ella Fitzgerald: "summertime, and the livin' is easy''.

You can pretty much guarantee that the festive season will see fizz making an appearance somewhere along the line, or indeed, at several places along the line!

Recent tasting sessions have taken me hither and yon across a range of wine styles, so the mention of a flight of (what would turn out to be superlative) pinot noirs brought a warm smile to the...

If there were an Academy Award ceremony for grape varieties, the usual suspects of chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc and the like would be vying for the gong for Best Grape in a...

It was a case of Cheshire cat-like grins from Messrs Collins and McLaren when I informed them that we'd be tasting the Gimblett Gravels Dozen, as this is one that we do very much look forward to.

Mark Henderson samples some rose.

The New World Wine Awards results were published recently and this week's tasting takes a look at chardonnays awarded golds and silvers.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, a gaggle of wine enthusiasts gathered in sunny St Clair, ready and eager for the 2017 rendition of the Blind Chicken wine options competition.

Labour Weekend marks the first public holiday since June, and many of our readers will be taking the chance to visit Central Otago. For wine enthusiasts, a new attraction offers the opportunity to...

Many of you will recognise the advertising slogan ''big is good''.

The erratic spring weather means that this week's stroll along the supermarket shelves covers a mixed assortment of reds.

Rather than the three Rs of reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic, today's Waitaki Valley focus settles on the two, much more pleasurable, Rs of riesling and rose.

Today's tasting saw my regular panellists Mr Collins and Mr McLaren joining me to delve into the world of Waitaki Valley pinot noir.

I recently had an email exchange with a Waitaki Valley vigneron whom I have known for more than a decade.

In the lead-up to my regular Monday morning tastings, I am always striving to put together sets of wines that work as a coherent group.

It wasn't that many years ago that you would struggle to find a bottle of New Zealand Syrah under $30.