Finding Nero

Homer and Virgil sent Odysseus and Aeneas to her island shores; there they encountered harpies, Cyclops, Laestrygonians, sirens and Aeolia, the God of Winds. This is a place where The Gods broker deals with...

Wine Speak

…mintiness with peaches and strawberries …a chocolate smokiness with leathery insinuations …hessian …apes and peacocks …and a faint, elusive yet startling aroma of wine…” - Michael Leunig, cartoonist   Thus describes the bewilderment, exasperation and downright skepticism...

Wine into Water

Ronald Brown is the owner of the remarkably overachieving South Australian winery Maverick, in the Barossa Valley. The winery is aptly named, Brown is every bit the Maverick. Described by eminent Australian wine writer James...

For Canard

I absolutely adore ducks; I’ve nibbled on their webs and sucked on their tongues in Chinese palaces. I’ve even eat their livers “with some fava beans and a nice Chianti” in Italian cucinas. Just about...

Days of Wine and Spices

Darren Gall, puts out the fire of spice in his mouth with the requisite wines. “The year was 1968. We were on recon in a steaming Mekong Delta. An overheated private removed his flak jacket,...

Putting out the Bins

Penfold’s Bin, Icon & Luxury Brands Wine Release 2013 The annual Penfold’s release of its wines is a significant date in the annual wine calendar. When it includes a vintage like 2010 then the market...

Noir – The Heart of Darkness

“Maya, Indian goddess of illusions, siren of shipwrecked sailors; if only you lactated Pinot Noir, you’d be perfect.”  Miles to Maya in the movie 'Sideways'. Pinot Noir is the ultimate Diva of the wine world:...

Khmer Cuisine & Wine

Khmer cuisine is one of the world’s oldest living cuisines and one of the most resilient on the planet. Spices are often exquisite in quality yet restrained and understated in their use. Regional flavours and...