"The Sauvignon Blanc grape owes a lot to New Zealand," wine writer Eric Asimov once wrote. He's right: New Zealand winegrowers have a talent for balancing fruitiness and bracing acidity in every glass, leaving behind a crisp finish that often contrasts the heavy oakiness of that other white grape, Chardonnay. Plus, its producers often favor the screw cap, something that belies a greater Read more

I've had a longtime love affair with the wines of New Zealand, not only for their affordability, but also for their lack of pretension. From Babich to Kim Crawford, I've quaffed my share of Sauvignon Blanc from the famed Marlborough region, but at a trade tasting yesterday, I got my first taste of the area's fine Gewürztraminer. There was only one Gewürzt on pour, a 2010 Spy Valley, but it's Read more

Somewhere in the world days are getting are longer, warmer, and sportier. For New Zealand, Spring means the annual race-horsing, hat-wearing Cup Day, which sounds a lot like the Kentucky Derby in the US. Above, women pose for the Wearable Art contest, because hay may be just for horses, but competition is not! View 3 Photos › Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Read more

Time to move New Zealand over to the "healthy attitude toward sex" category! According to a small but telling survey, plenty of Kiwi women are down with the idea of a brothel targeted toward servicing, rather than employing, the fairer sex. The survey polled women on what they look for in a man, in addition to whether they'd pay to have sex with one, in preparation for next Summer's opening of Read more

Feeling torn between an epic journey through lush landscapes and a rejuvenating stay in a clean, modern space? You might be able to have both. Wellington, New Zealand, is both a famous film-shooting location (Lord of the Rings and Avatar were both filmed there) and the nation’s capital with a bustling downtown. And now it's also known for housing the new 10-room boutique hotel Ohtel. From the Read more

We're already not enamored of beauty pageants, but this news is just ridiculous. Fifteen-year-old Kiwi Olivia O'Neil has been stripped of her Miss Teen Wanganui crown. Her offense? She dyed her hair from blond to dark brown. When the pageant organizer, Barbara Osborne, saw it, she asked, "Is that a wig? I hope it is. Don't give me heart failure." Our plucky pageant queen declared that it was Read more

Lately, I haven't just been drinking a ton of New Zealand wines; I've also been learning a lot about them, too. At a recent wine tasting, I was taken by the aromatic whites and Pinot Noirs of Central Otago, a remote, barren, plains-swept region in the South Island that occupies a valley between the snow-capped mountain ranges where Lord of the Rings was filmed. It's amongst the dry, high plains Read more

Last month, I was floored by the drinkability of Babich's 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, and I've been obsessed with Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs ever since. Marlborough is New Zealand's premiere region for the grape; the sunny, cool, maritime climate is ideal for producing crisp, herbal wines. A grocer at Trader Joe's recommended Kim Crawford to me, calling it "the standard" for New Zealand Sauv Blanc, Read more