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New Zealand Food and Drink
Buyer's Guide to New Zealand Wines 2003, Michael Cooper's by Michael Cooper . ISBN 1869589467. Published by Hodder, Moa, Beckett. Recommended retail price $24.95.
Now in its 11th edition, Michael Cooper's Buyers' Guide to New Zealand Wines is the wine lovers Bible, with total sales now approaching 100,000 copies. By far the most comprehensive guide to New Zealand wine, the biggest ever edition contains 421 Chardonnays, 180 Reislings, 230 Sauvignon Blancs, 74 Pinot Gris, 135 Merlot's, 133 Cabernet Sauvignons and 225 Pinot Noirs, as well as sections on exciting varieties starting to come to the fore.
Michael Cooper tells you everything you need to know to make the right choice when buying wine.
Reviews of the 2002 edition: "Honesty is paramount in Michael Cooper's latest wine guide ... he rates over 1700 wines negatively as well as possibly and ... the style is refreshingly candid and eminently readable"- New Zealand Herald
"Last year I wrote: "as New Zealand wine guides go, the buyers' guide is unsurpassed ..." now in its 10th year, it is bigger and better than ever". - Winepress.
"This is a must buy for anyone who drinks, cellars or just wants a second opinion on the ever-increasing range of New Zealand wines." - Next
Soft cover, 391 pages. Published in 2002.
Canterbury Grapes & Wines 1840-2002 by Danny Schuster, David Jackson & Rupert Tipples. ISBN 1877251127. Published by Shoal Bay Press. Recommended retail price $24.95.
This is the story of one of the most exciting wine districts in the country, written by pioneers of the modern wine industry.
Grapevines first arrived in Canterbury with the earliest French settlers in 1840, ten years before formal settlement of Canterbury by the British. These vineyards did not survive and it was not until 1978 that the first commercial Canterbury vineyard, St Helena, Was planted on Coutts Islands, 20 kilometers north of Christchurch. Canterbury’s low rainfall, long dry autumns, warm days and cool nights allow grapes to ripen slowly with excellent flavors. Why, then, did it take nearly 150 years for these characteristics to be recognized and commercially exploited?
The potential of Canterbury’s cool climate was recognized by David Jackson and Danny Schuster who, along with other scientists and wine enthusiasts, conducted experiments at Lincoln University and encouraged the first commercial plantings of grape varieties in the region.
Today Canterbury produces some superb wines, from exciting new Pinot Noirs to award winning, aromatic Rieslings, which sell nationally and internationally to an appreciative and increasingly discriminating public.
The book not only tells the fascinating story of the development of a new industry, but it also gives pointers in the characters of wines, describes the grapes and wines of the region in some detail and provides an illustrated guide to Canterbury wineries. It will be of immense interest to anyone with a serious interest in wine – and a useful guide to those who want to discover where to go to sample and buy some of New Zealand’s best wines. Soft cover, 157 pages. Published in 2002.
Classic Wines of New Zealand by Michael Cooper. ISBN 1869587596. Published by Hodder, Moa, Beckett. Recommended retail price $27.95.
Which are New Zealand's greatest wines? What do they taste like how will do they mature? What are the secrets of their success?
New Zealand's premier wine author, Michael Cooper, has brought together the celebration of classic wines - those which have achieved outstanding quality from one year to the next. The goal of Classic Wines of New Zealand is to cut through the bewildering array of New Zealand wines on the market, and to focus on those with a track record of consistent excellence.
Classic Wines of New Zealand identifies the country's top wines - the established highfliers and the emerging stars - and Cooper discusses them in unprecedented depth, explaining how they are made and the major reasons for their quality. Notes from a recent vertical tasting of past vintages, in some cases stretching back 15 years, give insight into the style of each wine and it's cellaring potential.
Michael Cooper is the author of the annual bestselling Michael Cooper's Buyer's Guide to New Zealand Wines, and the multiple prize-winning classic, The Wines and Vineyards of New Zealand. A wine judge, he is the wine columnist for North and South and Wine Star, New Zealand editor of the Australian magazine, Winestate, and New Zealand consultant for Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book (London).
Classic Wines of New Zealand is a masthead title for all wine lovers. Never before have the country's most exciting wines been so clearly identified and comprehensively explained. For lovers of New Zealand wines, this is the ultimate buyer's guide which will take the worry out of wine buying. Soft cover, 224 pages. Published in 1999.
Gisi's Cooking Book by Gisi Hirschfeld. ISBN 1877228028. Published by Steele Roberts. Recommended retail price $22.95.
A delicious collection of recipes, peppered generously with delightful anecdotes! Gisi Hirschfeld draws on her background to record how to make dishes from her European childhood, liberally interspersed with Jewish recipes, blended with favorites of her family and friends in New Zealand.
Much more than just a recipe book, Gisi's Cooking Book will appeal to all the senses. Gisi's wry wit and gregarious personality spring from the pages of what has been described as "a delectable book to read." Soft cover, 120 pages. Published in 1999.
Good New Zealand Wine Guide, The Penguin by Vic Williams. ISBN 0141004754. Published by Penguin Books. Recommended retail price $23.95.
Like the great New Zealand wines he writes about, Vic Williams just gets better and better. The Penguin Good New Zealand wine guide for 2001-2002 is better than ever, crammed with the weekly new tastings and ratings for hundreds of wine. Red, white, rosé, dessert and sparkling wines are all listed by variety. And keep your eye out for the famous little penguin awarded to the outstanding wine in each category.
Soft cover, 324 pages. Published in 2001.
Never Trust a Skinny Cook: Fabulous Low-Fat Desserts by Joanne Clarke. ISBN 18771617134. Published by Hazard Press. Recommended retail price $15.95
Never Trust a Skinny Cook is a collection of Joanne Clarke's favourite recipes made heart friendly and maintaining the full-bodied satisfaction that desserts are meant to give. They're all easy to make, stunning to present and fantastic to taste.
Czar Berries will astound your dinner party guests with its spectacular arrangment of velvet red berries and simple elegance. The combination of strawberries, balsamic vinegar and black pepper in the captivating Fruit Salsa Crepes will make you a legend in your own kitchen. If there is one dessert you have to try it's Two-Berry Mousse ... divine!
This is the long-awaited recipe book from an outrageously gorgeous New Zealand chef. Never Trust a Skinny Cook is a unique assortment of guilt-free desserts and like Joanne herself, the recipes are fabulous. Get ready to add panache to your dinners- this tantalizing book will change your dessert menu forever.
Soft cover, 64 pages. Published in 2000.
(78k)
New Zealand Food Wine & Art: A New Journey by Vic Williams, photographs by Ian Baker. ISBN 0-958208-46-8. Published by Chanel Publishers Ltd. Recommended retail price $39.95.
New Zealand Food Wine & Art: A New Journey follows the successful first volume New Zealand Food Wine & Art. In this new edition we explore afresh the delights of this country's cuisine, wine and artworks and see some of the most beautiful scenery along the way.
Photographer Ian Baker has visited new restaurants and some old favourites whose chefs have provided new recipes and wine selections. These recipes have been adapted for home use by Vic Williams who has assisted with some of the wine selections.
New Zealand has a wealth of creative talent and in each region the authors have discovered new artworks-paintings, sculptures, carvings, pottery, jewellery and glass works. Hard cover, 200 pages. Published in 2002.
Simply Irresistible French Desserts by Christelle Le Ru. ISBN 0476016533. Recommended retail price $29.95
Have you ever dreamed of a fabulous French “patisserie”? Do you enjoy baking for your family and friends, or do you simply have a sweet tooth? If either applies to you, this is the book you need. Full of truly fabulous and easy-to-make recipes, it is your key to the kingdom of sweetness and will guarantee your reputation as a chef. It is made up of three sections dedicated respectively to chocolate puddings, fruit desserts and finger food. The recipes, by a French author who lives in New Zealand, are original, authentic and simply irresistible, and all use readily available ingredients. Beautiful color-pictures illustrating every single dessert throughout the book make it a delight to look at and will tempt you to demonstrate your talent in the kitchen. Whatever dessert you decide to try out, you won’t be disappointed. Be prepared to have your guests begging for more!
Christelle was born in St. Nazaire, France in 1975. She lived in Pornichet, a close-by town, with her parents and younger sister Nathalie until 1992. She then moved to Rennes, Brittany, to study electrical and software engineering and graduated from the INSA (National Institute of Applied Sciences) in 1997.
She worked as a software engineer in France for 18 months before moving to the UK with her husband in September 1998. They lived and worked first in Manchester, then in North Wales before deciding to move and explore other parts of the world.
A look at a world atlas was enough for them to decide that New Zealand was everything they were looking for and they obtained residency status in New Zealand in August 2002. They flew to Auckland a month later and settled in Christchurch, in November 2002.
Christelle has been working for Trimble Navigation NZ ever since. She had a baby girl, Noemie, on September 1st 2004 and loves being a mother. An active woman, she swims and bikes daily, enjoys tramping, playing tennis, running and playing the piano.
Christelle has taken great pleasure cooking and baking for her family and friends since she was a young girl. She puts her passion for good food down to her mother who she thins is the best cook ever. Christelle loves experimenting in the kitchen and delights in the art of creating new dishes. Yet, her approach to cooking is down-t0-earth and her recipes are easily accessible by the home cool. This is Christelle’s first cook book.
Good photography endures over time. Such images maintain a currency and unique equality which remains relevant for the viewer decades after the photo was taken. Vanessa Jones is such a photographer; taking images which bridge one era with another by combining a perceptive eye and an educated understanding for arresting composition.
Her range of assignment work has been varied and extensive with work being exhibited, produced for a range of publications, and recognized at national level.
Freelance photography has given Vanessa’s work a cross-pollination of ideas which helps account for the characteristic vigor and surprise value of her images. “I’m one of those irritating people who get paid for doing what I love,” she says, adding, “Photography in Latin means to ‘draw with light’ and I am at my happiest patiently capturing the elusive quality that is shared between light and color.”
Vanessa lives in Lincoln on the outskirts of Christchurch, from where photo excursions in any direction can begin. “Swapping distant landscape photography for close-up landslides of chocolate and desiccated coconut has been a distinct pleasure”, she insists. Her photo shoot take-home samples have also greatly endeared this assignment to her children, Travis and Piper. Soft cover, 108 pages. Published in 2005.
(79k)
Simply New Zealand: A Culinary Journey edited by Pamela Parsons, photographs by Ian Baker. ISBN 1-877 246-26-3. Published by New Holland Publishers. Recommended retail price $39.95.
Although its reputation for being one of the most beautiful countries on Earth has long been established, New Zealand's wealth of wonderfully fresh produce and its talented chefs is fast making it an even more attractive travel destination for a wide range of customers. Simply New Zealand, a recipe book with a difference offers a unique, illustrated journey from the top of the North Island down to the remote reaches of the South. Exploring a host of culinary delights en route, contributed by some of the country's freshest cooking talent to be found in the many restaurants, brasseries and cafes, this fresh approach to the combination of food and travel doubles as an excellent passport to fine dining pleasures.
Eighty outstanding dishes featuring ingredients from different regions are showcased here - along with many examples of the eye -catching settings in which they were created. Discerning traveller's can choose from dishes featuring the choicest beef, the most succulent lamb or pork, tender venison, or tasty poultry. And if one's preferences veer towards fresh fish and seafood, then there is a cornucopia on offer - an impressive range of game fish, the juiciest salmon - and oysters and scallops that are so fresh they simply melt in the mouth. Desserts, too, play a major part in this tour - offering a combination of sensational ingredients and culinary creativity.
Simply New Zealand is packed with unforgettable taste treats and a host of memorable sites - a truly inspired collection for everyone concerned with the very best elements of travel.
Fine food and scenic photography are two of Ian Baker's passions. His photographs have already been showcased in The Gulf: New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf Explored, also published by New Holland, three cookbooks, a number of specialist magazines and several calendars. Ian has also been commissioned for a variety of travel assignments in Japan, Europe, United States and Singapore. On the local front, his work has been widely used by New Zealand producer boards, wineries and breweries. Hard cover, 200 pages. Published in 1999.
Toast to Martinborough and the Wairarapa, A: Stories from the Vineyards by Dave Cull. ISBN 187713578X. Published by Longacre Press. Recommended retail price $31.95.
Martinborough and the Wairarapa defy one of the golden givens about wine: that an excellent grape region needs centuries of cultivation.
This is the remarkable story of how a quiet farming province was turned into the country’s premier grape-producing area with an unprecedented flourishing of vineyard activity.
Well-known television presenter and writer Dave Cull introduces the extraordinary people whose vision has melded art, science and passion in their efforts to achieve the peak wine experience: a vision which has also transformed the reputation of New Zealand wine.
Dave Cull roams vineyards, tucks in at tables, a pokes around the wine presses of the Martinborough Terrace and environs, tracing the distinctive character of the people, the climate and the wine; delivering it all to us in his sparkling, spirited prose.
Beautifully illustraded with stunning photographs by Pam Ryan and others A Toast to Martinborough & the Wairarapa is a long-awaited tribute to a distinctive region rich with character. Soft cover, 166 pages. Published in 2003.
Truffle Book, The by Gareth Renowden. ISBN 0473102412. Published by Limestone Hills Publishing. Recommended retail price $29.95
Truffles are underground mushrooms, powerfully scented and expensive, important in the finest French and Italian cooking. They are used in the world’s great restaurants and command exorbitant prices. Truffles attract enthusiastic gourmets for whom passion can turn into obsession.
The Truffle Book is a perfect introduction to the pleasurable and mysterious world of truffles. Gareth Renowden explores the truffle forests of France and the truffle markets of Italy, discovers the new truffles of the American Northwest and the new plantations of Australia and New Zealand, and dispels a few myths along the way. There’s advice on setting up a truffiere, training a dog to find truffles, how to buy truffles and avoid expensive mistakes, and how to cook the defining truffle dishes. If you’ve ever tasted truffle and wanted to know more, or want to know what all the fuss is about, The Truffle Book has the answers.
Gareth Renowden joined the ranks of truffle obsessives a long time ago, when he gave up life as a journalist, editor, photographer and magazine publisher in London to establish a truffiere, olive grove and vineyard in the Waipara Valley, New Zealand. He is president of the New Zealand Truffle Association. Soft cover, 148 pages. Published in 2005.
Weekends for Food Lovers in New Zealand by Kerry Tyack. Published by New Holland Publishers. ISBN 1-877246-51-4. Recommended retail price $15.95.
If you need a reason to travel out of town for the weekend, then wait no longer. Here, between the covers of Weekends for Food Lovers, are plenty of reasons to go north, south, east and west in search of culinary treats and events to delight all those with a passionate interest in food.
This handy guide divides the country into 17 regions each with a useful map highlighting the location of the producers and retailers that will be of interest to the visiting food lover. There's also an introduction to each region that gives readers an overview of what they might expect to taste while they're there. Opening times and addresses of the producers and retailers are detailed in the text as well as some recommendations on where to eat and where to stay while you're in the area. But that's not all - you'll find details of any major food events featuring in the regions, along with cooking schools where they occur and - last but not least - where to find those boutique breweries that serve food with their beer. Soft cover, 173 pages. Published in 2001.
Weekends for Wine Lovers in the North Island by Joelle Thompson. ISBN 1877246301. Published by New Holland. Recommended retail price $15.95.
The weekend is looming and the weather forecast is great So what are you waiting for? Grab a copy of Weekends for Wine Lovers in the North Island and get ready to indulge in one of New Zealand's fastest-growing pastimes - wine tasting.
This handy guide divides the North Island into the seven main wine regions, it expands on the wineries that are open for tastings. Each region features a map and clearly indicates the location of the wineries.
It goes on to list a range of great places to stay - from camping spots through to more salubrious establishments, and also recommends a variety of cafes and restaurants that will suit most budgets.
But that's not all - while most people would probably want to spend quite a chunk of their weekend wine tasting, others will appreciate reading about a host of other recreational activities on offer throughout the region's: hot-air ballooning, horse trekking, kayaking, white-water rafting, encounters with dolphins and much, much more.
Weekends for Wine Lovers is the ultimate travel guide for everyone with a passion for wine and many of the other good things in life. Soft cover, 159 pages. Published in 2000.
Wineries & Vineyards of New Zealand 2005: Open to Visit by Barbara Dyer. ISBN 1869710002. Published by Hodder Moa Beckett. Recommended retail price $24.95.
The wineries of New Zealand, dotted throughout our gorgeous landscape, not only consistently create some of the world’s most exciting wines but also treat the visitor to a variety of surprises for the senses. There is something for everyone: from tasting luscious Pinot Noirs or world-class Sauvignon Blancs, to eating a delicious regional food at first-class restaurants to simply picnicking while looking out over breathtaking scenery.
The easy-to-use Wineries & Vineyards of New Zealand, showcasing over 100 wineries, will guide you on a tour of New Zealand’s stunning winemaking regions from north Auckland to Central Otago. For each winery, there is a list of wines and recent awards along with the details on opening hours, contacts, availability of tastings and tours, accommodation, presence of picnic areas and retail sales, and directions.
Come and experience all that New Zealand wine country has to offer.Soft cover, 160 pages. Published in 2004.
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Last modified on Wednesday, December 27, 2006
