New Zealand is still best known for Sauvignon Blanc, but I predict we will be hearing more and more about Kiwi reds in the near future. New Zealand pinots, particularly those from the far south Otago region, are starting to attract international attention.
There are a lot of wine writers who write about wine seriously but there are very few serious writers who write about wine. In the UK we have, for example, Andrew Jefford who is a brilliant writer as well as happening to know his stuff when it comes to wine (and beer). In the USA Jay McInerney writes a wine column in the Wall Street Journal and has recently published “The Juice” which is now available in the UK (Bloomsbury, £14.99). McInerney is one of America’s best novelists and his most famous work “Bright Lights, Big City” was cited by Time Magazine as one of the nine generation-defining novels of the twentieth century. By kind permission of the author here is a brief extract from “The Juice” – a book that I would thoroughly recommend to all wine lovers. Stephen Browett
