1119 days ago

WSET Level 3 Award in Wines

New Zealand School of Food & Wine

Learning about wine involves international travel in your glass. Here is our tasting today for the WSET Level 3. San Gregorio Fiano di Avellino DOCG from Campania, Italy, Argyros Atlantis Assyrtiko from Santorini Island, Greece, Masi Valpolicella Classico DOC, Emiliana Adobe Carmenere, organic wine from Colchagua Valley, Chile, Fontodi Chianti Classico DOCG, Marques de Riscal Reserva, Voyager Estate, The Modern Cabernet Sauvignon from Margaret River, Western Australia.

Our Sunday WSET Level 3 tasting started with Massolino Moscato d'Asti; Jansz Premier Cuvée from Tasmania, Piper Heidsieck NV followed by Fortified wines Tio Pepe Palamino Fino, the outstanding Del Duque Amontillado VORS 30 years also from Gonzales Byass; Cazes Rivesaltes AOC Ambré 2004; Warres Otima Tawny Port 20 years; Campbells Rutherglen Muscat and Williams & Humbert Pedro Ximenez 12 years old sweet sherry.

We then wrote formal tasting notes for the following wines in preparation of the WSET Level 3 exam on Sunday 12 December.

Franz Hirtzberger Gruner Veltliner Federspiel 2016;
Alba de Vetus Albarino, Rias Biaxas 2019;
Mullineux Swartland Syrah 2014 and
Prats & Symington Post Scriptum, Touriga Nacional blend 2018, Douro, Portugal

Fascinating and captivating wines for sure!

More messages from your neighbours
3 hours ago

Worst Xmas ever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.

Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...

Share your Christmas mishaps below!

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12 days ago

⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️

The Team from SPCA New Zealand

It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:

👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️

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4 days ago

Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.

If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?

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Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
  • 61.5% Summer
    61.5% Complete
  • 36.8% Winter
    36.8% Complete
  • 1.7% Other - I'll share below
    1.7% Complete
1079 votes