Julie Biuso's Shared Kitchen - Eating and drinking ...such a hard life

Eating and drinking ...such a hard lifeI've known the Fistonich family since the late 1970s. I met George when I worked at one of the Tony's restaurants in Auckland when he was selling wine to Tony, and later, his wife Gail came to cooking classes at my school La Dolce Vita. That's a lifetime ago, but they remain an inspiration and their wine company, Villa Maria, a force to be reckoned with. Take their strong move into organics, and back in 2001, their decision to make Villa Maria a cork-free zone. I enjoyed a degustation lunch and wine tasting at the Auckland winery on Monday. It's spring, so hop into all the goodness now abounding. Try this delicious broad bean pasta with rocket, or grab some clams and make a feisty pasta dish with chorizo to enjoy with friends.

Villa Maria wine tasting and degustation lunch Food and wine or wine and food? It’s hard to choose the more impressive of the two served up at a wine tasting and degustation lunch at Villa Maria Winery on Monday. I went primed for action: hungry, thirsty, inquisitive, and with a cab booked to wing me back to the ferry More