"newzealand" news and stories

Stronger, darker craft brews are gaining popularity, especially here in the U.S., and the  researchers at HortResearch in New Zealand say that their new hybrid hops will suit changing tastes. The new hops is a blend of European and New Zealand strains and has a stronger aroma, reported BeverageDaily.com. Researchers don't seem worried that the new variety of hops will make for a costlier beer for the consumer, as many beer buyers already seem willing to shell out the extra cash for premium brews. Anheuser Busch also appears interested in the new hops, HortResearch says.

It would seem the anticipated labour shortage in New Zealand has not materialised; there was a fear that some vineyards would suffer and loose their crops as pickers were in such short supply last year. It would seem they are OK.

Not so in California. Here the crack down by US immigration has limited the number of workers. Because US citizens do not want to do the (admittidly backbreaking work) the industry has relied on illegal immigrants for the short period of harvest.

'We are having a hard time enticing people to do this hard work, so we are encouraging lawmakers to pass a comprehensive immigration bill that would include jobs, such as a supervised program for workers to come into the US and then go back to their country or be eligible for US citizenship.' Says Nat DiBuduo, CEO of Allied Grape Growers.

Source

The 'your children are fat and what are you going to do about it' vibe hits New Zealand as the chairman of an international obesity taskforce, Professor Philip James, says there is too much talk about obesity in New Zealand and not enough action.

Just as Jamie Oliver is taking action in the UK's schools, this chap says children's diets in New Zealand are "atrocious" because food companies recognise that by marketing to children they can manipulate eating patterns of entire families.

James says New Zealand should ban all food advertising on children's television and cut the goods and services tax on fresh fruit and vegetables. Voluntary codes do not work, he says, and New Zealand should pass laws to ban it and all other forms of food advertising that target children. Again like Oliver, he says that schools should ban sugary foods from their canteens.

One of the reasons I miss the Bay Area is the San Francisco Chronicle. Now don't get me wrong, I love the Los Angeles Times and a couple of the writers in the weekly food section are ones I look forward to. However, the San Francisco Chronicle dedicates a whole section to wine on Thursdays (and the fact that there is no need to "register" right away).

As we've already posted, the Chronicle pays homage to the wines of New Zealand this week, but their list of 36 recommendations from the 52 wines that they tasted deserves to be singled out. They're all Sauvignon Blanc, which is what New Zealand is famous for.

• Highest ranked of their list, rated three and a half stars (***½) to 2005 Framingham Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($17), 2005 Matua Valley Paretai Estate Series Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($17), and 2005 Sauvignon Republic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($18). 2005. That was a very good year.
• Three stars (***) out of four awarded to 2005 Forrest Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($16).
• Two and half stars (**½) for just about everyone else.

  Aw, they didn't even mention my favorite Monkey.

   

The city council in Wellington, New Zealand is embracing green issues with the start of a new scheme entitled Kai into Compost.

 

Now I am waiting to hear that this is a widespread practice throughout all forward thinking cities but Wellington is trailing the scheme to collect kitchen waste from food outlets and turn it into compost.

A truck collects kitchen waste from 50 hotels, supermarkets, restaurants and other food serving establishments and dumps it in a municipal compost plant.17% of waste that ends up in landfall is food waste which breaks down into harmful leachates and methane this can only be an environmental sound policy. They hope to extend the collection to household food waste shortly.