Long weekend in with legends of the fall

There's nothing like a public holiday, nay a "religious" holiday, to get the festive juices working and the wine thirst calling.
We start planning where we're going to be or who'll be coming around a few days in advance.
There's usually a bit of panic about what we're going to eat because chances are it's the last time we'll use the barbecue. Do we need to make peace with Granddad because we haven't seen him since Waitangi weekend? Is it our turn to do Easter lunch this year? Have we bought enough Easter eggs for the kids? So naturally we also consider wine.
Parents the length and breadth of the country are also in the midst of a very busy fortnight. For me, school holidays conjure up daydreams of spending my days baking hot-cross buns, pottering around the garden, bottling fruit, visiting playgrounds and sewing dolls' clothes with my little cherubs - just like my mum did when I was little.
But after a couple of days trying my hardest to work and keep the house clean and entertain the children with arty, crafty things, what I usually end up with are frustrated, scratchy little cretins suffering from chocolate overload who demand that I send them to the YMCA because home is so boring. So again I find myself thinking about wine.
At least it's autumn. I adore autumn. The firewood's been delivered and safely stacked away, the electric blanket is dusted off, the rhubarb is ripe and piles of sweet-scented feijoas start appearing in my favourite fruit and vege shops. The figs are fit to bursting, foraging for edible fungus becomes a full-time occupation and, best of all, it's quite acceptable to wear long pants every day - which is great because my summer tan is already a shadow of its former self.
Autumn is about wrapping up in something warm to catch the last of the afternoon sun, while sitting on my front step clutching a glass of something crisp and aromatic.
"Aromatic" is a term given to a group of white wines whose appeal lies largely in their distinctive aromas.
Wines like riesling, with its honeyed, floral, apple, lime and mineral aromas; pinot gris and its pear and quince notes; viognier with its orange peel and spicy stonefruit; and gewurztraminer's distinctive lychee, rose petal and spice characters. These wines, as a general rule, are made without oak and matured in stainless-steel tanks to preserve these bright, fresh, spritzy characters that make them famous.
However, the downside is that because of their delicate nature and high acidity, they are also prone to spoilage, so once the bottle is opened the contents need to be consumed immediately.
Screwcaps help aromatics live overnight, as do vacuvin pumps - but please don't think you can leave an open bottle of aromatic wine in the fridge for a week and then have it live up to your expectations.
I won't attempt to go into who grows the best examples of these styles, because great aromatic wines are produced right across New Zealand (don't let anyone tell you otherwise).
Each November the Canterbury A&P Show hosts the International Aromatic Wine Competition, which brings out the best of these delicious styles.
Last year, West Auckland winery Westbrook took out the Supreme Champion Trophy with its Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2010.
I love aromatic wines because they go so well with Asian food, which my husband and I are addicted to, but they're also sensational with flavours of a Spanish persuasion - if you don't believe me, crack any aromatic and enjoy with my never-fail, feijoa firecracker salsa (see recipe, left).
Beer for brekkie?

As if they didn't have a beer for every occasion already, the team at Moa have started brewing a breakfast beer.
A blend of premium wheat malt, floral Nelson hops and cherries, Moa Breakfast was launched recently at a trendy cafe in Auckland; but don't let that put you off, because it's actually pretty good.
Brewer Josh Scott and his father Allan would occasionally complement a leisurely breakfast with beer, which got Josh thinking that if people could enjoy champagne at breakfast time, why not beer?
Moa's breakfast brew has an alcohol content of 5.5 per cent. Like champagne, it is bottle-fermented and conditioned, and is sealed with a cork, muselet and foil.
Additional Moa Breakfast events will be held in Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown over the coming months.
Moa Breakfast is available in 375ml bottles in selected stores and premium cafes, bars and restaurants. A four-pack will set you back about $34.

Never-fail feijoa firecracker salsa
8 feijoas, peeled and diced
2 tsp brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup diced capsicum (try a mixture of red, yellow and orange for extra colour)
Juice of 2 limes (about 1/4 cup)
1  tsp freshly chopped red chilli (or 1/2 tsp minced chilli from a jar)
2 tbsp chopped coriander
2 tbsp finely chopped red onion or sweet onion
Mix everything together and plough in.