KEY POINTS:
Keen as I am on wine, I'm not sure it's the main reason I'd choose an airline. But, especially if you can afford the flash seats, it is a nice little bonus to be able to soothe yourself to sleep with a few glasses of something delectable.
And the good news for local wine lovers is that the standard of wine offered by airlines is getting better, airlines that service this part of the world are among the most discerning and New Zealand wine features strongly in a lot of wine lists.
In the latest Cellars in the Sky Awards, for instance, the best red served in business class was judged to be Air NZ's Martinborough Vineyard pinot noir 2005. I've tried it - though not in the air - and I can confirm it is a marvellous wine.
Air France won the award for the best business class white wine with a Languedoc-Roussillon. But joint third prize went to the Fromm La Strada riesling 2005 from Marlborough served by Air NZ and the Montana Marlborough reserve sauvignon blanc 2006 that you get on Korean Air.
If you're a bubbly enthusiast, then Singapore Airlines and Qantas might be the way to go because their Charles Heidsieck won the award for the best sparkling wine in business class.
In the rarefied first class seats, El Al was judged to offer the best white, an Israeli chardonnay (eh?), while Emirates and Qantas (with an Aussie chardonnay?) were joint second. But the top first class whites also included Qatar Airways' Jules Taylor Marlborough sauvignon blanc 2005 and American Airlines' Wairau River Marlborough sauvignon blanc.
New Zealand's offerings didn't feature among the first-class reds. Qatar Airways took the top spot with a Clare Valley shiraz while Qantas was equal third thanks to a Yarra Valley pinot noir.
The best bubbly on offer in first class was the Taittinger served by Lufthansa.
Overall, Qantas was judged to offer the most consistently good wine and it also won the award for the best first-class cellar.
The best business-class cellar was provided by American Airlines but Air New Zealand was runner-up and it also won the award for the most informative wine list.
It is indeed an excellent wine list and reflects the amount of effort our national carrier is putting into showcasing fine New Zealand wines.
In fact, while flying Air New Zealand business class recently, that wine list revealed the existence of one of the most luscious wines I've tasted ... but I'm sorry, I'm not going to tell you what it is, because they usually have only one bottle of it on each plane and I don't feel like sharing.
TRAVEL GADGETS
The nasty itching lumps left by mosquitoes and other bloodsucking insect pests can be a real downer when you're travelling ... especially if, like my wife, the mozzies love you so much their bites produce an allergic reaction.
A bit of old-fashioned roller deodorant can help ease the swelling and itching. But the arrival of a device called Click that Itch, promising to "banish mosquito bite itch by using a piezoelectrical charge", sounded like the answer to her prayers.
Here is her report:
Yeah, right the sceptic in me said, when Click that Itch arrived in the house.
But, as the Travel section's incumbent guinea pig in matters relating to mosquitoes, I duly made myself available.
During a brief show of warm weather, I went into the garden and, sure enough, I got bitten on the hand. Three minutes later, I was applying the small green device, which resembles an eye-dropper in shape, to the rapidly swelling bump. Click five times, wait for relief, then apply 10 clicks more for the swelling to lessen, the instructions said and, yes, the itch did ease.
The bite disappeared after a while.
However, one mozzie doth not a summer make. A few weeks later, during a visit to a mozzie-infested part of Queensland, the gadget proved only partially successful in combating a mass attack, working on one in three bites.
This is not to say that Click that Itch is a failure. There is a matter of timing involved: the CTI should be used immediately after a bite and this was not always possible.
Besides which, after several bites I usually end up on medication to stop the itching, it's just my physical make-up, so I acknowledge I am an extreme case.
I am continuing to use the device, which works on an electrical impulse and has been approved here by Medsafe for use on anyone over 12 months old. It contains no chemicals, isn't messy and does seem to be effective in dealing with small numbers of bites.
TRAVEL BOOKS
SEE NAPLES AND DIE,
by Penelope Green
Hachette, $39.99
Foreigners may dream of visiting Naples, la bella city of Italy, yet in reality, most tourists give this historic place, nestling under Mt Vesuvius, a miss. Why?
Because, beautiful though it may be, Naples has a Mafia-style family known as the Camorra, and the combination of serious crime and corruption, not to mention high unemployment and widespread poverty, keeps the city from developing as a tourist centre.
Penelope Green was told one either loved or hated the city and, in her latest book See Naples and Die, she acknowledges both feelings.
The initial dislike may well have been due to the fact that she promptly moved into the quatiere, home of criminals, the poor and the unemployed, where she investigated the appalling murder of a young girl.
But she also discovered the good side of Naples: the friendly, caring Neapolitans, many as poor as church mice, yet happy to offer food, advice and kindness to a stranger.
She quickly learned to avoid the scippio, the handbag snatchers on scooters, who plague the streets and prey upon anyone stupid enough to wear good jewellery or carry a bag, to enjoy the marvellous food, and, after a few false starts, to find a new love.
See Naples and die? Yes indeed, Green's descriptions of the city, including its history and outstanding scenery, did make me want to go. But I'll try not to look too much like a tourist.
THE COAST ROAD
by Paul Gogarty
Harper Collins, $29.99
The past, the present and the future of the English coast is Paul Gogarty's latest obsession, and fans of this award winning author won't be disappointed in The Coast Road, which covers a 4828km journey round England's edge.
The trip begins in Dover but it is a definite sign of the changing times when the author meets and interviews two Somali asylum seekers about their entry into England and their expectations.
Gogarty has an amazing ability to sum up a place - history, geography and a few wise words from selected locals - before continuing on his way in his trusty six-berth campervan home to the next destination. I found all this very entertaining and interesting ... but I was disappointed that he left my home town, Eastbourne, out of his schedule.
Gogarty is keen to note the effects of global warming on the English coastline, some seen already and others perceived for the future, and these are explored in the book by tapping into the minds and memories of residents.
The Coast Road covers a huge area and provides a good potted history of the villages, towns and cities visited. The writing is full of fun, and sometimes sadness, but never boredom.
- Chris Eagles
FLY SOLO: The 50 best places on Earth for a girl to travel alone<
by Teresa Rodriguez Williamson
Perigee, $29.95
It used to take courage to travel alone as a woman. Now, all you need is Teresa Rodriguez Williamson.
She's covered all bases with her crucial Top 10 Extraordinary Experiences for each of the destinations.
Get beautified at Chanel in Paris, watch water puppets in Hanoi (not everyone adopts babies in Vietnam you know), do a walking tour of Franz Kafka's life in Prague, it's all there. What's more, there are plenty of safety tips and advice for eating alone. She even tells you what shoes to wear. Now all you have to do is ditch the boyfriend to go solo.
- Fiona Hawtin
