The Life

The Life is a BusinessDesk section for people with an appetite for living well, who like to celebrate the good things in life – whether that’s investing in your health and wellness or a weekend at a lodge.

Spring fling - bright, block colours and clashing prints are back in fashion
The Life Free

Spring fling - bright, block colours and clashing prints are back in fashion

The arrival of spring brings with it the desire to inject more colour and print into our wardrobes. Longer, warmer days are the perfect time to try statement florals, bright block colours and clashing prints, best paired back with crisp white accents and beautiful flats for an ef...

Sally-Ann Mullin 25 Sep 2020
The Life sponsored by
Tourism Fiji
“Fiji, where happiness comes naturally.”
Big reds - how does Villa Maria's 2014 The Gravels Ngakirikiri Cabernet Sauvignon perform against the world's best?
The Life Free

Big reds - how does Villa Maria's 2014 The Gravels Ngakirikiri Cabernet Sauvignon perform against the world's best?

The ContestHow do you fast-track the reputation of a prestigious new wine label? Simple. Serve it blind with a bunch of big-name wines to a group of six wine critics. Best scenario: it beats some of the big guns and receives extensive publicity. Worst scenario: it trails the fiel...

Bob Campbell MW 25 Sep 2020
Get cultured - know your Brie from your Camembert
The Life Free

Get cultured - know your Brie from your Camembert

The difference between an authentic Brie and Camembert is simply “terroir” – the characteristics imparted by the environment in which the cheese is produced. The same applies to any wine – it reflects the conditions of the site where the grapes were grown, including the climate,...

Juliet Harbutt 18 Sep 2020
Happy hours - expert advice on managing your wine collection
The Life Free

Happy hours - expert advice on managing your wine collection

“I need your help,” said a friend, with a note of desperation in his voice. “My wine cellar has got out of hand.”Steve has, by my standards, a fairly modest wine consumption of “a bottle or two a week” but has accumulated more than 1000 bottles in his basement wine cellar. The co...

Bob Campbell MW 18 Sep 2020