Why wine drinkers are having the time of their lives

A bottle of plonk for less than a cup of coffee? While vignerons might be suffering under the wine glut consumers are celebrating with wine filling the bottle shop shelves for as little as $2.90 a pop. And while that might be a bit too cheap for some tastes there are plenty of others at around the $5 mark and there are plenty more for under $10.

A throwaway thirst

Australian’s love affair with bottled water may be making healthy living advocates happy but environmentalists say it’s taking a heavy toll on the planet. With 65 per cent of plastic drink bottles ending up in landfill environmentalists are calling for better recycling services to stop an increasingly popular healthy drinking habit from wreaking further damage? The Sun-Herald 26 February

Chefs win in Machiavelli moves

If ever there was doubt that 21st zeitgeist has elevated the chef to the apex of celebrity one needs only to look at power eatery Machiavelli. The oversized mugs of puce-faced politicians have been removed from the walls of fame at the Italian restaurant; from tomorrow, the walls above the kitchen will feature the beaming dials of Sydney’s top chefs. The Sunday Telegraph 26 February