INQUIRIES

Into The Grand Unifying Theory Of Life

I have just finished a week in Bordeaux. I have visited over 40 châteaux and tasted several hundred wines of the latest vintage – 2022.

And now I find myself at the magnificent Château Smith Haut Lafite on the final evening attending the incredible Commanderie dinner ‘La fete du Bontemps’. The ‘Bontemps’ is the wooden bowl in which the egg whites are whisked for that most amazing part of the winemaking process, the fining of the wines. A truly fitting symbol to end this Bordeaux En Primeur week and celebrate the 2022 vintage.

The vintage is truly fascinating. If you had asked the Commanderie (The elite group of château owners) in May 2022 what they perceived of the vintage, their heads were hung low, predicting not only an apocalypse for 2022, but for future vintages also given that for many the 2022 climatic conditions were a harbinger of years to come. Widespread frosts in spring, a very large hail event not long after, and then three of the hottest months ever recorded in the region starting in May. Every château employed their own methods to combat these conditions.

Château Margaux reduced foliage in an attempt to reduce photosynthesis, Château Latour kept foliage to shield the berries from harsh sun. Soils, yeasts, crop cover – all were played with. Harvests were conducted earlier than normal with many picking their merlot in the last week of August. And then, as the wines began to vinify, it was clear that something remarkable was happening. The wines had a vibrancy, a freshness, an elegance and a restrained power, large mouth feel and incredible length.

The vintage was turning into a truly memorable one and a success. And in the end all the vignerons could say was that a large part of this was down to the vines and the terroir and their own ability to adapt to climatic conditions. The combination of limestone, gravel and clay soils allowed the roots to go deeper and find amazing flavour components. They were able to survive from the retained water in the soils and increased water-carrying capacity from deeper roots. In the end, the vines adapted. 2022 is their vintage.

And so we gathered on this night to celebrate, and the mood was high. The Commanderie were relieved and ecstatic. This vintage has given them a glimpse of a good future for Bordeaux. Large bottles of ‘99 Latour circled my table and my cup was always full. I laughed and danced with my new friends. I am quite sure that Xavier, the owner of Château Branaire Ducru, will be owing me a bottle of something special as The All Blacks defeat France in this year's World Cup. The Prince of Monaco is now on ‘speed dial’.

And to my whānau in New Zealand, it was Bordeaux that truly inspired me to enter the world of wine. For me, it is not about the final product, the sensory delight or even the social coming together, it is the fact that wine is a most natural product that springs unforced and most sustainably from our earth. The fact that the same vine can speak to us so differently from each terroir that it hails from. I believe that all of our food should be like this. We should have thousands of baked beans and thousands of cauliflower variants, every foodstuff uniquely speaking of its own terroir. Being an individual whilst simultaneously being part of a group – duality. I wonder if somewhere in that is the grand unifying theory of life.

(PUNEET

DHALL)  PN

@puneetofponsonby

SPEAKER’S CORNER - WESTERN PARK

William Greig’s suggestion of starting a Speakers’ Corner in Western Park, seconded by Rosco Thorby in the May and June editions is, in principle, a good idea. However, the antagonism towards Posie Parker in both of these letters is palpable, eg, “we should have let her spew her spiel” and “it’s our right to ignore it." So I would not like to be the woman that stands up and tries to speak only to be heckled down, or worse as happened in Albert Park on 25 March.

It seems that women's desire for safe spaces and to retain the word ‘women' for ourselves is considered outrageous by many. Sadly women’s needs are not recognised as valid but rather are interpreted wrongly as being the same as being antitrans. Surely there can be a place for two separate positions and needs?

Few people are as brave as Kellie-Jay Keen and, before she came, I had little awareness of the changes to policies and laws that have been proceeding with stealth and speed up and down the country. The trans-gender movement presents itself as promoting care for the vulnerable youth of a persecuted minority, but this is belied by the tremendous power and speed with which it has influenced the policies of hospitals, swimming pools, libraries, and trans sexuality is now being taught to small children in schools.

On 15 June 2023, a new Gender Self-Identification process made it easier to change the sex recorded on one’s birth certificate. This huge change to the long-accepted reality that sex is defined by biology has huge ramifications and tramples on the rights of more people than it protects, yet no protesting voices nor any critical thought is allowed. I think New Zealand needs to look ahead to the experience of Britain and Europe, who are now making new laws to protect single sex spaces and the rights of people who are of same sex attraction, because sex matters.

Linde Rose, linderose@hearttalk.nz

SPEAKER’S CORNER - YES PLEASE!

It is heartening to see the interest in a regular 'Speakers’ Corner' in Central Auckland. When I was a university student in the early 1970s, that was the rotunda at Albert Park where Tim Shadbolt led 'Jumping Sundays' and which we re-occupied after the council kicked us out.

In more recent times, we have held rallies in Khartoum Place, also known as Suffrage Square, where mainly women have spoken on an open microphone on International Women’s Day, 8 March, or Suffrage Day, 19 September, or when we were campaigning for fair pay for community workers and on other occasions for recognition of midwives.

I think what happened at Albert Park on 25 March highlights the importance of respecting citizens’ right to free speech and freedom to peaceful assembly, both of these being fundamental human rights that must be upheld in a democratic society.

We don’t always agree with the speakers, but if we don’t stand up for their right to speak, and for others to be able to hear them speak, then next time it could be our voices that are shouted down. The 'hecklers’ veto' that shuts down debate is not healthy for society.

Women are saying our rights are being impacted by trans rights and, rather than shout us down, surely we should encourage dialogue to understand the concerns women are raising, not just dismiss us? After all, 'women hold up half the sky".

Jill Ovens, National Secretary, Women’s Rights Party

WLB SQUANDERS RATEPAYERS' FUNDS

I walked out of the Waitematā Local Board public meeting in disgust on Tuesday 20 June when funding of $795.72 was granted to the Auckland Centre City Residents Group towards the cost of business cards, flyers, catering and social media advertising for the General Election 2023, ‘Meet the Candidates Event’.

When there’s a Budget with a shortfall that stretched Auckland Council to huge layoffs, selling the ‘family silver’ (airport shares) and threatened real community services, stressing everyone involved, why would these people think it was appropriate to spend Local Government’s ratepayer funds on a Central Government Election event?

FOR: Chair Genevieve Sage, Anahera Rawiri, Richard Northey, Alex Bonham

AGAINST: Sarah Trotman, Deputy Greg Moyle, Allan Matson

This was after the Chair called a fellow board member a liar. Not really the sort of conduct becoming of an elected official. People often blame others for their own shortfalls instead of holding a mirror to themselves.

Gael Baldock community advocate. GaelB@xtra.co.nz

HAVE YOU GAZED UPWARD WHEN YOU’RE IN THE CITY RECENTLY?

Have you looked up from your phone or your thoughts while standing at a pedestrian crossing or looked up from your steering wheel and noticed what could amount to a dozen cameras looking down at you? Then you have actually noticed more than the average person I’ve spoken to.

I was amazed when I tried this exercise myself and counted 11 cameras at just one Queen Street intersection! That was the intersection of Wellesley Street and Queen Street.

What are all these cameras for?

I venture the majority of people put their curiosity to bed concluding that these cameras must all be for safety purposes. Since private vehicle access to Wellesley Street is no longer possible from that junction, we have to assume some of these cameras are positioned to monitor vehicles illegally entering that block to help Auckland Transport with their revenue gathering.

These cameras are equipped with software that can recognise number plates and are focused on the road.

So why the need for all the others directed at the crossings and pavement?

Grant Mountjoy

LETTERS CONTINUED ON P20