One of the most common sounds in my life is the clink-clink of glass against glass Read more

It's three minutes after six on a very grey morning and I'm on a highway in Johannesburg headed to my first meeting of the day Read more

'Just opened a 1999 Simonsig bubbly. Delicious. You really should try to age some of your purchases' was my SMS to Sparkling Shirley, so nicknamed in our household for her fierce commitment to bubbles ahead of other beverages. Read more

I've been told by a friend whose life mission, it seems, is to convince those around her to look out at the world with awe and wonder that top American violinist Joshua Bell participated in a social experiment about human perception, taste and priorities. Read more

Given a friend's penchant for handing over a case of wine from the 50th birthday boy or girl's birth year, and given that my half century is fast approaching, I'm urgently seeking a new vintage despite mine being 'one of the 20th century's finest'. Read more