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Angelina Jolie's bombshell allegations against Brad Pitt

<p dir="ltr">Angelina Jolie has claimed that her ex Brad Pitt was physically abusive towards her and two of their six children on a flight in 2016.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Hollywood actress’s legal team claimed that Pitt grabbed Jolie’s head and shook her then choked one of their children and struck another when they tried to defend her.</p> <p dir="ltr">Pitt’s representation vehemently denied the allegations saying the allegations are "another rehash that only harms the family”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The couple have been locked in a legal fight over their French home and winery in which the description of the abuse came to light.</p> <p dir="ltr">News of the alleged abuse first came to light soon after it happened, however the details were kept private in divorce documents.</p> <p dir="ltr">Further investigations by the FBI and Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services found that no action against Pitt was necessary.</p> <p dir="ltr">Pitt was then granted 50-50 custody of the children but the decision was soon appealed by Jolie and eventually became nullified.</p> <p dir="ltr">Reports of the abuse were first reported by The New York Times which read that on September 14, 2016, Jolie, Pitt and their six children were travelling from the winery, Chateau Miraval, to Los Angeles.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Pitt's aggressive behavior started even before the family got to the airport, with Pitt having a confrontation with one of the children. After the flight took off, Jolie approached Pitt and asked him what was wrong," the filing says.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Pitt accused her of being too deferential to the children and verbally attacked her."</p> <p dir="ltr">"He pulled her into the bathroom and began yelling at her. Pitt grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her, and then grabbed her shoulders and shook her again before pushing her into the bathroom wall."</p> <p dir="ltr">It is then when one of their children verbally defended Jolie, which caused Pitt to lash out.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Pitt lunged at his own child and Jolie grabbed him from behind to stop him. To get Jolie off his back, Pitt threw himself backwards into the airplane's seats injuring Jolie's back and elbow," the filing says.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The children rushed in and all bravely tried to protect each other. Before it was over, Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face."</p> <p dir="ltr">Pitt then proceeded to pour beer on Jolie, and beer and red wine on the kids.</p> <p dir="ltr">Jolie reported the incident to police, which also showed a photo of a bruise on Jolie's elbow and a "rug-burn type injury" on her hand.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite all this, it was agreed that Pitt would not be charged.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Legal

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Rare Yarra Valley winery with intriguing history up for sale

<p dir="ltr">A sprawling homestead - complete with its very own winery - has hit the market for the first time in 40 years, and comes with owners with an unusual story.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sitting on over 36 hectares in Victoria’s Yarra Valley, the Gracedale Hills Estate and accompanying Hill Paddock Winery first came to be in the late 1990’s, after a chance meeting between Australian wine writer and critic James Halliday and Dr Richard Gutch OAM, the man who delivered Olivia Newton-John.</p> <p dir="ltr">As the doctor to Netwon-John’s mother, Irene, Dr Gutch brought the famed Aussie singer and actress into the world on September 26, 1948, in Cambridge, England.</p> <p dir="ltr">Years later, he and his wife Verna purchased the property in Healesville, with the intention of retiring, from Newell Cowan, who established the neighbouring Eyton on Yarra and Rochford Wines.</p> <p dir="ltr">At Eyton’s opening in 1996, Dr Gutch sat next to James Halliday, who advised him to plant vines on his estate.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Because of the northeastern slope, James Halliday said: ‘You’ll never get a frost’, and we never have,” Penny Gutch, Richard and Verna’s daughter, said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Gutch, who turns 60 next year, has been managing her late father’s property with her husband Chris and said she has decided it’s time to sell.</p> <p dir="ltr">Hill Paddock Winery produced its first wine in 2003 under the Gracedale Hills label, going on to release 100 cases of shiraz, chardonnay and rosé until the COVID-19 pandemic hit.</p> <p dir="ltr">Now, the winery is leased under a ten-year agreement with well-known Yarra Valley winemaker Mac Forbes, where he produces the Gracedale Hills “Hills Paddock” wines and his own.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ms Gutch said the new owner of the estate - about half of which is separately leased to farmers for animal grazing - could decide to get involved in the winery or let it operate under the lease.</p> <p dir="ltr">But its farming and wine-making qualities aren’t the only highlights, with the three-bedroom house located on the estate boasting 360 degree views of Mt St Leonard and The Great Dividing Range.</p> <p dir="ltr">Trevor Lavigne, an agent with Philip Webb Real Estate, said he had received inquiries about the estate from local, interstate and international buyers, and that it could be used as an Airbnb or developed further, pending council approval.</p> <p dir="ltr">The estate has been <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-acreage+semi-rural-vic-healesville-140230475" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listed</a> with an asking price of $5.3-5.8 million, with private inspections available.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-39e138cb-7fff-9c36-8339-efdc113e2e83"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Realestate.com.au</em></p>

Real Estate

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New Zealand launches first "winery airline"

<p dir="ltr">Sipping a glass of bubbly has become a contentious issue on airplanes in recent years, with some airlines banning alcohol on flights altogether.</p><p dir="ltr">But, a New Zealand wine company has taken a different approach by launching the “world’s first winery airline”.</p><p dir="ltr">Invivo Wines’ co-founders Tim Lightbourne and Robin Cameron announced that <a href="https://invivoair.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Invivo Air</a>’s maiden voyage from Auckland to Queenstown will take off early this year using a 34-seater, Swedish-built Saab plane.</p><p dir="ltr">Though the flight will take close to two hours, it will be part of a 24-hour experience that includes a visit to Invivo’s growers in Central Otago and a stay at The Hilton Queenstown.</p><p dir="ltr">“Obviously, there will be some complimentary wines served on board, as well as some non-alcoholic drinks,” Lightbourne <a href="https://travel.nine.com.au/destinations/worlds-first-winery-airline-to-launch-in-new-zealand/57d043d3-2f06-48ed-985c-6c1d73fb7cda" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.</p><p dir="ltr">“There’ll be a range of Invivo wines available and maybe Rob and I will be serving it to the guests on the flight. It should be a lot of fun.”</p><p dir="ltr">The pair decided to launch the “Invivo Air” to celebrate the reopening of Auckland’s borders after the city went into a 119-day lockdown due to a COVID-19 outbreak.</p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-b00b65bb-7fff-3938-7341-2847b8a0fb1e"></span></p><p dir="ltr">They also hope to promote domestic tourism and support members of Auckland’s hospitality sector, which was hard-hit during lockdown.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF;border: 0;border-radius: 3px;margin: 1px;max-width: 540px;min-width: 326px;padding: 0;width: calc(100% - 2px)" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CYc5gEaP9iJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"><div style="padding: 16px"><div style="flex-direction: row;align-items: center"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px"> </div><div style="flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px"> </div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px"> </div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0"> </div><div style="height: 50px;margin: 0 auto 12px;width: 50px"> </div><div style="padding-top: 8px"><div style="color: #3897f0;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 14px;font-style: normal;font-weight: 550;line-height: 18px">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0"> </div><div style="flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center"><div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px"> </div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px"> </div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px"> </div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px"> </div><div style="width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent"> </div></div><div style="margin-left: auto"><div style="width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent"> </div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px"> </div><div style="width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent"> </div></div></div><div style="flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px"> </div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px"> </div></div><p style="color: #c9c8cd;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 14px;line-height: 17px;margin-bottom: 0;margin-top: 8px;overflow: hidden;padding: 8px 0 7px;text-align: center"><a style="color: #c9c8cd;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 14px;font-style: normal;font-weight: normal;line-height: 17px;text-decoration: none" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CYc5gEaP9iJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Invivo &amp; Co (@invivowines)</a></p></div></blockquote><p dir="ltr">Half of the seats will be complimentary, with priority given to hospitality and tourism staff who have been impacted by Auckland’s lockdown, as well as New Zealand residents who haven’t been able to see family or friends on the South Island and Invivo shareholders.</p><p dir="ltr">“A lot of the restaurants have been shut in Auckland for some time,” Lightbourne explained. “So it’s been pretty hard. We’d like to reward some of those hospitality staff with a flight down to Queenstown, which is one of our major tourism destinations.”</p><p dir="ltr">The tourist hotspot has also been heavily impacted by the pandemic, with an average of 60 percent of its three million annual visitors unable to visit due to international border restrictions.</p><p dir="ltr">Unsurprisingly, the Invivo team has encountered some difficulties in setting up their airline from scratch.</p><p dir="ltr">“We’ve had to talk to some people in the industry about the goings on and the challenges and that sort of stuff,” Lightbourne said.</p><p dir="ltr">“It’s a trial for us. But the feedback has been positive. There have been thousands of people registering. We could have sold out the flight 100 times over.”</p><p dir="ltr">Though the maiden flight is a “trial” run, Lightbourne said the team plan to start regular flights on the Auckland to Queenstown route, with the hope of adding new destinations in the future.</p><p dir="ltr">“We have vineyards in Marlborough, which is also the South Island,” he added. “And in the North Island, we have some in the Hawke’s Bay region and Gisborne. We’d love to get some flights out that way later on this year, hopefully.”</p><p dir="ltr">With half of the seats being given away, the remainder will be available to purchase, though seat prices are yet to be determined.</p><p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-eef4f3b7-7fff-8194-ae18-5e6cdfd94594"></span></p><p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @invivowines (Instagram)</em></p>

Domestic Travel

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Is purple your favourite colour? This wine is for you

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Whether you prefer your wine to be red, yellow or pink, you’ve never seen wine in this shade before.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An Australian winery has created a purple wine, made from a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc with an infusion of botanicals.</span></p> <p><a href="https://purplereign.com.au/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Purple Reign Wine</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the vineyard behind this unique wine, says they have “harnessed nature’s rarest colour and most powerful visible wave-length to create a popular style of wine embellished with mystery and nobility.”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CH7Jf2ij2Ck/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CH7Jf2ij2Ck/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by The World’s First Purple Wine! (@purplereignwine)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The winery goes on to say the drop “is infused with natural, organic, plant-based botanicals to minimise the use of sulphites.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The move away from using sulphites in wine stems from a theory that avoiding synthetic additives like sulphites could lessen a hangover.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to this theory, natural wines that replace synthetic additives with botanicals have less acetaldehyde, a chemical that your body breaks down after drinking alcohol.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A </span><a href="https://www.saveur.com/story/drink/truth-about-natural-wine-and-hangovers/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">2013 study</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> by the University of Rome found lower amounts of acetaldehyde in blood meant the liver had less work to do and could process alcohol faster.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Co-developer Ross Stewart told </span><a href="https://www.perthnow.com.au/travel/food-wine/worlds-first-purple-wine-purple-reign-developed-in-wa-and-it-might-lessen-your-hangover-ng-b881858722z"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Perth Now</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that one customer claimed the wine didn’t trigger his asthma like other drops.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We’ve had many similar stories from customers over the last two years,” Mr Ross said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We believe using antioxidant rich compounds in winemaking could also translate to a clearer, less foggy head after drinking, compared to other wines.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr Ross added, “We’ve also found that when our wines are stored correctly after opening, they stay fresh for longer than other wines, all by using natural means.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As for the flavour profile, Purple Reign says the “lush style wine exhibits a hint of grass and a touch of minerals with a perfect balance of natural acidity and freshness complemented by a crisp dry finish.”</span></p> <p><strong>Image credit: Purple Reign Wine / Instagram</strong></p>

Food & Wine

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Discovering new tastes in Taiwan

<p><em><strong>Justine Tyerman is a New Zealand journalist, travel writer and sub-editor. Married for 36 years, she lives in rural surroundings near Gisborne on the East Coast of New Zealand with her husband Chris. In this piece, she samples Taiwanese wine.</strong></em></p> <p>New Zealand is known for magnificent wine – made from grapes, of course. But I recently discovered to my astonishment not all countries understand that fundamental link.</p> <p>Being quite an experienced wine drinker – by which I refer to frequency of consumption rather than implying I am in any way a connoisseur – I was excited at the prospect of visiting a winery in Taiwan.</p> <p>The unusual labels on the beautiful bottles lined up for tasting at the Nantou Winery should have forewarned me but I blithely ploughed ahead, obeying my motto to try everything offered to me in the way of new experiences.</p> <p>The winemaker spoke little English but proudly poured generous quantities into our tasting glasses, smiling and gesturing for us to sample his products.</p> <p>The first tasted startlingly like onions, and upon seeing my puzzled expression, our Taiwanese guide confirmed it tasted like onions because it was onion wine.</p> <p>Wandering around the room trying to look nonchalant while pretending to savour the contents of my glass, I found a convenient pot plant in which to ditch the "wine".</p> <p>Ever the optimist, I moved on to the second tasting which had herb-like plants on the label. I should have been alerted by this but alas, no. I took a good sip and only just managed to maintain a semblance of decorum. It was made from Chinese herbs. The pot plant received more close attention.</p> <p>The winemaker, encouraged by my apparent enthusiastic consumption of his products, poured me an even bigger glass of the third wine from a bottle with an elegant stiletto on the label. It was a dark-looking brew which tasted like chocolate, and was in fact chocolate wine, made especially for the young, female, Japanese palate. Poor pot plant!</p> <p>The final wine had a picture of exotic-looking fruit on the label which was more promising – it was lychee wine, sweet and quite palatable in a liqueur-ish way.</p> <p>Our guide explained that Taiwan was a nation of spirit drinkers, and wine made from grapes was not their forté. Having sampled four of their best, I can safely say there are excellent trade opportunities for New Zealand wine in that country. I later discovered we got off lightly – in Taiwan there is also such a thing as snake penis wine.</p> <p>Taiwan is a land of startling surprises not only to Western tastes but also habits.</p> <p>The hotels and hospitality are outstanding. However, some took discreet design to an extreme with toilets so cleverly concealed I was about to phone reception and complain there was no loo in my room when I found it behind a sliding panel, incorporated seamlessly into a wall.</p> <p>I did have to phone to find the closet where the pyjamas and slippers were hiding, having heard it was de rigueur to turn up to breakfast in the hotel’s signature “spa loungewear". Just as well I did – all the guests, from children to elderly were dressed in matching PJs next morning.</p> <p>On the subject of toilets, many were equipped with an ingenious seat-side touch screen requiring an IT degree to operate. It doesn’t pay to be too inquisitive and peer into your designer loo while experimenting with the console, trying to determine the mysterious workings of controls written in Chinese. There are various bidet nozzles which can result in a face full of warm water of dubious purity.</p> <p>In one hotel, there was a sliding window from the toilet to the bedroom so that you could converse with your room-mate if you got lonely.</p> <p>Huge tubs that held a tanker load of water were standard issue at the hotels. To luxuriate in an obscenely-deep bath after a long summer of water restrictions was a delicious treat. The tubs on higher floors are often located by full-length windows so you can sightsee while you soak.</p> <p>Taiwan is delightfully different – just be wary of wine bottle labels with snakes on them.</p> <p>Have you ever been to Taiwan? Share your travel tips in the comments below.</p> <p><em>* Justine Tyerman was a guest of Taiwan Tourism Bureau and China Airlines.</em></p>

International Travel