By Jo Jericho,
Vineyards at Deakin Estate
The BBQ is an Australian rite of passage that emerged out of the halcyon days of the 1960s. It was the dawn of dining in the backyard and the only permissible time a man cooked. It became a ritual passed down from father to son and you didn’t complain when dad cooked the snags as black as the charcoal.
In backyards across Australia at any time of year, you’ll find BBQs cooking all afternoon while backyard cricket matches unfold and the ladies set the table with coleslaw, white bread and plastic table ware.
It’s customary to bring your own meat and the host provides the wine, which suits me fine.
You see, I’ve been listening to Dr Phil Spillman, Winemaker at Deakin Estate, talk about the new Artisan Blend wines and he is talking all BBQs and alfresco dining.
The Chardonnay Pinot Grigio is a nice and crunchy style with the chardonnay picked early to keep the fresh, vibrant aromatics and the red, a Cabernet Tempranillo blend, is soft and supple, both perfect as Dr Phil says for, ‘just relaxing and enjoying a casual meal’.
With the advent of the warmer weather, I’ll be taking Dr Phil’s advice and lighting the first BBQ of the season to celebrate.
And for those after the genuine Aussie BBQ experience, ask the cook to leave your sausage on until they’re black. Or actually, maybe don’t!
Tags: Australia, deakin estate, Video
It took me a long time to discover there was more that could be cooked on a BBQ than snags and lamb chops (nor did it have to end up black.) Now I love calamari, fish, corn on the cob, mushrooms, asparagus…
Any recommendations for the best BBQ recipes?