Thinking outside the square is a wonderful asset that is not so easy to come by. It can manifest itself in many ways, but an example that really tickled me took place at the Mudgee Wine & Food Festival at Balmoral Beach in August.
The Mixology of Sangria
My friend Tony from Short Sheep Micro-Winery took a punt on my products and came up with some amazing mixes for the occasion. Apart from the regular pairing of red wine (his Shiraz) with Glüh-Brew’s Sangria Syrup, and rather than adding the stock-standard orange, he instead added tangelo (a hybrid fruit of tangerine and grapefruit) for a subtle twist. He also mixed his Pinot Gris with my Sangria Syrup, Rico pear and lime; his Rosé with Sangria Syrup, Packham pear and lemon, and my Glüh-Brew mulled wine syrup with his Shiraz and tangelo and then chilled it to make Kühlbrew!! Thus he had quickly made three types of sangria: one for red wine drinkers, one for white wine drinkers and one for those who can’t decide 🙂 Not to mention that he found a use for mulled wine in the off-season. All of those mixes were unexpected, but because they were made with Tony’s wines, not unexpectedly delicious.
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut…
sticking to what we know and love. I am totally guilty of that. My short list includes a visit to Canberra, where I cycle around the lake in both directions then finish at the Yacht Club for potato scallops and beer; heading out to Orange, stopping at Harvest Cafe and Store in Bathurst for another excellent coffee and pie; visiting Manly Dam for some much-needed serenity, stopping at Crispie’s Pies Allambie for the best coffee and pies in the area (presented with warm, friendly, personal service). Hmm, can you see the pattern of coffees and pies?
Back to the point, Outside the Square
The known and loved has its place in my heart, but every now and then it’s great to try something different. It’s fun to experiment with flavours and mixes and Tony is a man with an open mind. His wines are brilliant and can absolutely stand on their own and deliver great flavours, but he’s not too much of a wine snob or purist to insist that they be sipped and savoured in one format only. Maybe we should take our palates into our own hands (so to speak) and become our own “mixologists” by creating new ways with wine that are fun and varied.
Challenging our flavour senses
When Tony and I were chatting, he made (what I think is) a very valid observation: distillers and beer brewers are out there producing beverages with vast range of flavours and styles. They use all kinds of interesting and unexpected ingredients and all manner of flavour infusions e.g. heritage hop varieties, herbs and citrus, and aging in used spirit and wine barrels. From my perspective, although some of these experiments have resulted in weird and maybe not-so-wonderful drinks, many of them are not only very drinkable and enjoyable, but also challenge our flavour senses by presenting us with something a little different. Beer and spirit drinkers are now being kept on their toes with all the boutique batches entering the market. So maybe now it’s time for winemakers to follow their lead, take some risks and think outside the square. We might have some interesting wine times ahead !
