By Christine Salins.
Is it only in my family or are more and more twenty- and thirty-somethings discovering the joys of barbecuing and smoking (food)?
Even in the depths of winter, barbecuing seems to be popular, perhaps even more so than in the warmer months – huddling around an outdoor fire is at least one way to keep warm.
Cleverly, Barossa Valley winery, Gibson, has created what it reckons is the ultimate wine to pair with barbecue. Grillers, smokers, and low & slowers, take note.
Gibson Wines has launched this special Shiraz in conjunction with the Weber Grill Academy in Adelaide. This is the first venue of its kind in Australia, but it is part of a network of more than 100 Grill Academies around the world.
This is the first time Weber has collaborated with a winery to co-create a wine, and it comes in a limited edition of 500 cases, priced at $30 a bottle.
The 2020 Gibson Smokey Oak Barossa Shiraz combines several small parcels of fruit grown in the northern Barossa. Winemakers Rob Gibson and Adam Fiegert earmarked individual barrels that showed plush, generous fruit and toasty spice complexity.
The final blend was selected by Weber Grill Academy’s Jacinda Gregg and Adam Mizzi, with an eye on complementing a range of flavours that can be developed “under the hood” of a barbecue.
“From seared to sizzled, smoked to slow-cooked, barbecue flavours were calling out for a purposefully crafted red wine to complement them,” Gregg said. “Gibson’s generous Shiraz style was an obvious choice.”
Said Mizzi: “We’re not just talking ribeye steaks and smoked lamb shoulders either – the Gibson Smokey Oak Shiraz is bright and balanced to pair equally well with something like miso roasted pumpkin, or spiced cauliflower served with labne.”
The wine is available exclusively from Gibson’s online store: www.gibsonwines.com.au
If you really want to splash out, you can buy a six-pack of the Shiraz and a portable Weber Smokey Joe charcoal barbecue for $299.
For those in Adelaide, the wine can be sampled at the Weber Grill Academy’s barbecue classes. Bookings: www.weber.com/GrillAcademyAU
2020 Gibson Smokey Oak Barossa Shiraz, $30: As you might expect from this northern Barossa wine, the flavours are plush, generous and very more-ish. It was matured for 18 months in medium-toast oak barrels which has imparted an appealing smokey spice complexity. In addition, there are some lovely vanilla and baking spice notes. Elegant, with a deep ruby hue, this wine does a great job of picking up the smokey flavours in barbecues and grills. The pleasure continues thanks to the wine’s long, persistent, savoury tannins.
