Beauty of the Barossa

About this time a year ago is when BareRouge first began, so it was only fitting that as another long weekend was upon us in Victoria, we set off on a long road trip to head back to the Barossa Valley.

After our last trip, we knew good coffee would be scarce once we had left the bright lights of Melbourne, so we were well fuelled before we left.  With a midnight break in Bordertown we arrived to a beautiful sun filled sky in the heart of the Barossa.

We had arranged to meet with our friend, Dan Standish, who owns The Standish Wine Company.  Since our last visit, Dan had moved the winery from the south of the Barossa Valley in Lyndoch, to his new premises in the north, Nuriootpa.  Arriving at the new winery could only be described as 'Grand', a beautiful yet simple stone building at the end of a long driveway surrounded by the autumn vines.  We had arranged with Dan to pick up some french oak barrels for our new BareRouge stock, and knowing the quality of product and region the barrels originally come from are a key part in the BareRouge process.

After lunch, and of course a cheeky glass of wine, it was down to business.  We showed Dan some sample products we had brought along and he was very taken with the touch and smoothness we had acheived in the BareRouge pieces, bringing out the natural beauty and the grain of the oak.  We then headed out back where there was a large selection of barrels for us to choose from and as many as we liked, however, the little 'thinks it's big' Kia Rio could only handle two barrels once we had broken them down.  Armed with the right tools, the barrels were soon enough taken apart, assessed, numbered and set out to air, the hard work was done!

The start of harvest had begun, so during the afternoon we had the opportunity to assist Dan & Fraser at Standish Wines.  Fresh grapes were being delivered at 3pm, myself, having never been behind the scenes at a winery, took the chance to taste freshly picked Shiraz grapes, mmmmm, and I was amazed at the delicacy of the heavy machinery with the grapes when it came to desteming.  Easily becoming engrossed in the heavenly smells of the fresh grapes being pumped into vats for fermentation, it's easy to see how one can become obsessed, with the art of wine making, and I can appreciate why Dan keeps the winery at a size where he is very hands on, as this is his passion.

So after a weekend of tasty wines and delicious fresh produce, including a long lunch at Vintners Bar & Grill (that is another story), it was time to head back to Melbourne, and start creating more BareRouge pieces.....though not before we finally found a good coffee at Blond Coffee, in the small town of Angaston in the east of the Barossa.  There is so much to explore in this stunning part of the world and we will most certainly be back!

Summer Salads on the 'Tasman'

Autumn has arrived, but that doesn't mean we can't still enjoy some of the beautiful summer flavours and colours during those warm sunny evenings.  Try this delicious recipe which can be served on our 'Tasman Rouge', it's sure to impress guests and a simple tasty meal for at home.  Let us know what you think…… 

Mango Green Bean Salad with BBQ Beef:

Serves: 2 large or 3 medium

1 beef steak per serve - we used Porterhouse, however, any cut of beef will be delicious!

Marinade:
1 T balsamic glaze 
1 T olive oil 
2 tsp freshly grated ginger 
Grated zest of 1 lime 
2 T chopped mint leaves 
Salt and ground black pepper 

Salad:
1 tsp sesame oil 
200g rice stick noodles 
Large handful green string beans (sliced length ways) 
1 mango 
4 handfuls baby spinach leaves 
1 spring onion (finely sliced) 
3 tsp sesame seeds 3 tsp chia seeds 

Dressing:
2 T balsamic glaze 
3 T lime juice 
1 tsp sesame oil 
2 tsp soya sauce 
2 tsp freshly grated ginger 
A pinch of salt and brown sugar 

Method: 
Cook the rice stick noodles according to the packet instructions. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain again. Toss through the sesame oil. 

To make the beef marinade, mix balsamic glaze, oil, grated ginger, lime zest, chopped mint leaves and salt and pepper in a medium bowl.  Add the beef steak, toss to coat and leave to marinate for 5-10 minutes. 

While the beef is marinating, blanch the green beans by pouring boiling water over them, cool them under cold water and shake off the excess water.  Peel and slice the mango.

To make the dressing, combine all ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. 

Arrange the spinach leaves on a large platter such as the 'Tasman Rouge' from the BareRouge Entertainment range shown in the picture above, then top with the noodles. Sprinkle with about 2 tsp of the sesame seeds and 2 tsp of the chia seeds, then top with sliced mango, green beans and spring onions. 

Heat the barbecue, then cook beef over a medium-high heat until just medium-rare (about 3 minutes each side).  Do not overcook.  Let the beef rest for 10 minutes before slicing. 

Slice the beef and arrange it on top of the salad.  Drizzle with dressing and the remaining 1 tsp sesame seeds and 1 tsp chia seeds and serve. 

Enjoy!

Inspired by Fermentasian

We have just made a booking to dine at FermentAsian in the Barossa Valley. We dined there last year, leaving our food selection up to the chef and were blown away at the quality of the dishes and can't wait to visit again. FermentAsian (http://www.fermentasian.com.au/) are committed to sustainability and grow their own produce locally. If you go to the Barossa we highly recommend going there for dinner, but be sure to book early though as they are consistently booking out. 

Inspired by friends

We had been driving through the night along long flat straight Victorian and South Australian roads.  This was our second coffee for the night and it was badly burnt.  We laughed at how we had both become coffee snobs since living in Melbourne...but this coffee was bad, although to be fair, it was from a roadside petrol station just outside the town of Keith!

We slept through the night and then carried on to the Barossa Valley for our weekend adventure and to catch up with an old friend, Dan Standish from the Standish Wine Company.  I had worked with Dan in the Napa Valley, California many years before.  I hadn't seen him for over a decade so was really looking forward to a catch up.

We organised to met for a private tasting at his winery and it was so cool to see what he had achieved over the past few years!  As Dan showed us around his boutique artisan winery it occurred to me that he has created, what many people would describe as a living dream.  He has grown the Standish Wine Company to now produce a selection of five (currently) premium wines that proudly showcase the Barossa Terroir ('personality').  The wines are pretty much organic (I will triple check this fact) with environmental sustainability considered all through the wine making process.  They really are made with love!  

Furthermore, he has a very clear philosophy about what his brand does and doesn't to.  He doesn't have a cellar door and only sells to a few boutique shops as he has a very clear focus who his customers are.  His five current wines are all priced the same, as he puts the same amount of work and effort into each.  From there he pretty much just supplies his wares to the leading restaurants in Australia and also internationally.

The wines themselves are fantastic!  All Barossa Shiraz blends, made in the old fashioned Burgandian way, that highlight different sub climates and soil types within the valley.  As we tasted, it was amazing to discover how different and distinct each wine was.   As we drank and laughed about old times, Dan's work reminded me of a framework that a marketing expert once told me about.  It's a very simple framework but the simplicity is what makes it so useful.

1. Brand
2. Product
3. Promote

First, get a very clear idea of what your brand is and what it is not.  Second, create the products and third, promote them.  This is the process that we have chosen to follow at Bare Rouge and I thought I would mention it to help anybody else who is wanting to take a leap of faith and do something for themselves.  At the moment Bare Rouge is our baby, still in its infancy.  But we have a clear philosophy and a strong feeling about what it is and what it represents.  It brings together our appreciation of nature, great wine and food with a desire to create and express ourselves in a sustainable way and our love of entertaining and having fun.   Sustainability is important and so is form and function.

We are currently working on step two, developing a product range which we believe embodies all these things.  This is still a personal project at the moment.  It's something that we are doing for fun.  We don't really have the time or space to be creating artisan housewares as we are both busy professionals who live in inner city Melbourne...but somehow it just seems to be happening.  Who knows where it will go, but we are open to all options!  How about you...do you have a dream?  What would you like to grow or build or create if you had the opportunity?      

Oh, and the coffee didn't get any better in the Barossa either..in fact I think it got worse!  But luckily we made it back to Melbourne and to our favourite cafe, Batch Espresso, in Balaclava where Jason Chan is living another really cool dream...but that is another story.



        

Inspired by Nature

The beauty of nature never fails to inspire.  Having travelled to West Gippsland for a weekend of peace, quiet and country goodness we spent the day winding through the countryside.  After visiting the Jindavic country market we drove to Noojee nestled in the foothills of Mt Baw Baw.

After winding up through the Toorongo Valley road, we parked our car and walked up to the Toorongo falls (pictured).  The path underfoot was soft as was the carpet of moss covering the rocky outcrops.  The fronds of beautiful ferns stretched out like fans and there was a crisp, clean freshness in the air.

Stretching up from the valley floor, the mighty eucalipts rose for the sunlight.   Up and up they went, so tall and straight that they almost disappeared into the sky.

Then there was the orchestra of sound.  In the foreground, birds chirping melodies and cicadas clicking harmonies.  The snap and crack underfoot as we walk over twigs and leaves on the path.  All the while, the powerful rush of the Toorongo waterfall filled the soundscape.  The flow of water, rolling over the rocks as it cascaded down the rocky hillside.   

This was nature in all its glory.  Beauty that is woven through layers and which tantalising the senses.  Beauty that draws together the softness of velvet with the strength of steel.  This is a power part of the inspiration within Bare Rouge.

If you are in Gippsland Victoria and appreciate the beauty of nature, we can highly recommend the Toorongo falls walking track.  As the DSE leaflet explains, the 1.5km walk is a basic level for people of average fitness or above.  With stops to enjoy the Toorongo and Amphitheatre waterfalls it takes about 1hr.  For more information about this beautiful short walk click on this link to the DSE flyer.