Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, relaxes at home.
My happy place is at our West Auckland home, on our deck in front of our roaring hot chiminea, sipping and savouring a glass of fantastic red wine or a fine cognac or whisky.
I love nothing better than sinking into a bean bag and sharing the news of the
day and the world with my darling wife Janet or close friends - the drink and the warmth of the fire just seems to make all the chaos of life melt away into calmness and serenity. It's a place for deep conversation, idle chat, or companionable silence.
The chiminea is pretty ugly. It's an old cast iron one that used to have a grill on the top but we've long burnt that away. It's fat and pot bellied and smells great - we burn mostly twigs and small fragrant wood. If it's fired up, it roars - or crackles gently if we get it right. It can be pretty spectacular - we've also had instances of it smoking badly and sending us, choking, down into the yard.
It's perfect on a balmy evening with a clear sky and a view of the southern cross but we've also sat out there (under a partial roof) in the pouring rain. One memorable evening we moved the roaring chiminea closer to our shelter and melted the guttering around the roof.
