Friday night – introductions were made and opportunity for guests to meet Poronui staff, Martin Bosley and his team and wine maker Brian Bicknell. The following day – in amongst sporting clays, horse riding and hikes – everyone gathered at the Safari Camp on the banks of the Mohaka River for lunch. In the afternoon, Martin and his team Regi and Aaron hosted guests in the Stables kitchen – where secrets were shared…

Gala Dinner- the three canapés were each served in an experimental way (literally and figuratively!) in a test tube, a syringe, a pipette – and it worked amazingly!

The menu a real gastronomic experience. The celeriac and radish salad with the creamy oyster really set the scene for the rest of the dishes. The scallop and braised venison challenged many of the guests and was the topic of conversation the following morning over breakfast. It got both the thumbs up and the thumbs down and great discussion as to why.

The taste and texture of the hapuka with the crunch of the hazelnuts, the crisp of the whitebait and the pop of the caviar was so right on so many fronts. The duck liver parfait added a something extra special to the duck breast and venison loin. Dessert of raspberry and chocolate – I need to have this again!

Here is the menu “Honouring the Animal”

Canapes
Blowtorch Tuna, Spanner Crab Roll, Cabbage Slaw
Mushroom ‘Slurp’
Raw Venison, Togarishi, Miso Dressing Pipette
Pea Pannacotta, Mint Mousse ‘en Syringe’
House-made Bread, Whipped Butter, Marlborough Sea Salt, Herb Salt

Amuse Bouche
Oyster, Capers, Smoky Bacon, Raw Celeriac and Radish Salad

Course Two
Sashimi of Fish, Compressed Cucumber, Legumes, Watercress Puree, Beetroot Juice Dressing

Course Three
Roast Nelson Scallops, Braised Poronui Venison Leg, Shaved Mooloolaba Prawns, Warm Black Olive Gelée, Micro Greens

Course Four
Roasted Fish, Hazelnuts, White Asparagus Risotto, Crisp Whitebait, Green Asparagus Sauce, Salmon Caviar

Course Five
Duck Breast, Sous Vide Poronui Venison Loin, Avocado, Duck Liver Parfait, Roast Pear, Fermented Black Bean Sauce

Dessert
Raspberries and Chocolate

Brian, what an excellent job on the wine match. Brian only received a copy of the written menu – with no samples provided – and as Martin himself said – his own food as not exactly self-explanatory. The individuality of the wines not only matched but added to each dish. Brian shared his philosophy on wine making and the Mahi wines during dinner and gave great insight into the wines in the glass. For many he has reintroduced Pinot Gris in a whole new light.

A special treat – with a great tie to Poronui – was the Alchemy Chardonnay served on Friday night. The grapes are grown on Paul & Robbie Taylor’s vineyard in the Marlborough wine region. Paul’s brother Ben Hall has been a guide at Poronui since the late 1990’s.