In partnership with 
Last week we hosted a 'four elements'-themed dinner in collaboration with Stoneleigh. Held inside The Stoneleigh Project, a pop-up wine and art installation, the sensory dinner featured birds' nests, soil, smoke, fire and caviar. And lots of wild fermented wine.
Before the dinner, guests journeyed through the installation dedicated nature's elements and Stoneleigh's "winemaking philosophy of minimum intervention and respecting nature's wonder," as Stoneleigh wine ambassador Ambar Maddox explained. "This year, we wanted to make the installation more conceptual and really lead our customer on a journey. We wanted to make sure each room could tell a different part of our story, using a contemporary visual art approach to depict nature's stories, hero wild fermentation and our Wild Valley wine range."
After wandering through bubbles, rivers and mirrors, guests were led into a secret dining room hidden behind a one-way mirror. Then, they dove into the first course: an ode to the water element. Thinly-sliced kingfish topped with caviar was washed down with a citrus-noted Wild Valley sauvignon blanc. Next, a lifelike — but edible — bird's nest, complete with a sous-vide quail egg and truffle, was paired with a glass of savoury Wild Valley pinot noir. Earth was followed by fire as Tim Newitt, head chef of Collingwood restaurant Project Forty Nine, torched Flinders Island lamb metres from the table then topped it with black, volcanic salt. To complement, but not compete with, the smoky course was paired with a bold and blackberry-rich Rapaura pinot noir.
To round out the sensory dinner — dessert. Part dining, part magic show, the dish saw the floor staff pour billowing clouds over a sculptural dessert made with compressed honeydew melon, meringue and river mint, picked locally by the restaurant's secret forager. This air-inspired dish was served with Stoneleigh's Rapaura pinot gris, its poached pair and honey notes pairing harmoniously with the mystical dessert.
Missed out on our dinner? You still have time to visit The Stoneleigh Project and try their range of Wild Valley wines. The pop-up is open until November 5 at 524 Flinders Street, Melbourne; weeknights 4–10pm and weekends 12–10pm.
Images: Brook James.
