The London-based Bibendum Hunting Party visited the Mornington Peninsula after spending a week touring the wine regions of South Australia where they were wined and dined by the nation's most iconic brands. So how does the Peninsula go about entertaining a group of wine buyers who sell over £20 million worth of wine annually? Well, first they convince Johnny Wrout, a local fisherman who owns property on Flinders Island, to fly some giant crayfish down to his secluded beach-house overlooking Balnarring Point. There, fifty-metres off shore in Western Port Bay, the crays are kept alive in a submerged holding pen, stowed away for the next feast day.
A glorious sunny morning greeted the Hunting Party on Balnarring Beach, arriving only to roll up their trouser legs and sip Stonier sparkling while splashing in the shallows. Out on the water, Johnny (casual and relaxed in his budgie smugglers) rows his little wooden dinghy out to hunt and gather the lads' seafood lunch. After locating the wire pen, he untangles each scaly cray from its watery lair before returning to shore with four massive creatures splayed in the hull of his boat. While the lads enjoy a flight of Peninsula Chardonnay, local chef, Guy Mirabella cooks the orange crustaceans over an open fire, serving them alfresco on a table festooned with white tablecloth and a spread of local cheese, hand-made chocolates and regional produce. Feasting on seafood while overlooking Western Port Bay, with a rolling swell in the background, is undoubtedly the Peninsula finest moment of entertaining bar none!
We grow our wines in the most stunning cool maritime environment. Occasionally we share this secret spot with the rest of the world...the Hunting Party left Australia with four pallets of wine bound for high-end British stores like Sainsburys and London restaurants like Jamie Oliver's Fifteen. On this day, the idea of Mornington Peninsula Plunge Tours was born.