On the first Monday of every month we catch up with like minded wine and food lovers, bring some interesting wines, eat some great food, and talk about everything and anything - a 'good life' winning formula if ever there was one!
It's always an awesome time and its fantastic to see that Lab Night has caught on - I'm sure there will be many more anniversaries to come. Thanks to our great friends Jo and Elle for starting this up and John Ingle at 'Pinot Plus' whose venue has become synonymous with this event.
I'll hand it over to Jo.....
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Firstly - An explanation
Lab Night is an idea that my wife Elle and I transplanted from Miami. When we moved to Miami, and knew very few people (and nowhere near as much about wine), Elle discovered the Miami Lab Night. It was a wonderfully eclectic and interesting collection of people who loved food and wine, who met monthly to discuss the world in general, drink some great wine, all in pleasant surroundings.
The formula was simple. Bring a bottle of wine (or two), pay a flat fee to the restaurant for your three course meal, find a seat, share your wine with your table mates, and enjoy the evening.
We wanted to transplant the idea to New Zealand, but thought we'd wait until we felt that we had enough great friends, and friends of friends to be able to successfully get it up and running here.
Right on a year ago, we did just that - and Lab Night has been a great success ever since, with the first Monday of every month becoming a fairly regular fixture on many peoples calendars.
evening
The food was, as always, spectacular. The team at Pinot Plus in Takapuna served up lovely entrees of Chicken Dumplings and fried Shrimp, and the choice of mains was either a lovely lamb chop, or spicy pork shoulder on mash. I had the Lamb, and it was perfectly cooked - and I had nothing but good reports on the pork. Dessert was a sticky date pudding. Oh my! It was heavenly. Fortunately, Elle was full by dessert so I got to have two portions. I've said it before, and will doubtless say it again - how they turn out such amazing food (and in such short order) from the tiny kitchen really beggars belief.
There were many many wine highlights (after the delicious bubbles), but here are a few:
Lab Night is an idea that my wife Elle and I transplanted from Miami. When we moved to Miami, and knew very few people (and nowhere near as much about wine), Elle discovered the Miami Lab Night. It was a wonderfully eclectic and interesting collection of people who loved food and wine, who met monthly to discuss the world in general, drink some great wine, all in pleasant surroundings.
The formula was simple. Bring a bottle of wine (or two), pay a flat fee to the restaurant for your three course meal, find a seat, share your wine with your table mates, and enjoy the evening.
We wanted to transplant the idea to New Zealand, but thought we'd wait until we felt that we had enough great friends, and friends of friends to be able to successfully get it up and running here.
Secondly - Lab Night's first birthday
October was the first birthday of Lab Night, and was another great success. Thanks to all those who turned up on an absolutely foul Auckland 
eveningBeing a birthday, there was a fair bit of bubbles flowing! One of the things I love about Lab Night are the curious little moments of serendipity. There were two types of bubbles, a Yellowglen cremant, and a Gustav Lorentz Cremant d'Alsace rose. Now cremant simply means bubbles not made in Champagne, but to have two (from opposite ends of the world) both labelled as such was great - and both were delicious!
The food was, as always, spectacular. The team at Pinot Plus in Takapuna served up lovely entrees of Chicken Dumplings and fried Shrimp, and the choice of mains was either a lovely lamb chop, or spicy pork shoulder on mash. I had the Lamb, and it was perfectly cooked - and I had nothing but good reports on the pork. Dessert was a sticky date pudding. Oh my! It was heavenly. Fortunately, Elle was full by dessert so I got to have two portions. I've said it before, and will doubtless say it again - how they turn out such amazing food (and in such short order) from the tiny kitchen really beggars belief.
There were many many wine highlights (after the delicious bubbles), but here are a few:
- 2004 Cloudy Bay Gewurztraminer. Despite its (or perhaps because of) age, it showed beautifully. The gingery spicy notes had become more prominent, with the turkish delight/floral characters still there, but more muted than in a younger gewurz. It was particularly sophisticated, delicious, and a great way to start the drinks at our table.
2009 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay. ABC is one of the great Californian labels, and this didn't disappoint. Lovely sweet breadie notes, with a leanish french style giving a great structure to the wine. Moreish, but without being cloying
2007 Rust en Vrede Shiraz. Wow - I had to do some research on this one. Rust En Vrede is located in Stellenbosch (about 40k east of capetown) and is a producer of iconic South African wines. This particular bottle certainly delivered on its promise. It was dark and powerful, with lovely chocolate notes on the palate. - Cote Rotie La Landonne. Wow - more research! I enjoyed this wine immensely, and now I know why. La Landonne is one of the premier vineyards in Cote Rotie region. This Syrah was delightfully floral on both the nose and palate, with a few spicy notes (white pepper, and a hint of 'pizza herbs') to balance it out. I'm not sure of the vintage (my camera didn't pick it up),
but it was divine! - 1992 Te Mata Awatea. This was a gift to Elle and I from a friend, and my were we ever lucky! This wine was structured, elegant, and powerful. It had notes of cassis and plums, with the oak and very very fine silky tannns keeping things in check. If you didn't know it was 19 years old, you wouldn't have known! There was no giveaways. The colour was still vibrant, with no hint of mustiness about the flavour.
2009 Stafford Lane Montepulciano. This was a wine that confused the heck out of everyone when quizzed on it. Almost no one could guess the grape, the region, or producer. Absolutely delicious, and well worth trying if you get the chance.
I could rave on and on about the wines, but you'd start to get bored I'm sure! As you can see, there was a stunning line up of wines - and so many embodied the spirit of Lab Night in either their variety, geography, or vintage.
Thirdly - Next Month
Yes - of course, we'll be doing this all again next month! The formula will remain the same, but the price is going to change slightly. As always, it will be held at Pinot Plus in Takapuna, at 7pm. The price will be $49 for a three course meal from November onwards. Bring an interesting bottle, and enjoy yourself.
The date for the next Lab Night is the first Monday in November which is the 7th. Seating is limited, so get those RSVPs in ASAP to jo at bigroom dot co dot nz.
Yours in Oenophilia
Jo Pitts
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