Melbourne brown paper bag night

[Sipper]

I was out at a local pizza place the other evening with the wife and kids. A group of guys (and one lady) turned up all carrying bottles of wine in brown paper bags. One at a time they opened and shared and discussed at length before the wine was revealed by the bottles owner. Some of the guys even brought their own Riedel. Fantastic!

I really thought this was a great way to have a casual meal, drink some different wine and have a good chat.

Are any Melbournites up for a casual brown paper bag night? I propose around the first two weeks of Feb.

Sipper

[cuttlefish]

I'm keen. Work can be a bugger, with latish finishes, but I'd love to attend something casual like that.
What part of town ?

[TiggerK]

These kind of casual offlines are such a great way of enjoying wine in relaxed surroundings, a small bill at the end and lots of banter among friends. Good times, and I encourage all wine lovers to do more of them! We recently did a 'bring a wine from your favourite region' offline which produced a wonderful array of world wines. So many other themes too!

And bringing your own glassware to these small restaurants is well worth it. Given the normal budget restaurant glassware, what would you prefer to drink your lovely wine from?

(Edit - pics removed to make the thread more tidy)

Cheers
Tim

[sparky]

I could be a goer depending on location, date etc.

[mjs]

Same here

[Sipper]

Ahh.. this is getting legs.

I propose Saturday 1st Feb at 1900, the original La Porchetta in Rathdowne Street Carlton between Curtain and Fenwick. Simple food, cheap and BYO

Partners?

Sipper

[Softie]

Count me in.

We have a successful Melbourne wine dinners group partly based from this forum, so the more informal the more complementary to that group.

(There was a proposal to resume that group's functions in Feb - the last dinner was November - with a BBQ. I must stir things up.)

John

[LGW]

I'd definitely be keen but unfortunately I already have plans on the 1st feb

[via collins]

Great idea.
I'm in.

[mjs]

Count me in.

We have a successful Melbourne wine dinners group partly based from this forum, so the more informal the more complementary to that group.

(There was a proposal to resume that group's functions in Feb - the last dinner was November - with a BBQ. I must stir things up.)

John

I was going to say that John (Softie) had been organising some previous off-lines, the last if which I couldn't make. More the merrier I say

Malcolm

[via collins]

Actually, I am 100% keen on the concept, but have to make a note on the food at La Porchetta - I've eaten there several times with kids, and found the greasiness doesn't do wine a whole lot of favours.

Pizza Meine Liebe in Northcote is BYO, and food is a lot better IMHO. Just throwing the idea in, there are other BYO options too. Thoughts?

[cuttlefish]

We ate at 400 Gradi (pizzas) in Brunswick East on NYD, and that was fantastic. If they allow BYO I'd be there in a flash.

Local to us is a bustling little Malaysian joint called Chef Lagenda that I've been eyeing off. Only problem I can see is its on the wrong side of town for most in Deer Park. Could be really good for a casual offline, though.

[Sipper]

I am more than happy with the Pizza Meine Liebe suggestion. We live local and have also enjoyed For the Love of Pizza just down the road (one of the original PML employees went it solo).

Are people happy with a sojourn to the inner north? I will make arrangements for PML if this is the case.

Chris

[via collins]

Cheers Chris, either of those sound great.

Anyone else in??

[simon1980]

I'm afraid I am out of action that Sat. However, will usually be there with bells on.

Simon

[Softie]

Put me down for 2, please.

[cuttlefish]

I'm keen. Do you maybe want to update the first post with the details ?

Cheers!

Tom.

[Sipper]

Thanks for standing by!

I have booked for 7pm on Saturday 1st Feburary 2014 at iCarusi pizza. http://www.icarusipizza.com.au

46A Holmes St, Brunswick East VIC 3057
(03) 9386 5522
Rustico and Melbourne's original artisan pizzeria!

I have booked a table of 8 based the responses and possibly a late starter. I am down for 2 at my end.

Look forward to seeing/meeting people there. The booking is under "Chris"

Are there any suggestions for the wines or do we anticipate a mixed bag that can be put in some order on the night whilst maintaining the veil of mystery?

[Softie]

Chris,

I vote for 'bring what you like and think goes with pizza'.

I'm sensitive to gluten (eg in normal wheat-based produce such as pizza bases).

Would you mind checking that they can cater for this dietary problem? (eg gluten-free pizza bases or gf pasta.) If not, don't worry, we'll catch the group on another occasion.

Regards,

John

[via collins]

Hi Chris

Great choice, look forward to it.

John, I reckon you might be in luck, this place is pretty savvy.

Hope to see you and Sherry there.

[via collins]

Okay, they are closed tonight, so I can't get a verbal confirmation, but after googling "gluten free" and "I Carusi" I can assure you that I Carusi 2 in St Kilda has gluten free options. Based upon that, I'll bet the house that the Brunswick original offers similar.
It's looking good John!

[Softie]

Simon, thanks.

Chris: C U there and thanks for organising.

John

[via collins]

Jolly good John.

I just called them, and they are able to offer gluten free for all choices, but only on small bases. Sounds good to me, menu is easily accessible on-line.

Now, need to locate the wine and the paper bag....

See you there.

cheers,

[Softie]

Thanks, Simon.

[Sipper]

Flying out of Darwin this am. Got stuck here last night on my way home. Great to hear the GF option is available.

Looking forward to Saturday night.

Chris

[cuttlefish]

...so in the end we were six in total, which was a good number !
Great food , and a great casual atmosphere. Plenty of good banter and discussion about the following wines:

Girlan Lagrein 2010
Cork. 13% alc. From Alto Adige (Northern Italy ?). Medium bodied, a little herbal, and a lovely palate both in weight (medium) and flacour. Very gluggable.

Foradori Teroldego 2009
Cork. 13.5% alc. Tiny bit of brett, but this again was a lovely medium weighted wine.

Blue Poles Teroldego 2011
Cork. Certainly a nod to european wine style here, or perhaps it is simply the nature of the grape variety. Nice.

Domaine de Mourchon 2007 - Cote du Rhone villages
Cork. 14% alc. I thought this showed baked fruit characters, and had a hefty, dense entry on the palate, but was by no means a big wine. We were unsure of the exact grapes used here, but expect Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, that sort of thing.
I thought this had a certain rusticity about it. Good drinking and had freshness.

Redman Coonawarra Claret 1990
Fully soaked cork. 12% alc. The level was base of neck. Beaut drinking. Quite well balanced, and the tannins pretty much resolved. Glad this was not corked like the previous bottle opened a couple of weeks ago.

Hugh Hamilton "Black Ops" Shiraz Saperavi 2010
Screwcap. 14.5% alc. What a whopping flavour this has. Very rich, and completely delicious.

Casella 1919 Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
Cork. 13.5% alc. Fruit sourced from Limestone Coast. Fairly true to (house) style for Casella, with fruit dominating here (mind you, it's pretty good fruit). Quite rich on the palate, and certainly a good wine, but playing with the big boys at (apparently) >$80 * per bottle. Very fresh. Not showing 8 years of age much at all.
*[Correction - according to Halliday this is actually $40 a bottle]
Thanks again to everyone. Nice to meet new faces, and nice to catch up with a few old faces, too !

Catch you all soon !

Cf

[Softie]

CF was being modest. He brought the 1990 Redman and it was incredibly fresh and vital for a 24 YO wine under cork. Not one hint of oxidization ... the colour was clearly burgundy red, not tawny at all, for instance. A rare treat.

The relaxed and happy atmosphere was tops. Really enjoyed myself.

Note our venue was excellent for an informal night. Very good pizzas and friendly and fun staff.

Well done Chris.

John

[via collins]

I'll second John on that note re: the Redman claret. A real gift from the cork gods, it developed nicely over an hour or so in the glass, flourish of red fruits playing gently in the background, fresh as a daisy.

Thanks CF, and thanks all for a night of fine simple food and wine. And welcome Chris!