Paris by Way of New Zealand: What We’re Pouring This Autumn
The new drinks menu probably tells you more about The Laundry than we could fit into an About page.
The starting point is a traditional Parisian bistro, where wine sits comfortably on the table, an aperitif before dinner feels entirely sensible and a digestif afterwards requires very little justification. Then Mel gets involved and, inevitably, a little New Zealand finds its way into the mix.
That is where this autumn’s list begins, bringing together classic European bottles, carefully chosen wines from home, a few South Pacific flavours and cocktails with enough Brixton in them to keep things firmly grounded on Coldharbour Lane.
First, something sparkling
The list starts in appropriately celebratory territory, with Prosecco from Veneto, Crémant de Limoux from Maison Antech, Pol Roger Brut Réserve Champagne and an English Sparkling Rosé from Tey Brook.
English Sparkling Rosé from Tey Brook Farm. The English Sparkling has a particularly special place on the list for us as Tey Brook Farm is where we host The Wild Table twice a year, bringing people together around food, wine and the landscape the bottles come from. Having their sparkling rosé at The Laundry feels a little more personal as a result, and it is one we are particularly fond of pouring.
Not every sparkling bottle needs a major occasion attached to it either. Sometimes the occasion is simply that the table has ordered one.
The Kiwi contingent
New Zealand appears quietly throughout the list rather than taking over completely, which is exactly how Mel likes it.
Among the whites, there is Neudorf Tiritiri Chardonnay from Nelson, sitting alongside Loire Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin, Soave and Albariño. The rosé section includes Te Kano Blanc de Noir from Central Otago, while the reds bring Loveblock Pinot Noir from Central Otago into a list that also moves through Rioja, Chianti, Cahors Malbec and Barolo.
That balance is deliberate. The Laundry is not trying to recreate a New Zealand cellar in South London. The Kiwi bottles sit naturally alongside the European wines because that is how Mel drinks, how she eats and, ultimately, how she builds a wine list.
A little Brixton in the cocktails
The cocktails follow the same thinking, taking familiar classics and giving them a Laundry twist.
The Old Fashioned uses Brixton Aged Rum with Manuka honey and house bitters, while the Classic Laundry Negroni brings together Brixton Gin, vermouth and Campari. The Aviation Sour, made with violet liqueur and Brixton Gin, is also a personal favourite of Mel’s and one she will happily point you towards if you are struggling to decide.
Elsewhere, there is a cucumber-infused Margarita, a Strawberry & Rose Cosmopolitan and a Picante Mezcal Mule for anyone whose autumn drinking plans are not entirely wine-led.
L’Apéro is still the best hour to arrive early
From Monday to Friday, 5pm to 7pm means L’Apéro.
The offer is on house cocktails at £10, with pints and house wine at £6, making it a very easy way to move from the working day into the evening without needing to rush straight into dinner.
It works just as well if you are meeting for one drink as it does if that drink quietly becomes a table, a few plates and another round.
Tuesday belongs to your own cellar
Free Corkage Tuesday is also staying firmly in place.
Bring your own bottle and we will waive the corkage, giving you somewhere to finally open the wine that has been sitting at home waiting for the right dinner. On other days, BYO corkage is £25.
If your own collection does not need reducing, there is plenty on ours, and the team can always help point you towards something that works with the table.
Take one home
One final detail worth knowing is that the wines on the restaurant list are also available to take away at retail prices.
So if you find something over dinner that you particularly like, there is every chance another bottle can leave with you. Given the amount of deliberation that can go into choosing a favourite from the list, it seems only fair that you should be able to continue the relationship at home.
What are we pouring this autumn?
The short answer is a little bit of Paris, a little bit of New Zealand and plenty that sits somewhere comfortably between the two.
That has always been The Laundry’s sweet spot. European bistro tradition gives us the foundations, Mel’s New Zealand roots bring their own perspective, and Brixton keeps the whole thing from becoming too polished around the edges.
Come for L’Apéro, stay for dinner and ask Mel what she thinks you should be drinking with it.