At The Bar with Sommelier Alex Pineo – Poodle Bar & Bistro

Poodle Bar & Bistro was crowned Australia’s Best Wine List (200 Wines) at the Australian Wine List of the Year Awards in September. The winning list is all thanks to the artful work of sommelier Alex Pineo.

His wines list captures charming lesser knowns, the affordably delicious and premium showstoppers which led to his victory lap.

The judges acknowledged Pineo on his ability to create a list that felt like a wining move at every pick; and gives us a list we want to drink.

Pineo talks to The Write Drop for our At The Bar series.

MY CITY

I love the amount of pop-up one-off events young chefs and sommeliers do in Melbourne. Every week there’s something new and different to try at some really awesome venues.

FAVOURITE FOOD MEMORY

I order Bowltiful beef Lanzhou noodles three times a week, and it’s still as great as the first time I tried it. Extra thick noodles with hot and spicy broth and beef and open super late. Paired with a Vamino soybean drink, it’s an unstoppable tour de force.

FAVOURITE BAR

The Moon Wine bar in Collingwood is my local haunt. Great bottle list for good prices and the lamb cutlets and burgers are yum. Michael Clancey does a great job of not settling for standard wine bar fare. They also have a great Sunday session like the recent Pat Underwood wine takeover which are always a hoot and a great chance to taste through all the new releases.

DRINK THAT DESCRIBES YOU

Espresso Martini. Great in small doses.

BEST HANGOVER CURE

Bloody Mary straight into a Tom Collins at the Builders Arms Hotel, Bloody Mary for the initial headache, and the Tom Collins to kick you back into gear. They also have an awesome smoked trout dish which is the perfect amount of salty delicious.

BEST INTERSTATE BAR

10 William Street in Sydney is an absolute classic. The staff are super friendly and knowledgeable about wine and the venue is no frills fun. I like to sit at the bar and let Anthony the sommelier take care of the vino. The pretzel is also such a classic and delicious dish to pair with whatever your flavour is.

OVERSEAS BAR TIP

Vivant 2 in Paris. The music is loud, the servers are wild, and the food is absolutely outstanding. Only about 10 seats inside –where getting amongst the atmosphere is mandatory. It’s not the place for a romantic date night. Had an awesome skin contact Vitovska here and some sweetbreads at a 10:30pm reservation. A must if you’re in Paris.

FAVOURITE WINE

Gigi Rosato Toscano. It’s $22 at the bottle shop, and we used to crack a bottle open after shift on the regular, full of blood orange rose goodness. I always am a fan of wines that people who don’t enjoy wine absolutely love, and this rose always bought all the staff together.

FAVOURITE WINERY

The Avani Winery in Mornington is a great spot. Rohit and Shashi are always so welcoming in their hospitality and have a great passion for Biodynamics which they are happy to educate. Devendra is also an absolute gun in the kitchen and has made us an amazing pine mushroom curry at one of our staff trips that was absolutely incredible. Keep an eye out over summer because they have guest chef pop-ups which are always awesome to go to.

NEXT DESTINATION

I’d love to check out Los Angeles and go to old school spots like Dan Tanas and Spago, get a real feel of Old Hollywood (bank account permitting).

TELL US ABOUT THE WINE LIST AT POODLE.

I try to make the list at Poodle accessible for all tastes and price points. I try my best to not pigeon hole the list into one specific style of wine i.e., Natural, Classic, Old World, New World. I also love listing lots of fun alternative grape varieties nobody’s ever heard of.

Loving the new releases from Schmölzer & Brown – their wines have been a staple of the Poodle list for some time now, and it’s great having the Sylvaner on the list again.

WHAT MAKES AN AWARD-WINNING WINE LIST

I’m not 100% sure really. I guess appealing to a broad range of palates with a diverse list helps. Also making sure the wines on the cheaper end are the best they can possibly be. It’s easier choosing expensive wines for a list because with a hefty price tag there’s a certain level of quality attached to it. But when you’re looking at 60-80 bottles it’s a lot harder to sift through what’s awesome and what’s not and I think it’s very important, especially now that people are tightening the purse strings. It’s important to give people the best possible experience without having to fork our $300 or $400 for a bottle.

A FOOD AND DRINK MATCH

The onion rings at Poodle in the courtyard with a bottle of Eric Bordelet Sydre Argelette cider really ticks all the boxes. It’s a great balance of the salty onions with the sweetness of the cider.

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