Talking Aged Riesling and Unsweetened Iced Tea With Henrietta Red’s Allie Poindexter

When sommelier Allie Poindexter and her business partner, Julia Sullivan, opened their Germantown restaurant, Henrietta Red, in early 2017, all eyes were on Nashville. Not only was Henrietta Red “one of the best-looking restaurants in town,” it also brought Sullivan’s fine-dining pedigree (Per Se, Blue Hill at Stone Barns) to the ingredients and dishes of her hometown. Bon Appetit named it one of the country’s best new restaurants of the year.

Poindexter’s exceptional service and creative list has kept the restaurant steadily booked since it opened. VinePair caught up with her to talk last-supper wines and iced tea — and reveal our embarrassingly crass slang. (Poindexter, ever the professional, handled it with aplomb.)

1. What’s the bottle that made you fall in love with wine?

Definitely the hardest question, as there are a few. COS Zibibbo in Pithos opened up my eyes to a different style of winemaking, which made me fall more in love with wine.

2. FMK three varieties: Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay.

I had to google FMK, which just shows how out of touch I am. But, F: Chardonnay. M: Pinot Noir. K: Cabernet.

3. You’re on death row. What’s your last-supper wine?

If they are buying, 1959 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese laced with a tasteless poison so I can end it on my own terms.

4. You can only drink one wine for the rest of your life. What is it?

Champagne R. Pouillon and Fils Brut Premier Cru Rosé. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of delicious, dry, sparkling rosé.

5. You can only drink at one bar for the rest of your life. What is it?

The bar at the Hyatt in Lake Tahoe. It’s a hotel so their prices are crazy, but it’s the best view in the world, and my family lives there and can come hang out with me.

6. What’s the best and worst wine on your rack (or in your fridge) right now?

Wine goes quickly in my house, so I don’t have a ton just sitting around. Best, Partida Creus Ver-Muz Natural. I don’t really like the term worst, as one person’s trash is another treasure, but if I had to choose, Woodbridge Pinot Noir, my cooking wine.

7. If you could no longer drink wine, what would be your beverage of choice?

Unsweetened iced tea, forever and always.