Built On Taste
With Mike & Lou, from P&V, Enmore Road.
On a street that’s constantly shifting, P&V has carved out something quietly essential. Founded by Lou and Mike on Enmore Road, the shop was born from a simple idea: make the neighbourhood more fun to live in. At the time, there were plenty of places to drink great wine, but not many where you could take it with you, sit in the park, and make an afternoon of it.
P&V changed that. Not by being loud, but by being considered. Shelves are lined with expressive natural wines, small-batch spirits, sake, and an ever-evolving mix of goods that reflect both the team’s taste and the people around them. The wine offering is the heart of it. Bottles that tell stories, often from small producers, minimal intervention, and full of character. It’s a space that invites you to slow down, ask questions, and leave with something you didn’t expect.
“We opened P&V because we were all sick of not being able to buy delicious, interesting wine to take home… we just wanted to make the community we lived in a little bit more fun.”
For me, it’s personal. I’ve known Lou for years, and it’s been incredible to watch her thrive here. Some of my favourite memories are standing at the counter as she showed me how to shuck an oyster, working through Wapengo Rocks wild oysters like it was second nature, pairing them with whatever she was excited about that week. It’s that kind of place. Equal parts education and experience.
P&V is more than a bottle shop. It’s a reflection of the people who run it and the community that surrounds it. Lou and Mike talk about Enmore Road as “ever-evolving”, a constant balance between what was and what’s next. That same thinking runs through everything they do, especially the wine. The shelves shift constantly, new producers, new regions, new ideas, always giving people a reason to come back and discover something different.
There’s a deep commitment to supporting small, independent producers. From local winemakers to hot sauce producers, ceramicists and artisans working just around the corner, the shelves double as a platform. You’ll find wines made down the road in Marrickville, bottles you won’t see anywhere else, alongside jewellery crafted from recycled materials and ceramics from Lou’s sister’s studio out in regional New South Wales. It’s a tightly woven network of people backing each other.
And then there’s the food. Tins of sardines stacked like treasure, cheeses that demand a second look, and goods sourced from local providores that turn a quick stop into a full shop. This is where I do my Christmas shopping, picking up things that feel considered, personal, and a little bit unexpected.
P&V sits comfortably in the rhythm of the street. A place to start the night with a bottle worth talking about, to reset after dinner, or to grab something special on the way home. It’s woven into the daily life of the precinct in a way that feels effortless.
In a neighbourhood defined by change, P&V proves that the right mix of taste, intention and community can create something enduring. Not just a shop, but a way of experiencing the place around you.
P&V Wine + Liquor Merchants
64 Enmore Rd, Newtown NSW 2042
@pnvmerchants
pnvmerchants.com