Birmingham

The Essential is doing something genuinely rare for Birmingham — building a wine list with actual conviction around natural wines and unexpected picks like sherry. It's not perfect, but it's the kind of place we'd send a friend who's tired of the same tired list.

Bayonet is doing something genuinely rare for Birmingham: building a wine program that actually fits the food and doesn't gouge you for it. If you care about drinking well with your seafood, this place deserves a seat at the table.

Rêve is doing something genuinely unusual in Birmingham — serious French tasting menu energy with a wine list that largely keeps up — and the sommelier presence means you're in good hands if you let them guide you. Markups keep it from being a truly great wine destination, but as a complete dining experience, it earns its place on your short list.

Vino & Gallery Bar is a genuinely fun place to drink wine in Birmingham — the setting earns it, and the Italian core of the list holds up. Just watch the markups on the approachable stuff and go straight for the Vietti.

The Essential is doing something genuinely interesting with wine in a city where that's not always a given — the list is small, but it has a real point of view. Send a curious friend here and tell them to ask about the sherry.

The Fish Market earns its reputation on the plate — the seafood is the reason to come, full stop. The wine list is functional at best, and the only reason to engage with it seriously is Wednesday's half-price bottles, which rescue an otherwise lazy program.

Chez Fonfon is doing something genuinely unusual for Birmingham: a fully French wine list with real producers, fair prices, and a BTG selection that doesn't insult your intelligence. If you eat French food in this city and aren't stopping here for wine, you're doing it wrong.

Bottega Favorita is quietly running one of the most fairly priced serious wine lists in Alabama, and almost nobody outside Birmingham knows it. If you're in the region and care about what's in your glass, this is a mandatory stop.

Trattoria Enzo is clearly doing something right in the kitchen, but the wine list is an afterthought dressed up in a nice room. Steep markups on grocery-store bottles, zero Italian ambition, and a list that hasn't evolved — order a cocktail or bring your own if corkage allows.

Bottega is doing real wine work in a city that doesn't always reward it — fair markups, a live list that gets updated, and producers that signal someone with actual taste is running this program. Send your wine-drinking friends here without hesitation.

Perry's is a well-run steakhouse list — proper storage, knowledgeable staff, real depth in California reds — but the markups are consistently aggressive and the curation rarely surprises. Send a friend here for a good bottle with a great steak, just tell them to skip the house labels and head straight for Sea Smoke or the Massolino.

Bottega Cafe punches well above its weight class for a casual neighborhood trattoria — the sommelier-curated list is full of genuine surprises and the Italian core is serious. The markups run steep across the board, but if you know where to look (and now you do), there's real wine to be drunk here.

The Wine Loft is doing more than Birmingham needs to give it credit for — 150 bottles, global range, and a relaxed room that welcomes everyone. Markups keep it from being a true destination, but as a neighborhood wine bar with genuine ambition, it earns your business.

Bar La Fête is doing something genuinely rare for Birmingham — a thoughtful, France-forward wine program with real staff knowledge, fair prices, and 20 pours by the glass that aren't an afterthought. Yes, we'd send a friend here specifically for the wine.