1856 Culinary Residence
Alabama's Best Wine List Nobody's Talking About
Auburn · Auburn · Farm to Table, French · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 5, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
You walk into a glass-walled dining room in Auburn, Alabama, hand the menu to a college student, and then notice Vega Sicilia Unico on the list — that's the moment you realize this place is different. What reads like a teaching restaurant quickly reveals itself as a legitimately serious wine program, the kind you'd expect in Atlanta or Nashville, not on a block from Toomer's Corner. Wine Spectator handed them a Best of Award of Excellence in 2023, and honestly, it tracks.
Selection Deep Dive
The list runs 200-plus bottles and leans hard into the California-France-Italy axis, which is exactly where you want a list this size to plant its flag. Heavy hitters like Caymus Cabernet, Kistler Chardonnay, and Merry Edwards Pinot Noir anchor the California side, while Chateau Pichon Baron covers Bordeaux and Marchesi Antinori's Tignanello shows up for anyone who wants Tuscany with some backbone. Oregon gets a nod through Domaine Drouhin, Spain shows up with Vega Sicilia Unico — one of the world's great reds — and Domaine Weinbach brings Alsace Riesling into a conversation most Alabama restaurants never start. Gaps exist: the Southern Rhône, Germany, and the natural wine world are largely absent, but for a program run partly by hospitality students, the range is genuinely impressive.
By the Glass
Twelve to twenty pours by the glass at $12–$18 is a solid program, and the price ceiling here is refreshingly reasonable for the quality level the kitchen operates at. We'd love to see the glass list rotate more aggressively to match the farm-to-table ethos on the food side, but what's on offer gives diners real options without forcing a bottle commitment. If the student staff is pouring correctly, you're getting good wines in good shape.
Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir — $65
Oregon Pinot from one of the most reliable names in the Willamette Valley, priced fairly in a market where comparable bottles often run $90+ in fine dining. It bridges the kitchen's French technique with American terroir, and it works on almost everything they're cooking.
Domaine Weinbach Riesling
Most tables in Alabama are skipping past this without a second look, and that's a mistake. Weinbach is one of Alsace's great estates, and their Riesling — dry, precise, with serious mineral depth — is exactly what you want next to the gulf fish or the charcuterie board. It's the most interesting bottle on the list that nobody orders.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is a perfectly fine wine that got famous and never let you forget it. The markup on this one almost always outpaces the experience, and at this restaurant, your money works harder elsewhere on the list. Order the Pichon Baron if you want Cabernet-forward authority, or lean into the Tignanello if you want something actually interesting.
Marchesi Antinori Tignanello + Braised short rib with root vegetables
Tignanello is a Super Tuscan built on Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in the blend — structured, dark-fruited, and just tannic enough to cut through braised beef fat without bullying the dish. The earthy root vegetables echo the wine's savory depth. It's the best match on the menu.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Yes, send your friends here — just warn them they're eating in a teaching restaurant first so the surprise doesn't overshadow how good the wine list actually is. For Auburn, Alabama, this program is genuinely remarkable, and it holds its own against fine dining wine lists in much bigger cities.
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