Des Moines' Most Adventurous Wine List, Full Stop
East Village · Des Moines · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 20, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Alba’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You don't expect to open a wine list in Des Moines and find Hans Wirsching Scheurebe from Franken sitting next to Ovum Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley. Alba clearly has someone with an actual point of view curating this thing — it reads like a list assembled by someone who drinks wine, not just sells it.
The list moves confidently across Old World and New World without feeling like a geography project. Italy shows up with G.D. Vajra Langhe Nebbiolo, France with Château Le Chay Montagne Saint-Émilion, and California earns its keep with Terre Rouge Tête-à-Tête and Paysan Cab from San Benito County — not the usual suspects. Spain gets two solid nods with Mary Taylor Manchuela and Pago Del Vicario Blanco de Tempranillo, which tells you the list isn't just checking regional boxes. The gaps are real — no deep Burgundy or Barolo tier, and bottle pricing data is limited — but for a neighborhood restaurant in the East Village of Des Moines, this is punching well above its weight.
Roughly 12-16 pours running $10-$17, which is a genuinely solid spread for the market. The BTG list features the same adventurous instincts as the bottle list — Frico Lambrusco and Scheurebe by the glass aren't moves most Iowa restaurants would make. We'd love to see more rotation, but what's here beats the Pinot Grigio-and-Malbec treadmill you find everywhere else.
G.D. Vajra Langhe Nebbiolo 2021 — $60
Vajra is one of Piedmont's most respected producers and Langhe Nebbiolo is their entry point to the whole Barolo family — structured, serious, and a steal relative to what you'd pay for their Barolo. At $60, this is the move if you want something that drinks like a $100 bottle.
Hans Wirsching Scheurebe Trocken 2020
Scheurebe is one of Germany's most underrated white grapes — more aromatic and textural than Riesling, with a kind of wild herb and black currant edge. Hans Wirsching from Franken is the real deal. Most people at this table will order Sauvignon Blanc and miss the most interesting white on the list.
Santa Julia Pinot Grigio 2022
At $44 on the restaurant list against a $10 retail price, this is a 340% markup on a perfectly unremarkable Argentine Pinot Grigio. Nothing wrong with the wine — it's just not worth $44 when there are far more interesting options at similar or lower prices on this same list.
Terre Rouge Tête-à-Tête Red Blend 2015 + charcuterie
Tête-à-Tête is a Sierra Foothills Rhône-style blend with enough savory, peppery depth to cut through cured meats and fat without overwhelming anything delicate. A 2015 at this point has softened nicely and it's the kind of versatile red that makes a charcuterie spread feel like a proper meal.
The Bottom Line
Alba is the kind of wine list that makes you reconsider a city's dining scene — thoughtfully curated, genuinely curious, and full of wines you won't find at the steakhouse down the street. Markups on a few bottles are hard to ignore, but the selection alone earns a trip.
Downtown Des Moines · Des Moines · American, Regional
Proudfoot & Bird is the kind of place where the room earns a star the wine list can't quite match — solid enough for a business dinner or a date night in a stunning space, but don't come expecting to find something you've never heard of. If you're in Des Moines and want a dependable glass in a beautiful room, it works.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Johnston · Des Moines · Wine bar / American
Louie's Johnston is exactly what a suburban wine bar should be — a big by-the-glass list, fair prices, and zero pretension. Send your friends here when they want to drink well without a side of attitude.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Clive · Des Moines · Steakhouse & American
Club Car is a reliable steakhouse wine list doing exactly what it was built to do: keep Cab drinkers happy and nobody walking out complaining. Don't come here for discovery, but don't leave without ordering the Jordan.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waukee · Des Moines · Japanese / Asian Fusion / Sushi
Wasabi Waukee is a genuinely good sushi restaurant that treats its wine list like an afterthought — familiar names, steep markups, and zero curiosity about what wines might actually sing alongside the food. Order the cocktails or sake instead, and save the wine discussion for somewhere that cares.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Ingersoll / Grand · Des Moines · Contemporary American
Louie's Wine Dive is the kind of place Des Moines needs more of — a real wine program in a no-pretense room, with Tuesday half-price deals that make experimenting genuinely low-stakes. It's not a destination list, but it's absolutely a destination night.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Clive · Des Moines · American, Brewpub
Granite City is a brewery that tolerates wine, and the list reflects that perfectly. Drink the beer — it's the whole point of being here.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Westside · Bend · New American
Set the pairing budget first: $50 standard or $100 reserve, added to the $120 tasting menu. Bringing your own? Posted corkage is $40 per 750 ml bottle; confirm any other conditions. These posted terms were checked in September 2026, not assessed through an onsite tasting.
· Sedona · New American
The Vault Uptown is a reliable place to drink decent wine with a genuinely great view — and in Sedona, that counts for something. The wine program won't blow any minds, but it won't ruin dinner either. If you're there for the red rocks and the filet, order a glass of something Californian and enjoy the moment. For serious wine exploration, look elsewhere.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Lake Geneva · New American
Turf. Kitchen + Tap looks like a solid resort wine program — broad enough geographically to suggest some genuine effort, casual enough in setting that nobody's going to quiz you on your order. We'd feel comfortable sending a friend here for a relaxed dinner with a decent glass of wine, but we'd stop short of calling it a destination for the list itself. Come for the views and the Choriqueso; the wine will take care of itself.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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