Des Moines' Most Adventurous Wine List, Full Stop
East Village · Des Moines · New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 20, 2026
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.
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
West Des Moines / Jordan Creek · Des Moines · Italian
Bravo! is a fine dinner out if the pasta is what you're after, but the wine list is purely functional — corporate-designed, safely marked up, and entirely forgettable. Order a glass of bubbles or the Chianti, make peace with your choices, and let the food do the heavy lifting.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Broadway corridor · Fort Wayne · New American
Rune is doing something genuinely rare for its zip code: building a wine list with a real identity. Come on a Wednesday, order the Ovum, and feel good about finding a place like this.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
West Plano · Plano · New American
CraftWay Kitchen isn't trying to be a wine destination and doesn't pretend to be — but the markups are fair, the glass program is wide, and there's enough on the list to drink well with a solid meal. Send your friends here for dinner; just don't send them here for a wine education.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Clemmons · Winston Salem · New American
Sixty Vines is a solid, reliable wine stop in Winston-Salem — the by-the-glass breadth is real and the staff knows their stuff, but the list reads like a greatest hits album rather than anything adventurous. Come for the volume, stay for the pizza, but don't expect to have your mind changed about wine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.