Five Courses, Five Wines, Zero Filler
· Decatur · Tasting-menu New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · October 3, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Alden’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The Alden's wine list is exactly five bottles long, which sounds like a punchline until you read the names. Joan Giné Priorat, Filipa Pato, Wavy Wines — this is not a list assembled by someone who Googled 'popular red wines.' Someone made deliberate calls here, and that matters.
Five wines built around a chef's tasting menu is a curatorial choice, not a limitation. The list touches Priorat for Old World depth, the Douro-adjacent energy of Filipa Pato's Dinamica from Bairrada, a Bordeaux Supérieur for the classicists, a Sonoma natural-leaning pour from Wavy Wines, and Kopke Tawny to close. That's four countries and a range of styles in a lineup small enough to memorize before your amuse-bouche arrives. The weak spot is obvious: there's no white, no rosé, and no by-the-glass program documented anywhere — which is a real gap for a multi-course format where flexibility across pours would serve guests well.
We couldn't verify a by-the-glass program from available sources. Given that the entire documented list runs five bottles, it's possible the restaurant pours from those selections by the glass, but we won't guess. Ask your server directly — the list is short enough that it's a quick conversation.
The Bottom Line
The Alden is operating on a philosophy that a short, intentional wine list beats a long, lazy one — and they're mostly right. The selection shows genuine taste and geographic range across just five labels. We'd love to see whites added and a clear by-the-glass structure, but if you're in for the tasting menu and trust the kitchen, you can trust these bottles too.
· Decatur · New American
Miller Union is doing something unusual: a wine program with no fat on it, just four deliberate producers matched to a meal's arc. We don't have pricing data to grade the value, and the fixed structure won't satisfy anyone looking to explore freely — but the bones of this list are genuinely good. If you trust the kitchen, trust the wine program too.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Decatur · French and New American
The Select is doing honest, competent work on its wine list — fair markups, a generous by-the-glass program, and enough European depth to keep things interesting. It's not going to make a wine obsessive rearrange their calendar, but if you're eating French-leaning food in Decatur and want a glass that actually makes sense with your plate, this place will not let you down.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Oakhurst · Decatur · New American
Scout is punching above its weight class for a neighborhood spot in Oakhurst — a white-wine-forward list built with actual curiosity, fair pricing, and enough depth to reward guests who look past the obvious pours. If you care even a little about what's in your glass, this is worth a detour.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Decatur · Decatur · Italian
No. 246 is pulling off something quietly impressive: a short, all-by-the-glass wine list that still manages to surface obscure Italian grapes and quality producers without charging for the privilege. The $14–$21 glass range is honest, the Italian focus is genuine, and the Cincinnato Nero Buono alone earns a visit. If you're in Decatur and want to drink well without doing homework, this is a reliable place to let the list do the thinking.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Decatur · Decatur · Steakhouse and Seafood
Parker's on Ponce is the wine list equivalent of a reliable shortstop — not flashy, not going to win any awards, but it won't cost you the game either. Pricing is fair for the format, the by-the-glass count is generous, and if you know where to look (Benton-Lane, the Briday Crémant), there are real wins to be had. Come for the steak, order smarter than the table next to you.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Decatur · Decatur · New American
Leon's Full Service is a Wild Card in the best way: a tight, globe-trotting wine list built with genuine curiosity, priced fairly, and fully available by the glass — all inside a spot that doesn't make wine its whole personality. We'd send a friend here specifically to drink the Cahors or the Vinho Verde and feel smug about it.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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