Best Wine List

When Empire State South first opened back in 2010, “Head Wine Cheerleader” Steven Grubbs got the town’s wine geeks buzzing with his witty wine menus packed with rarities not often found on Atlanta lists. Somehow, he has managed to keep Empire State South’s wine menu as eclectic, charming, and informational as ever. Sample footnote: “It is a mildly kept secret that some of the best drinking you can do for the money these days is Beaujolais ... There may be no better time to obtain and drink the wines of the true legends, the magical geniuses, like those of Marcel Lapierre.” So yes, you can get a Lapierre Morgon or simply sit back and be thankful that Grubbs has a thing for Burgundy and Champagne and German Riesling. If Grubbs says a wine is good, the wine is good. less...

In the age of industrialized food, experts recommend you stay away from anything made with ingredients you can't pronounce. But in the wine world, bizarre varietals you've never heard of are treasures waiting to be uncorked. At the Spence, Justin Amick, general manager, wine director, and advanced sommelier, is obsessed with finding odd, obscure specimens for his list of 90-ish wines. Try the tight but juicy cinsault/syrah/cabernet sauvignon blend from Lebanon, just to say you've had a wine from Lebanon. Or the puzzling pelaverga piccolo from Piedmont because it's really fun to say and tastes like dried strawberries and white pepper. If you must, you'll find your California chard and Napa cab under the heading Tried and True. We'll be at the bar testing out the inky black vranec-kratosija from Macedonia and the herbally hondarribi beltza from Bizkaiko Txakolina, Spain. less...

Chef Joel Antunes may have left his namesake restaurant for the challenges of New York City, but the wine list at JOEL hasn't suffered in the least. The 30-plus-page list overseen by sommelier Perrine Prieur covers all the bases, but what we love about it are the nooks and crannies where lesser-known gems can be found. French varietals are exhaustive enough to cover many of the great Burgundies and Bordeaux, but what wine geek could fail to love a list with room for three savennieres? A fantastic selection of dessert wines, magnums and half bottles pops our cork as well. less...