Alba

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.