Grubbs' wine list might be the best thing about Empire State South, but it also serves as a particularly successful example of what the restaurant is aiming to achieve. The list, like the restaurant, is beautiful, the fonts a satisfying mix of classic and modern, the wide sheet of paper pleasing to spread out over your table and peruse. It has personality that avoids pretension, in its descriptions, in its footnotes, in its selections. The choices are neither too obvious nor too oddly esoteric. The passions of Grubbs and his business partner, chef Hugh Acheson, are proudly on display. Reds are dominated by Burgundy, Italy and the Rhone. Whites also lean to Burgundy, skirt the Loire, Italy and Spain, and then come to rest firmly on Rieslings. Rieslings? Yep. There's even a lengthy footnote about why you should love Riesling. And believe me, you should love Riesling.
If my adoration of this wine list is slightly outsized, it's because wine is one place where Atlanta falls short compared to other cities. Restaurateurs underestimate our taste and curiosity. But not Empire State South. Of course, the restaurant's achievements don't stop with the Rieslings. The thoughtfulness, playfulness and all-around quality of the list is indicative of the entire enterprise.
http://clatl.com/atlanta/review-hugh-achesons-empire-state-south/Content?oid=2278287
