Before Scott Atkinson recommends a bottle, he wants to know what’s for dinner.
That is the heart of wine shopping at Piggly Wiggly Birmingham. It is not about making wine feel complicated. It is about helping people find the bottle that fits the food, the budget, the occasion, and the people around the table.
For 8 consecutive years, readers of About Town have voted Piggly Wiggly Birmingham the Best Place to Buy Wine in Birmingham. That reputation lives across 13 local stores, but it is easy to understand through Scott: Piggly Wiggly Birmingham’s wine specialist, and one of the clearest voices in town for choosing wine without the pretense.
“We don’t really sell people anything,” Scott says. “We help them find what they’re looking for.”
That is the whole difference.
Wine Advice Built For Real Life
Scott has worked in wine since he was 17, starting in January 1996 at International Wines. Nearly 30 years later, the part of the job he values most is still the most human one.
“Listen. That’s the biggest thing,” he says. “I try to ask way more questions than I answer.”
At the Pig, those questions are practical. What are you cooking? Who is coming over? Is it fried chicken, pasta, salmon, barbecue, steak, shrimp cocktail, or a holiday table? Are you looking for something easy, something special, or something that quietly over-delivers?
“I love to look in their cart,” Scott says. “I look in their cart, and I ask them what they’re having for dinner.”
That is why the Pig’s Beer & Wine department feels different. The wine is not separate from the groceries. It belongs to the meal.
The Bottle Should Fit The Table
Scott’s pairing philosophy has a little old-world wisdom and a lot of Southern common sense.
“If it grows together, it goes together,” he says. “Mother Nature kind of figures stuff out, and we should just pay attention.”
For fried food, he likes sparkling wine: “Fried foods love sparkling wine.”
For barbecue, he goes straight to Zinfandel: “Barbecue is the uniquely American food. Zinfandel is the uniquely American wine.”
For pasta, he wants to know the sauce and the preparation: “What is the pasta, what’s the preparation, and then we’ll figure out the wine.”
In other words, the right bottle is not just about the label. It is about what is happening at home.
Find the perfect bottle for any meal with expert guidance from Scott Atkinson and the award-winning wine team at Piggly Wiggly Birmingham. Explore wines that match your food, budget, and occasion in-store or through the Digital Wine Cellar.
Better Wine For The Budget You Actually Have
A good recommendation should feel helpful, not expensive for the sake of being expensive. Scott asks for a budget because he wants to respect it.
“Give me a number that is the ceiling of your budget,” he says. “Very, very rarely do I hit that number.”
His goal is to find something that over-delivers.
“I’m not there to take their money,” Scott says. “I’m there to make them happy.”
No Pretense. Just Better Choices.
Scott’s job is not to make customers feel like they need a wine vocabulary before they can ask a question.
“Everyone knows more than they think they do,” he says.
If you know what you like, Scott can help. If you only know what you do not like, he can help with that too. If you have a picture of a bottle, a recipe, a price range, or a vague memory of something you had at dinner last month, that is enough to start.
His advice is simple: “Ask us. Just ask us and we’ll help you out.”
Meet The Digital Wine Cellar
Now, Piggly Wiggly Birmingham’s award-winning wine program has a new online home.
With Pig Wine Online, the Digital Wine Cellar, shoppers can browse bottles, plan ahead, stock up, and shop the Pig’s wine selection before heading to the store.
It is a smarter way to explore the shelves. But the heart of the experience is still personal.
“AI can’t interact with you the way that a human can,” Scott says. “Those reviews can’t help you the way that a conversation can.”
A score can tell you a bottle is respected. Scott can help you decide whether it belongs on your table.
Shop Wine The Pig Way
For dinner tonight, the weekend cookout, the hostess gift, the holiday party, or the bottle you bring home just because, Piggly Wiggly Birmingham makes wine easier to choose and better to enjoy.
Browse the Digital Wine Cellar. Visit your neighborhood Pig. Ask Scott. Ask the team.
And when in doubt, start with Scott’s best rule:
“Drink what you like.”