A good rule of thumb is that if you want to know where the best wine bars are, go where the wine industry goes. Max’s Wine Dive is not that place, even for all its crowing about “Fried chicken and Champagne? Why the hell not?!”

The décor isn’t what deters us, and the food is sometimes quite good—but most of the time grossly overpriced. And that touted fried chicken can be disappointing. If fried too long, the result is over-caramelized buttermilk marinade creating a slightly burnt aspect. “Pan Borracho,” though, is totally incoherent—more like soggy bread with congealed cheese. But big and juicy burgers are great, “Nacho Mama’s Oysters” (sigh) are a delicious twist on an old classic, and it’s hard to argue with the “Max ‘n Cheese” unless it’s been primed with too much pungent truffle oil. The hummus plate with cubed golden beet works, too.

The wine program, however, has little to redeem it. The list is filled with boring, mid-level wines that are served either too warm by the glass or way too cold from the Cruvinet. There’s no coherent train of thought in the selection here other than Wine Spectator scores, which is a glaring neon sign that a wine bar has no idea what it’s doing but desperately needs you to think it does. For a wine dive, the wine really does take a dive. We have no doubt that Max’s means well, but for price and execution—and sorry, Max, even wine—you and your money should go elsewhere.