Scottsdale

True Food Kitchen is not a wine destination, but the below-retail glass pours and thoughtfully sourced list make it a genuinely pleasant surprise for a health-focused chain. If you're already eating here, there's real reason to drink well too.

Come for the wings, come back on a Tuesday when bottles are half price — that's genuinely the only time this wine list makes financial sense. Any other night, order a beer or a cocktail and call it good.

Andreoli is a genuinely charming spot with a focused, all-Italian list and real producers worth drinking — but the markups are aggressive enough that you'll want to pick your bottle carefully. Come for the atmosphere and the salumi, order the Amarone, and leave the Chianti Classico for someone else.

If you think Arizona wine is a novelty act, LDV will change your mind — especially on a Tuesday or Wednesday when every bottle is half price and there's a sommelier in the room to walk you through it. This is a genuine wine destination tucked into a Scottsdale strip, and that's worth going out of your way for.

Sushi Roku is a great place to eat and a fine place to drink wine, so long as you're not there for the wine. The list is safe, the markups are real, and the energy of the room will distract you from caring too much — which is probably the intent.

Postino Kierland is the rare strip-mall wine bar where the pricing alone earns a recommendation — markups this honest are genuinely uncommon in Scottsdale. The list won't blow a serious collector's mind, but for a casual weeknight pour or a lazy patio afternoon, we'd send a friend here without hesitation.

The Henry is a dependable wine stop for anyone who wants familiar, well-sourced bottles without surprises — just know you're paying for the comfort of recognition. If your table loves Napa Cab and isn't looking to be challenged, this list does exactly what it needs to do.

Citizen Public House is punching well above its gastropub weight class with a genuinely interesting wine list that rewards the curious. Four by-the-glass options holds it back from a higher badge, but if you're willing to commit to a bottle, this list will not let you down.

Eddie V's is a reliably good time if you go in knowing what it is: a high-end chain with a capable sommelier, a list built for crowd comfort, and markups that reflect the chandelier overhead. Send your friend here for a special occasion, but tell them to order the Cave de Lugny and avoid the Austin Hope.

If you think Arizona wine is a novelty, The Wine Collective will change your mind — and do it at prices that don't feel like punishment. Send your most skeptical wine friend here first.

Rusty Bucket is exactly what it says it is — a neighborhood tavern with a wine list that gets the job done without any fuss. If you're here for the food and want something decent in your glass, you'll be fine; if you're here for the wine, you're at the wrong restaurant.

Spiga is a reliable neighborhood Italian with a wine list that gets the job done — just go on Wednesday when half-price bottles make the steep markups a non-issue. Show up any other night and drink strategically.

Hash Kitchen is a genuinely fun brunch spot that has zero interest in being a wine destination — and that's fine, because neither should you. Order the Bloody Mary, eat the fried chicken, and save your wine curiosity for dinner.

Pizzeria Bianco has no business having a wine list this interesting. It's a short, scrappy, natural-leaning program that earns its Wild Card badge by simply giving a damn in a city where most pizza spots default to grocery store Chiantis.

Ocean 44 has a genuinely good wine program wrapped in a frustratingly uneven markup structure — some bottles are fair, others are highway robbery. Come on a Sunday, skip the entry-level pours, and lean into the Napa headliners where the pricing at least makes a little more sense.

Toca Madera is a great night out — the room is electric, the food punches above its weight — but the wine list is here to support the experience, not define it. Drink the Malbec, skip the Caymus, and let the fire performers do the heavy lifting.

FnB is the rare restaurant that uses its wine list to make an actual argument — that Arizona deserves to be taken seriously — and backs it up with producers who can win that debate. Yes, the markups have some sting, but you're drinking things here you genuinely cannot find anywhere else with this level of curation.

If you think Arizona wine is a punchline, Carlson Creek is the counter-argument — and the fact that they're selling bottles at retail price in a tasting room setting makes it almost unfair to leave empty-handed. This is the Wild Card pick: not a traditional restaurant wine program, but one of the more honest and compelling glass-pour experiences in Scottsdale.

Orange Sky is a resort wine list that actually tries — broad coverage, a sommelier who knows the list, and a few genuinely smart picks buried under the crowd-pleasing anchors. The markups are resort-steep across most of the list, but Flowers and Page Springs are priced fairly enough to reward guests who look past the Caymus.

Sel is a Wild Card in the best sense: a restaurant doing something culturally distinct with a wine list that swings Italian and mostly connects. The markup will sting, and there are real gaps in the list, but the pairing of Piedmontese reds with Native American cuisine is genuinely worth exploring.

Chama Gaucha's wine list is exactly what it needs to be: red-meat-ready, South American-first, and accessible without being embarrassing. It's not a destination for wine lovers, but it won't let you down if you stick to the Mendoza and Chilean anchors.

Fat Ox has the bones of a great wine destination — serious depth, Italian focus, a sommelier who clearly did the work — but the markup structure on too many bottles turns what should be a Rager into a pricey exercise in restraint. Come for the Chianti Classico Riserva, avoid the Dolcetto, and let the sommelier talk you into the Etna Rosso.

Elliot's is a genuinely beautiful room with a competent sommelier and a wine list that plays exactly to its crowd — which is fine, but don't come expecting discovery. Send your friends here for a celebration Cab; don't send them if they're looking for anything off the beaten path.

Adero's wine program is doing more than the average resort — a sommelier on staff, a few genuinely interesting bottles, and a list that rewards the curious diner willing to look past the Caymus. Just know going in that the markup reflects the altitude of that McDowell Mountain view.

The Mission does the work to make its wine list feel relevant to the food on the plate, but the markups — particularly on by-the-glass pours — keep it from being a destination for serious wine drinkers. Come for the food, drink strategically, and you'll leave happy.

Los Milics isn't trying to compete with a 200-bottle list; it's trying to tell you a specific story about one Arizona family and one Arizona region, five wines at a time. If you're open to that format — and to Willcox as an AVA worth your attention — this tasting room earns the detour.

LDV is Scottsdale's open secret for people who actually care about where their wine comes from — a focused Arizona estate list, fair prices, and a half-price bottle program on Tuesdays and Wednesdays that makes it genuinely hard to say no. If you're bored of the same California hits and want to drink something you can't find on a restaurant list in any other city, this is your spot.

FnB is making a real case for Arizona wine — not in a defensive, regional-pride way, but in a 'this is actually good, order it' way. If you're curious about what's growing in the Sonoita Valley and you want smart food to go with it, this is the room.

Uncle Sal's wine list is functional but uninspired, and the markup on the house wines is hard to forgive. If you're eating here, drink Italian and avoid the Vista Point section entirely — or just order a cocktail and save yourself the math.

J&G Steakhouse is one of the most serious wine programs in Arizona, full stop — the depth is real, the storage is proper, and the staff can actually guide you through 500 labels. The markups are steep even by resort steakhouse standards, but if you're already clearing the bar for dinner here, the list rewards those who dig past the obvious names.

Roka Akor's wine list is exactly what a high-end Japanese steakhouse should have: competent, well-stored, sommelier-guided, and built to complement serious food. Just don't come expecting bargains — the markups are real, and the list rewards the drinker who knows where to look.

Mastro's Scottsdale is a safe, well-executed steakhouse wine list that costs more than it should and surprises less than it could — but the BTG selection is strong, and a few bottles like the Errazuriz and the Montelena Chard make it worth engaging with. Send a friend here if they're not paying.

Mastro's Ocean Club is a reliable wine destination in the sense that you won't go home frustrated — but the steep markups and crowd-pleasing list mean you're mostly paying for the room, not the bottle. Go in knowing what you want, lean toward the by-the-glass program, and skip the cheap bubbles.

Fleming's Scottsdale isn't trying to be a wine destination, and it doesn't need to be — the list is fair, the pours are honest, and the wine does exactly what wine at a steakhouse should do. Send a friend here for the Tomahawk; the Daou Cab will take care of the rest.

The Capital Grille Scottsdale is a reliable, well-run wine program that earns its Award of Excellence and then charges you generously for it. Send your friend here if they want a polished experience and aren't watching the bill too closely — just steer them away from the Prosecco.

Cielo delivers a competent, crowd-pleasing wine list that suits its upscale Scottsdale setting without breaking any new ground — the markups are steep and the adventurous drinker will hit a ceiling fast, but if you're after a well-known bottle in polished surroundings, you won't leave disappointed. Send a friend here if they love Napa; send someone else if they want to be surprised.