Scottsdale's Quiet Overachiever With a Serious List
· Scottsdale · Restaurant · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 11, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Anhelo Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Sixty-five labels doesn't sound like much, but Anhelo's list earns its keep fast — Pierre Péters Grand Cru Champagne and a Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo on the same card as Bisol Prosecco tells you someone here actually thought about this. It's a short list with ambitions well above its zip code. Scottsdale doesn't always reward that kind of effort, so it's nice to see.
The list skews heavily toward France and California, with smart detours into Oregon and Italy. Burgundy gets real attention — Paul Pernot Père & Fils shows up twice, including a Clos du Dessus de Marconnets Beaune that has no business being on a restaurant wine list in the best possible way. The Willamette Valley gets a nod with Kelley Fox Chardonnay and a Maysara Momtazi Pinot from 2016 that's had time to actually develop. The Bordeaux corner is handled with a Château Tour Saint Christophe Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2018 and a trio of Château Guiraud Sauternes vintages (2005, 2009, 2013) that suggest someone on this team genuinely cares about dessert wine. The weak spot: south of France, South America, and anything natural or skin-contact are essentially absent.
Twenty-four by-the-glass options is a generous pour for a 65-bottle list — they're clearly prioritizing accessibility. The glass program covers Champagne, Sancerre, Riesling, Chardonnay, and Rosé, which is a solid white-heavy lineup. Prices climb to $75 a glass at the top (Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle territory), so this isn't a casual sipping situation — but the range from $13 entry points gives you room to explore without committing to a bottle.
Peter Lauer Senior N°6 Mosel Riesling 2024 — $13
Lauer is a reference producer in the Saar — one of Germany's best Riesling estates — and finding his Senior bottling at the low end of the by-the-glass range is a legitimate steal. This is the kind of pour that makes a wine list worth trusting.
Maysara Momtazi Vineyard McMinnville Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2016
A 2016 Pinot with eight-plus years of bottle age is genuinely rare on a restaurant list — most places cycle their Pinot before it has a chance to show anything interesting. Maysara is a biodynamic estate that doesn't get enough credit, and this vintage from their Momtazi Vineyard is going to drink beautifully right now. Most people will scroll past it and order the Caymus. Don't be those people.
Caymus Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
Caymus is fine, but it's the wine equivalent of ordering the house burger at a steakhouse — you came all this way for that? It's going to be marked up aggressively, it's on every list in America, and with a Château Tour Saint Christophe and a Barolo on the same card, there are far more interesting ways to spend your Cab budget.
Carlin Pinson Manoline Sancerre Loire Valley 2023 + Any seafood or vegetable-forward dish on the menu
Manoline is a single-vineyard Sancerre with real tension and minerality — the kind of Loire Sauvignon Blanc that makes California versions feel lazy. It's going to cut through richness, brighten anything herbaceous, and hold up to whatever the kitchen's doing with produce. Without a full menu available, this is the all-purpose white you want in your hand at this restaurant.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Anhelo is doing something quietly ambitious — a focused, considered wine list in a city that often settles for Caymus and a bucket of Whispering Angel. The markups aren't shy, but the curation is real, and the Sauternes library alone is worth a detour.
Old Town Scottsdale · Scottsdale · American
Frasher's isn't reinventing the steakhouse wine list, but it's doing the job with a Wine Spectator credential and a Wednesday half-price night that makes the steep markups a lot easier to live with. Send a friend here if they want a reliable California Cab with their red meat — just tell them to go on Wednesday.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
DC Ranch · Scottsdale · American, Small Plates
The Living Room isn't trying to reinvent wine — it's trying to make California Cab and Chardonnay feel like an event, and it mostly succeeds. Send your friends here for a comfortable, well-staffed wine experience; just remind them to drink the Duckhorn.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Scottsdale · Scottsdale · French
The Mick Brasserie is a dependable, well-staffed wine destination dressed up as a casual neighborhood spot — a genuinely rare combo in Scottsdale. The markups keep it from being a great deal, but the sommelier team and the quality of the list make it worth showing up for.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Scottsdale · Scottsdale · American, Steakhouse
STK Scottsdale is a reliable California wine destination — not a discovery, but a dependable one. If you're here for Wagyu and a bottle of Stag's Leap, you will not leave disappointed; just don't expect the list to surprise you.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Scottsdale · Scottsdale · Italian
Marcellino is doing something genuinely uncommon in Scottsdale — a disciplined, Italy-first wine program with real producers and a sommelier who clearly cares. Markups tip steep on the prestige bottles, but the depth of the list earns it a spot on your list if Italian wine is your thing.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Scottsdale · Scottsdale · Brazilian Steakhouse
Fogo de Chão Scottsdale isn't trying to be a wine bar, and it doesn't need to be — the list is purpose-built for red meat and it delivers. Markups lean steep on the trophy bottles, but the Argentine and Chilean selections give you a real path to drinking well without getting gouged.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Proper
· Oklahoma City · Restaurant
Grey Sweater is doing something genuinely unusual for Oklahoma City — a tight, grower-Champagne-anchored list that rewards the curious and gently punishes the lazy. The markups aren't cheap, but the selection is real, and that counts for a lot when the alternative is another steak house wine list.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Spring · Restaurant
Plane & Level is punching well above its zip code with a focused, Old World-leaning list that rewards curious drinkers willing to venture past the obvious. If you're anywhere near Spring and care about what's in your glass, this one's worth the detour.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Brewster · Restaurant
The Arch is a dependable upscale dining list that does exactly what it sets out to do — make guests feel taken care of with names they know. Don't come looking for adventure, but if a friend wants a safe, solid bottle for a special occasion in Brewster, you can find one here without getting burned.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.