Michigan meets Napa in the Desert
Scottsdale · Phoenix · Contemporary American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · March 20, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Course’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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The list at Course is short enough to read in under two minutes, but it earns a second look fast. What catches you off guard is the Michigan contingent — Fenn Valley, Bowers Harbor, Chateau Grand Traverse — sharing space with Drouhin Burgundy and DANA Estates Napa at a Phoenix-area restaurant. Someone is making real decisions here, not just calling a distributor rep and saying 'sure, whatever.'
The list spans Michigan, California, New Zealand, France, Italy, and Spain without feeling like it's trying too hard — that's the trick. The Midwest wine presence is genuinely unusual and quietly adventurous: a Chambourcin Blend from Fenn Valley, a Semi-Dry Riesling from Bowers Harbor, a Late Harvest Vignole that most diners in Phoenix have never encountered. On the prestige end, DANA Estates single-vineyard Napa bottles signal that the kitchen and the cellar are in conversation. The gaps are real — no rosé, no real Rhône presence, nothing from Oregon or South America beyond a token Malbec — but for a compact list, the hits land.
By-the-glass specifics aren't fully documented, but the tiered pricing structure — Tier 1 at $20, Tier 2 at $30 — is refreshingly transparent and keeps the by-the-glass program accessible without the usual shell game of mystery pour prices. Given that the list includes wines like the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc and Meiomi Pinot Noir alongside more interesting picks, the glass program appears to lean on the approachable end.
Garnacha Las Rocas Roja, Spain — $30
Spanish Garnacha at this price point is almost always a value play, and Las Rocas is one of the better known examples for a reason — grippy, earthy, fruit-forward without being a fruit bomb. At Tier 2 pricing in a restaurant context, this drinks significantly above its station.
Late Harvest Vignole, Fenn Valley, MI
Almost nobody outside the Great Lakes region has heard of Vignoles, and that's a shame. This hybrid grape makes some of the most compelling dessert-style wines in America — honeyed and bright with real acidity to keep it from being cloying. Ordering it in Phoenix is a minor act of bravery. Do it.
Pinot Noir Meiomi, Monterey/Sonoma, CA
Meiomi is fine. It's also on every grocery store shelf in America and at every mid-tier chain restaurant from here to Tampa. With Drouhin Burgundy and a Michigan Chambourcin Blend on the same list, spending your Tier 2 dollars on Meiomi is a missed opportunity.
Semi-Dry Riesling, Bowers Harbor, MI + Any spice-forward or glazed protein on the current menu
A touch of residual sugar and bright acidity make semi-dry Riesling the most food-flexible wine on this list. If Course is running anything with heat, char, or a sweet glaze — and a contemporary American kitchen almost always is — this bottle cuts through it and resets the palate better than anything else they're pouring.
The Bottom Line
Course isn't trying to be a wine bar, and the list is modest enough that power drinkers should temper expectations — but the Michigan contingent, the sommelier presence, and the absurdly fair pricing make this a genuine overachiever for a Phoenix restaurant. Yes, send a friend here for wine.
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