Jazz, Seafood, and a Familiar California Playbook
Scottsdale Quarter · Scottsdale · Seafood and Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 21, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Walk into Eddie V's and the wine list feels exactly like the room — polished, confident, and playing the hits. Three hundred-plus bottles sounds impressive until you realize the California-heavy lineup doesn't stray far from airport-lounge familiarity. There's a sommelier on staff, which counts for a lot, but the list reads like it was built to please rather than to surprise.
California dominates from front to back — Napa Cabs, Sonoma Pinots, and Central Coast Chardonnays with familiar names like Austin Hope, Banshee, and Bella Union by Far Niente doing most of the heavy lifting. Italy shows up in the form of Bertani Pinot Grigio from Venezia Giulia and Cave de Lugny Les Charmes out of Burgundy adds some Old World credibility, but these feel like token gestures rather than a real commitment to Europe. Brewer-Clifton earns respect as a genuinely quality Santa Barbara producer — nice to see them on the list. The gaps are real: Spain is absent, Germany doesn't exist here, and anything south of the equator is apparently not invited.
At least eight options by the glass, which is a respectable floor for a place at this price point. Whispering Angel rosé makes an obvious appearance — crowd pleaser, no argument — and the glass program leans on the same safe California names as the bottle list. We'd love to see more rotation and risk-taking here; right now it feels like the BTG menu was locked in and forgotten.
Banshee Pinot Noir, Sonoma — $54
At roughly 54% over retail, this is the least-punishing markup on the list and Banshee actually delivers the fruit-forward Sonoma Pinot the room is clearly expecting. Relative to what else is on this menu, it's the closest thing to a fair deal.
Cave de Lugny Les Charmes, Burgundy
Most tables here are going to reflexively order a California Chardonnay, and that's a shame. This Mâcon-Villages from Cave de Lugny is made by one of Burgundy's best cooperatives and brings actual mineral tension and restraint that California can rarely touch at this tier. Skip the butter bombs and order this.
Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles
At $148 on the menu against a $75 retail price, this is nearly a 100% markup on a wine that's already widely available and frankly not hard to find. Austin Hope is a solid bottle but it's everywhere — you're paying a serious Eddie V's tax for the privilege of drinking something you could grab at Total Wine on the way home.
Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay + Chilean Sea Bass
Brewer-Clifton's Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay has the kind of bright acidity and controlled oak that won't bulldoze delicate sea bass the way an over-extracted butter bomb would. The wine's citrus and stone fruit play against the rich, flaky fish without turning the whole thing into a cream sauce situation.
✔️ The Bottom Line
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.
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
East Springfield · Springfield · Seafood and Steakhouse
Chesapeake Seafood House is a genuinely charming Springfield institution with a kitchen that earns its regulars — but the wine list is on autopilot and has been for a while. Order the Riesling, enjoy your prime rib, and save the serious wine drinking for somewhere else.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Freedom Commons / I-88 Corridor · Naperville · Seafood and Steakhouse
Hugo's Naperville is a reliable, well-run steakhouse wine program that will not let you down and will not excite you. Come for the prime beef and oysters, order the Jordan or the Duckhorn, and don't look too hard at the markup on the Pinot Grigio.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · St. Paul · Seafood and Steakhouse
Kincaid's is exactly what it is — a reliable business-dinner wine list that keeps the table happy without taking any risks. If Monday's half-price bottle promotion holds at this location, it becomes a legitimately solid deal; otherwise, manage expectations and lean into the Port.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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