Arizona's Italian Wine Room Earns Its Stripes
Scottsdale · Scottsdale · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 5, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at La Zozzona lands with authority — 250 to 400 bottles deep, with Italy holding court and California and France flanking it like trusted allies. This is not a restaurant that threw a wine list together to check a box. Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence says it, and the list backs it up.
Piedmont and Tuscany anchor the Italian side hard — we're talking Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino, and the Super Tuscan trinity of Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and Tignanello all present and accounted for. Amarone shows up for the big-bottle crowd, while Franciacorta gives the Italian sparkling category some actual credibility beyond Prosecco. California brings Napa Cabernet and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir into the conversation, and Burgundy's Côte de Nuits keeps the French chapter from feeling like an afterthought. If there's a gap, it's that adventurous drinkers hunting Jura, Ribera del Duero, or natural-leaning producers will need to look elsewhere.
Twenty to thirty-five by-the-glass options is a generous program — not just three Chardonnays and a token red. With sommelier Benjamin Higgins steering the ship, the glass pours feel curated rather than random, and you can reasonably expect some of the Italian regional variety to make it onto the by-the-glass menu rather than being locked behind full-bottle commitments.
Franciacorta — $45–$70 (estimated bottle range)
Italian sparkling done right, and almost always underpriced relative to Champagne at restaurants like this. Order it as your aperitivo and look smart doing it.
Amarone della Valpolicella
Most tables walk right past Amarone in favor of the Barolos and Super Tuscans getting all the press. That's a mistake. Amarone is a powerhouse — dried-grape intensity, serious structure — and it tends to be one of the most interesting pours on lists like this when the selection is solid.
Sassicaia
Sassicaia is genuinely great wine, but at a restaurant with 400 bottles and fair pricing, it's still the most recognizable name on the list — which means it carries a recognition tax. The value-to-experience ratio here leans toward the lesser-known Piedmontese producers who will drink just as well for considerably less.
Brunello di Montalcino + Wood-fired steak
Brunello and a wood-fired steak is not a subtle recommendation, but it's correct. The Sangiovese-driven acidity cuts through the char and fat, and the earthy, iron-tinged character of a good Brunello amplifies everything a proper wood-fire brings to a piece of beef.
🔥 The Bottom Line
La Zozzona is the real deal for Italian wine in Scottsdale — deep list, a sommelier who knows the inventory, and fair pricing across a range that covers Sunday-night pasta and Thursday-night Tignanello alike. Send your friends here, and tell them to skip the cocktail menu.
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