Scottsdale's Serious Italian Wine Room
Scottsdale · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · April 10, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Marcellino Ristorante’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walk in expecting another Scottsdale scene restaurant and find something else entirely — a focused, Italy-only list with actual conviction behind it. The warm dining room sets the tone: this place takes the food seriously, and the wine list follows suit. A Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 2023 isn't a vanity trophy here; it's a signal.
The list runs 150-250 bottles and doesn't waste space on detours — it's Italy, start to finish, and that discipline pays off. Piedmont anchors the serious end with Giacomo Conterno and Bruno Giacosa in the Barolo section, while Biondi-Santi and Banfi hold down Brunello di Montalcino. Tuscany's greatest hits are accounted for — Sassicaia and Tignanello for the Super Tuscan crowd, solid Chianti Classico Riserva for the more classically minded. Allegrini and Masi cover Amarone della Valpolicella, rounding out a list that reads like a well-edited tour through the peninsula's heavyweights.
Twelve to twenty options by the glass is a respectable spread for a focused Italian program, and sommelier Allen Maulsby keeps quality high rather than defaulting to volume pours of forgettable juice. Don't expect a rotating natural wine experiment — this is classic Italian territory, which is exactly what it should be given the context.
Banfi Brunello di Montalcino — $90
Banfi is Montalcino's most consistent large-scale producer — serious wine at the more accessible end of the Brunello spectrum. Next to Biondi-Santi on the same list, it looks like a bargain and drinks accordingly.
Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella
Most tables zero in on the Barolo and Brunello, which means the Amarone section gets overlooked. Allegrini makes one of the more approachable, food-forward Amarones in the game — dense and rich without being a complete commitment to a nap afterward.
Sassicaia
It's a legend, no argument there, but Sassicaia at a restaurant in Scottsdale means you're paying a serious premium on top of an already expensive bottle. The markup on trophy wines like this rarely makes sense when there are legitimate Barolo producers on the same list for less.
Bruno Giacosa Barolo + Osso Buco
Bruno Giacosa's Barolo brings enough tannin and acidity to cut through the richness of braised veal shank without bulldozing it — the earthy, tar-and-rose character in the wine mirrors the slow-cooked depth in the dish. Classic for a reason.
The Bottom Line
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.
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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.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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 · 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
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ciao Bruto is running one of the smallest and most coherent wine lists in wine country, which is either audacious or brilliant — probably both. If you want a 200-label deep-dive, go somewhere else. If you want eight smart picks at prices that won't make you wince, this is the move in Healdsburg.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Geyserville · Healdsburg · Italian
Diavola earns its Wild Card badge because it's a wood-fired pizza joint that punches well above its weight on wine — sommelier on staff, regional focus, and a setting that practically demands you order a second glass. We can't give you the bottle-by-bottle breakdown until we get eyes on a current list, but the bones here are good enough to say: don't just order a beer and move on.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Healdsburg · Italian
Ca'Bianca is a genuinely lovely place to eat, and if the food lives up to its reputation for house-made pasta and classic Italian technique, a bottle of something from the list is absolutely worth ordering. We just can't tell you exactly which bottle to order yet — the wine program's specifics aren't publicly documented well enough for us to make a confident call. When in doubt, ask your server what's local and what they're excited about, and go from there.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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