Napa heavy, Sunday savings, bring your wallet
Scottsdale · Scottsdale · Seafood & Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Updated April 2026
Reviewed March 21, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Ocean 44 arrives looking like it means business — 300-plus bottles deep, anchored by California heavyweights and a respectable nod to Burgundy and Champagne. It's the kind of list that feels right at home with a $60 plate of Chilean sea bass. The problem is, that confidence comes with a price tag that isn't always justified.
Napa Cabernet is clearly the star here, and the list delivers with names like Silver Oak, Duckhorn, and Stag's Leap Artemis giving guests something to actually get excited about. The Chardonnay bench is deep too — Far Niente, Flowers Sonoma Coast, and Cakebread all show up, which tracks for a room built around premium seafood. Burgundy and Champagne make appearances as well, adding some Old World texture to what could otherwise feel like a California monoculture. New Zealand rounds out the whites nicely, though the overall list doesn't venture much beyond crowd-pleasing territory.
Twenty to thirty options by the glass is a solid count, and the range covers enough ground to satisfy both the Chardonnay loyalist and the Cab drinker who won't budge. The Flowers Sonoma Coast Chardonnay at $20 a glass is a worthy pour, even if the markup math is brutal. A sommelier on staff means someone can actually guide you through the options, which helps when the list is this dense.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 — $120/bottle
At 140% above retail it's not cheap, but relative to everything else on this list it's one of the more reasonable ways to drink a recognizable, well-made Napa Cab. Especially on a Sunday when it could be half that.
Duckhorn Chardonnay Carneros 2022
Most people at Ocean 44 are going straight for the Cabs, which means this Carneros Chardonnay gets slept on. It's a more interesting white than the Cakebread crowd tends to reach for, with enough richness to hold up against the lobster bisque.
Sterling Vintner's Collection Chardonnay 2022
A $12 retail bottle at $14 a glass is a 917% markup and an insult dressed up in stemware. This is a grocery store wine at a steakhouse price. Order literally anything else.
Flowers Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2022 + Chilean sea bass
Flowers brings enough acid and coastal salinity to match the richness of a well-prepared sea bass without getting steamrolled by it. It's the kind of pairing that makes a $20 glass feel almost reasonable.
Sunday — Half-price select bottles every Sunday night.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Ocean 44 has a genuinely good wine program wrapped in a frustratingly uneven markup structure — some bottles are fair, others are highway robbery. Come on a Sunday, skip the entry-level pours, and lean into the Napa headliners where the pricing at least makes a little more sense.
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
Downtown · Washington · Seafood & Steakhouse
Joe's delivers what you'd expect from a high-end chain steakhouse: a deep, polished list with knowledgeable staff and proper execution. The markups sting (200-300% is standard here), but if someone else is paying or you're celebrating, you'll drink well.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Active Program
Proper
Downtown · Nashville · Seafood & Steakhouse
Eddie V's delivers exactly what a corporate seafood chain should: a safe, extensive wine list with markup to match the white tablecloths. It won't blow your mind, but it won't embarrass you either.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Stemless Casual
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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