Monday Deal Saves an Otherwise Overpriced Waterfront List
Scottsdale · Phoenix · Mediterranean · Visit Website ↗
Updated June 2026
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · March 15, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Olive & Ivy Restaurant & Marketplace’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The wine list reads like a greatest hits compilation from a corporate training manual — Veuve, Böen, The Prisoner — all the names that sound fancy to tourists but show zero personality. Sixty to eighty bottles with 18+ by-the-glass pours sounds promising until you see the markups and realize this is a canal-side patio play, not a wine destination.
The list leans heavily on crowd-pleasing California producers with a sprinkling of Italian and French standards to check boxes. You get the usual Napa Cab suspects, Monterey Pinot, and safe Italian whites like Pinot Grigio from Ca' di Alte and Girlan. There's a token South African Chenin Blanc from Beaumont and some Mosel Riesling to suggest range, but nothing shows real curation or depth. The Mediterranean cuisine deserves a more adventurous wine program — where are the Greek whites, the Lebanese reds, the Southern Italian gems? Instead, it's the same wines you'd find at twenty other upscale patios across Phoenix.
Eighteen-plus glass pours at $11-$23 means volume, not quality. The range includes basics like Scarpetta Barbera and Abadía de San Campio Albariño alongside the Böen Pinot and Unshackled Cabernet crowd-pleasers. It's perfectly fine for happy hour on the patio, but nothing here makes you want to skip the cocktails. Rotation seems minimal based on the set-it-and-forget-it vibe of the overall program.
Riesling, Prost, Mosel — $42
Still a 180% markup but at least you're getting legitimate German Riesling, not California imitation, and it'll cut through the richness of mezze platters better than anything else on the list
Chenin Blanc, Beaumont, Overberg, South Africa
Most people skip South African whites but Beaumont makes textured, food-friendly Chenin that actually pairs beautifully with wood-fired fish — one of the few interesting picks on an otherwise sleepy list
Pinot Grigio, Ca' di Alte, Delle Venezie DOC
A $13 retail bottle marked up to $46 is highway robbery for basic Italian Pinot Grigio you can buy at Trader Joe's — the 254% markup is insulting
Sauvignon Blanc, Michel Armand, Sancerre AOC + Grilled Branzino
Classic Loire minerality meets clean Mediterranean fish — the Sancerre's citrus and chalk cut through the char while complementing the delicate flesh, and at $74 it's one of the fairer markups on the list
Monday — Half-priced bottles all day every Monday — literally the only reason to order wine here
The Bottom Line
Come for the canal views and Monday half-price bottles, because at full markup this list is a ripoff. The wine program shows zero effort beyond stocking recognizable labels and gouging tourists.
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Christopher's is a Wild Card in the best sense — a historic mansion in the desert running an all-by-the-glass program with actual grower Champagne and South African Chenin. Markups keep it from being a true Rager, but as a destination for a glass of something genuinely interesting in Phoenix, it earns the visit.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Phoenix · Phoenix · American, Seasonal
Flour & Thyme earned its Wine Spectator credential, and the Tuesday half-price night makes this one of the better wine value plays in downtown Phoenix. Steer clear of the Caymus, order the Jordan, and let the wood-fired kitchen do the rest.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Proper
Desert Ridge · Phoenix · Southwestern American
Tia Carmen is a reliable, well-executed resort wine program that earns its Wine Spectator nod without doing anything particularly daring. Send a friend here for a solid California Cab and a great meal — just don't expect the wine list to match the kitchen's ambition.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Phoenix · Phoenix · American
Rusconi's isn't trying to reinvent the wine list — it's trying to be the best California-focused neighborhood wine program in north Phoenix, and it largely succeeds. Send your friends here when they want a reliable, well-sourced bottle without having to think too hard.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Phoenix · Phoenix · Japanese, Mediterranean
Pa'La is the kind of place that earns a Wine Spectator credential by actually caring — the list is tight, Old World-focused, and priced fairly for what you're getting. Send a friend here and tell them to skip the Super Tuscans and drink Sicilian.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Camelback Corridor · Phoenix · French
Vincent's is one of the few restaurants in Phoenix where the wine list is genuinely worth the trip on its own terms — deep where it matters, staffed by someone who knows the inventory, and built to last. The markups sting, but you're buying into a program that has been maintained at a high level for nearly three decades.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
· Wichita · Mediterranean
Meddys West is here for the food, and the wine list knows it. If you're looking for something to wash down your meal without drama, the $8 glass is fine — just don't come here expecting the wine to be the point.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Ocean Ave / downtown · Carmel By The Sea · Mediterranean
Dametra is a lively Carmel institution that takes its bottle list more seriously than its casual vibe suggests — the markups sting, but the range is genuinely interesting and a few bottles here are worth seeking out. Send a friend who wants something special with dinner, just tell them to skip the Caymus.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kohala Coast · Kailua-Kona · Mediterranean
Meridia has the setting, the concept, and the menu to deserve a genuinely interesting wine list — instead it serves up resort-hotel boilerplate at punishing markups. Order the paella, drink the cocktails, and save the serious wine for somewhere that cares.
Crowd Pleasers
Gouge
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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