James Beard pies, natural wine, zero apologies
Scottsdale · Scottsdale · Italian, Pizza · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 21, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You come to Pizzeria Bianco expecting the best pizza in Arizona — maybe the country — and then the wine list quietly surprises you. It's short, maybe 30-40 bottles deep, but every pick feels intentional. This isn't a list built by a distributor rep on autopilot; someone actually cared.
The list tilts hard toward Italy and the natural wine world, which makes perfect sense when your food is this clean and ingredient-driven. Producers like Josko Gravner — whose skin-contact Ribolla Gialla is about as serious a wine as you'll find anywhere — sit alongside California outfits like Donkey & Goat and the always-weird-in-the-best-way Scholium Project. Oregon gets a nod too. What's missing is depth in any one region: you're not getting a verticals program or a deep Barolo bench here. But for a wood-fired pizza joint in Scottsdale, the ambition on display is genuinely impressive.
The by-the-glass program runs 8 to 16 options depending on the night, which is generous for a room this size and a concept this focused. Expect pours that rotate with the ethos of the bottle list — natural lean, Italian backbone. It's not a by-the-glass hero situation, but you can absolutely drink well without committing to a full bottle.
Donkey & Goat — $55
Donkey & Goat makes honest, low-intervention California wine that punches well above its price point. On a list anchored to $12-$16 pizzas, a bottle in this range that drinks this thoughtfully is the right call every time.
Scholium Project
Most people scroll past this one because the label is cryptic and the name means nothing to them. That's a mistake. Scholium Project is Abe Schoener's wildly individualistic California operation — nothing he makes tastes like anything else. Order it, ask questions later.
Josko Gravner Ribolla Gialla
Look, Gravner is a legend and the Ribolla Gialla is a genuinely important wine — but it's also deeply tannic, oxidative, and demanding in a way that fights the food here rather than complementing it. Save it for a night you're ready to sit with it. Next to the Rosa pizza, it's just going to confuse everyone at the table.
Donkey & Goat + Rosa
The Rosa — red onion, rosemary, Parmigiano, Arizona pistachios — has enough savory depth and sweetness to want something with real texture and a little funk. A Donkey & Goat skin-contact white or light red bridges that gap without steamrolling the delicate crust Chris Bianco has spent decades perfecting.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Pizzeria Bianco has no business having a wine list this interesting. It's a short, scrappy, natural-leaning program that earns its Wild Card badge by simply giving a damn in a city where most pizza spots default to grocery store Chiantis.
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 Akron · Akron · Italian, Pizza
Luigi's is a cash-only Akron legend that has no business having a wine list this thoughtful — and that's exactly why we like it. Don't sleep on the California Coastal producers hiding behind the checkered tablecloths.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Marshall · Marshall · Italian, Pizza
Pazzeria by Pietro's has no business being this good at wine for where it is, and that's exactly why it's worth the detour. If you're rolling through East Texas, eat here and order Italian.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
NW Ocala · Ocala · Italian, Pizza
Roma's wine list is a functional, no-fuss accompaniment to a solid casual Italian dinner — nothing you'll write home about, but nothing that'll ruin your night either. Stick to the Robert Mondavi Cab or the Trapiche Malbec, keep your expectations measured, and you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.