Red Rock Views, Decent Pours, No Fuss
West Sedona · Sedona · Contemporary American
Reviewed July 27, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed The Hudson’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at The Hudson reads like someone put genuine thought into it — enough recognizable names to feel safe, enough regional variety to avoid feeling like a hotel bar. It's not trying to impress anyone, which in Sedona is honestly a refreshing move. You open it, you find something you know, and you order it before the red rocks outside steal your attention.
Thirty to forty-five labels spanning France, Italy, Chile, and a solid cross-section of California and the Pacific Northwest — Sonoma, Paso Robles, Napa, Willamette, Columbia Valley. The California backbone is doing heavy lifting here: Hartford Court shows up twice (always a good sign), Austin Hope and Port & Beam by Far Niente anchor the Cab section with some actual credibility, and Orin Swift's 8 Years in the Desert gives the red blend slot some personality. The gaps are real though — no Rhône, nothing from Spain or Germany, and the Italian section stops at La Giana Pinot Grigio. This is a list built to please, not to challenge.
Eleven pours by the glass at $14–$19 is a respectable count for a casual-leaning spot in Sedona. The range hits the usual bases — bubbly, white, rosé, red — and there's enough here to drink well without committing to a bottle. Rotation doesn't appear to be a priority; what's on is what's on, and that's fine for most nights.
Montinore Pinot Noir — $52
Montinore is an Oregon certified-biodynamic producer that consistently punches above its price bracket. Finding it at the lower end of this list's bottle range, especially when the Napa options quickly climb north of $80, makes it the move if you're splitting a bottle at dinner.
Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc
Most people at this table are going to grab the La Giana or something fizzy. Meanwhile, Matanzas Creek is a Bennett Valley producer with real Sonoma character — richer and more textured than your standard SB. It's easy to overlook when it's sitting next to the more recognizable names, but it earns the spot.
La Marca Prosecco
La Marca is fine — it's everywhere for a reason — but at $14–$19 a glass in a tourist-heavy Sedona restaurant, you're paying a significant premium for something you could grab at a grocery store for $14 a bottle. Save the glass pour budget for something you can't easily find on your own.
Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon + Short Rib
Austin Hope Cab from Paso Robles is big, fruit-forward, and built for exactly this kind of situation — braised, rich, deeply savory short rib wants a wine with structure and warmth, not subtlety. It's a crowd-pleasing pairing, but it works, and sometimes that's the whole point.
The Bottom Line
The Hudson isn't going to make any wine lists for its wine list, but it's a solid, competent program for what this place is — a lively upscale-casual spot where the views are doing a lot of the work. Send your friends here for dinner and tell them to stick to the bottles under $70.
· Sedona · Italian / Mediterranean
For a tourist-heavy Italian restaurant in Sedona, Cucina Rustica's wine list is a genuine overachiever — 30 by-the-glass options, fair pricing, and actual producer-level thinking across the card. We'd send a friend here and tell them to skip the Moët gimmick, order the Chianti Classico Riserva, and enjoy the view.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sedona · Irish pub
If you're at Mooney's, you're there for the Guinness — and that's a completely valid life choice. The wine list is a placeholder, not a program. Order a pint, enjoy Sedona, and save the wine decisions for somewhere that's made a few of their own.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sedona · New American
The Vault Uptown is a reliable place to drink decent wine with a genuinely great view — and in Sedona, that counts for something. The wine program won't blow any minds, but it won't ruin dinner either. If you're there for the red rocks and the filet, order a glass of something Californian and enjoy the moment. For serious wine exploration, look elsewhere.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sedona · Regional Mexican
Elote Cafe isn't trying to be a wine destination, but its list is better than it has any right to be for a 18-label program at a Mexican restaurant in a tourist town. The Arizona representation from Page Springs Cellars is the real story here, and the pricing is fair across the board. If you're in Sedona and care about what's in your glass, this is a better bet than most of the steakhouses charging twice as much for the same bottles.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sedona · Mexican
89Agave is almost certainly a fun spot to eat — it's a cantina in Sedona, and the margaritas are probably doing the heavy lifting here anyway. The wine list, though, is purely functional and priced without much generosity, particularly at the higher end. If wine matters to your evening, order something simple by the glass and move on; this program isn't the reason to visit.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Sedona · Cafe / American
The Secret Garden Cafe's wine list is a perfectly adequate afterthought — familiar labels that get the job done when the real draw is the patio setting and Sedona scenery. We wouldn't send anyone here specifically for the wine, but if you're already there for the view, the Balleyana is your best bet on the list.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Vinings · Atlanta · Contemporary American
So has a wine list built to please a suburban dinner crowd without ruffling any feathers, and it largely succeeds at that narrow goal. The markup is real — most bottles sit at 3–4x retail — but the by-the-glass breadth gives you options to keep the tab reasonable. If you're a wine-first diner, this isn't your destination; if you're here for the scene and the food, you'll find something perfectly fine to drink.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Toledo · Contemporary American
Sabira has built something genuinely worth noticing for Toledo: a compact, mostly European list that takes real swings with appellations like Grasparossa di Castelvetro and Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Pricing data isn't available to us, and the BTG program is unclear — so call ahead or ask on arrival. If the staff knows this list as well as whoever curated it seems to, this is an easy recommendation for anyone tired of the same regional Chardonnay-and-Cab circuit.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Sarasota · Sarasota · Contemporary American
A one-page list that mixes Greek, Italian and French bottles with Cristal, Taittinger and Laurent-Perrier Champagnes, and posts many prices as two unlabeled numbers. Start with the Gai'a Assyrtiko (70 / 17) alongside the wood-fired octopus, or take the Les Girelles Picpoul (48 / 12) on a Tuesday, when the list says bottles at $99 and less are half off (bubbles and Champagne excluded). This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups, and the list carries no printed date, so confirm current availability and ask which number is the glass.
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
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Staff
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