Toca Madera
Great show, safe wine list to match
Old Town Scottsdale · Scottsdale · Modern Mexican Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 21, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
You're going to be distracted — fire performers, DJ, the works — and the wine list feels like it was built knowing that. It's polished and expensive-looking, stocked with names your table will recognize without anyone having to ask questions. That's not a compliment.
Selection Deep Dive
The list runs 100-150 bottles with a global footprint, but global here means 'safe international hits' rather than anything adventurous. Caymus Cabernet, Opus One, Whispering Angel, Catena Zapata — these are the hits, and they're all present and accounted for. There's nothing wrong with any of these wines, but there's also nothing here that would make a serious wine drinker lean in. The Argentine anchor with Catena Zapata's Adrianna Vineyard Malbec is the most interesting thing on the list, and it still feels like a concession to the steak crowd rather than a genuine curatorial choice.
By the Glass
Somewhere between 15 and 25 pours by the glass, which is a healthy number for a venue this loud and this busy. Expect the usual suspects — Whispering Angel is almost certainly anchoring the rosé section — but don't expect much rotation or discovery. This is a by-the-glass program built for speed and confidence, not exploration.
Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard Malbec — null
Pricing isn't confirmed, but if you're going to spend up here, this is where your money does the most work. The Adrianna Vineyard is genuinely world-class Malbec — complex, age-worthy, not just a crowd-pleaser in a bottle. It earns its price tag in a way that Caymus absolutely does not.
Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard Malbec
Most tables here are going to order the Caymus on autopilot or grab Whispering Angel for the Instagram. The Adrianna Vineyard Malbec is the only bottle on this list with real depth and a story worth telling — it's underordered at a place like this, which means you might actually have a good conversation about it if your server knows it.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon
Caymus is fine. It's also on every steakhouse list in America, marked up to the moon, and built to be ordered by people who want to feel safe. At a $$$-$$$$ spot in Scottsdale you're likely paying well north of retail for a wine that costs $90 a bottle at your local Total Wine. Pass.
Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard Malbec + Scallops En Pipian Verde
Hear us out — pipian verde has enough herbal richness and nutty depth to hold up against a structured Malbec, especially one with the Adrianna's fruit concentration. It's not the obvious call, but it's more interesting than red-wine-with-steak, and Toca Madera's kitchen is inventive enough to make it work.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Toca Madera is a great night out — the room is electric, the food punches above its weight — but the wine list is here to support the experience, not define it. Drink the Malbec, skip the Caymus, and let the fire performers do the heavy lifting.
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