20 Valley restaurants recognized for outstanding wine programs

In an international ranking of the best restaurants for wine, Arizona showed up strong.

June 25, 2025

Image: In the 2025 Wine Spectator awards, Arizona earned 66 honors.

In the 2025 Wine Spectator awards, Arizona earned 66 honors. Emdot/Flikr/CC BY 2.0.

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Each year, Wine Spectator releases awards recognizing restaurants around the country and the world for stellar wine programs. This year, a strong selection of Arizona eateries earned the distinction.

The awards started 44 years ago and "recognize restaurants whose wine lists offer interesting selections, are appropriate to their cuisine and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers," according to Wine Spectator.

Restaurants must apply and submit an application fee to be considered for the awards.

The magazine ranks the award-winning restaurants on three levels. The highest honor is the Grand Awards, which no Arizona restaurants earned this year. The second tier is the Best Award of Excellence, of which we have 20 Valley winners.

Here are the Valley's top spots for wine in 2025 as ranked by Wine Spectator:

Anhelo
7007 E. First Ave., Scottsdale

Bourbon Steak at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
7575 E. Princess Drive, Scottsdale

click to enlarge

Wine completes the elegant experience at Cafe Monarch.

Cafe Monarch

Cafe Monarch
6939 E. First Ave., Scottsdale

Elements at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain
5700 E. McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley

Ember at We-Ko-Pa Casino & Resort
10438 Wekopa Way, Fort McDowell

click to enlarge

Flour & Thyme opened in late December in downtown Phoenix's Orpheum Lofts.

Georgann Yara

Flour & Thyme
114 W. Adams St.

Geordie's at the Wrigley Mansion
2501 E. Telawa Trail

J&G Steakhouse at The Phoenician Resort
6000 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale

La Zozzona at the Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort
7500 E. Doubletree Ranch Road, Scottsdale

Lon's at the Hermosa is a gorgeous spot to sip some delicious wine.

The Hermosa Inn

Lon's at the Hermosa Inn
5532 N. Palo Cristi Road, Paradise Valley

Maple & Ash
7135 E. Camelback Road, #130, Scottsdale

Mastro's City Hall Steakhouse
6991 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale

Three Mastro's locations, including the Ocean Club, earned Wine Spectator honors.

Mastro's Ocean Club

Mastro's Ocean Club
15045 N. Kierland Blvd., Scottsdale

Mastro's Steakhouse
8852 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, Scottsdale

Orange Sky at Talking Stick Resort
9800 E. Indian Bend Road, Scottsdale

Prime, A Shula's Steakhouse at Wild Horse Pass Resort and Casino
5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd., Chandler

The Capital Grille
2502 E. Camelback Road
16489 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale

click to enlarge

Whether you're drinking wine or cocktails, Fat Ox offers a stellar selection.

Geri Koeppel

Fat Ox
6316 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale

Vincent on Camelback
3930 E. Camelback Road

Virtu Honest Craft
3701 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale

Outside of the Valley, a few spots in Sedona, Flagstaff and Tucson earned Best Award of Excellence distinction. And the third-tier award, the Award of Excellence, went to restaurants around the state. In total, Arizona earned 66 Wine Spectator awards in 2025. Check out the full list on the magazine's website.

Tirion Boan is the Food Editor of Phoenix New Times where she’s worked since May 2022. Tirion keeps a close eye on restaurant openings and closings, offers dining recommendations and reports on metro Phoenix food news and trends. She also publishes major annual lists like Top 100 Bars and Top 100 Restaurants, and contributes to the Best of Phoenix project. Tirion previously worked for publications including The Arizona Republic and The Tucson Weekly. She holds a bachelor’s of arts in journalism from the University of Arizona.

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