Wine Tasting in Arizona

Versed in vintages from around the globe and down the block, Vino 100's aficionados personally curate the shop’s collection of more than 150 wines. Blond wood shelves display bottles stacked into tidy pyramids and sporting labels from wineries such as Oberon, Coppola, and Toad Hollow. In addition to gracing home wine cabinets with new vintages, the shop rewards oenophiles with membership to the grapenutz Wine Club, which unlocks perks including discounts and complimentary bottles. In addition to special events such as live music, wine-pairing dinners, and Bartles and Jaymes look-alike contests, Vino 100 invites patrons to informative wine classes covering topics ranging from tasting tips to wine-production secrets. In the spirit of Dionysian goodwill, the shop helps support a roster of community partners such as schools and animal rescues.

Though online reviews are still growing for CataVinos Wine Shop & Tasting Room, five Yelpers award the store a perfect five stars.

The popular wicked roll hides a bundle of spicy crab, avocado, cilantro, and jalapeño topped with a sweet thai-chili sauce, and the truffle Hamachi pairs fresh yellowtail sashimi with white-truffle oil, cilantro, and sea salt. The kitchen also whips up a handful of eats other than sushi, including grilled chicken and vegetarian-friendly panko-crusted tofu with miso-butter sauce. Diners can pair their meals with sake, cocktails, beers, and wines poured at The Sushi Room’s bar or milked from a giant grape hanging over the restaurant’s entrance.

Cheers Tavern’s interior glows with its baker’s dozen of 51-inch high-definition TVs and its gargantuan 80-inch LED high-definition TV, which contributes to the pub’s lively, neighborly setting where regulars cheer on stock-car races, football games, and other sporting events. A menu of pub food, including wings by the dozen and a deep-fried cheeseburger, pairs harmoniously with the eight draft beers that flow freely from Cheers' taps. Guests can throw darts or play pool to stoke their own competitive fires, or they can see who can shatter the most beer mugs with high notes during Ultimate Karaoke on weekends.

If the name 5th and Wine doesn’t give away the restaurant’s specialty, maybe the wine barrel guarding the front door might. Or possibly the selection of more than 40 wines available by the glass, including reds and whites from around the world and 5th and Wine’s very own sangria. Those libations––along with specialty cocktails such as a black-cherry manhattan or root-beer martini––complement a menu of seafood, steaks, and burgers made with beef, elk, and bison patties.

Inside the 60-seat dining space, arched beams frame the room and a chalkboard wall displays daily drink specials and upcoming sets from local musicians. In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, comfy couches and chairs carve out a post-meal lounge area, along with a murphy bed for guests who know which window to punch. Additionally, a 40-seat tasting room indulges guests with red leather chairs and the aroma of an old-fashioned popcorn machine at work. Diners can also enjoy their meal on the courtyard patio where an awning shades meals during the day and strings of lights brighten up the night.:m]]

The certified sommelier at Vine Expressions handpicks three wines each month, from which wine-club members select two for enjoying within the warmly lit bistro. Rotating offerings may include chardonnay, pinot noir, or cabernet sauvignon, which wine lovers sip, sniff, and gargle while lounging at the purple-tinged bar or in cozy leather chairs. Snacks crafted from ingredients culled from the nearby farmers' market complement the reds and whites, and wooden shelves brimming with bottles line the walls alongside works by local artists. Membership also grants access to specialty events such as wine dinners, festivals, and trips to regional grapevines laden with succulent fruit and juicy neighborhood gossip.