Raven's View Wine Bar [October 2022]

Welcome back... let me introduce you to my favorite wine bar: Raven's View!! If you remember, I touched on Raven's View a couple of weeks ago in a mead blog. Not ringing a bell? I will refresh your memory. So, I was telling the owner of the Meading Room how excited I was that there was a place to do tastings so close to home since before they opened, the town of Scottsdale was the closest place to have a wine room. They proceeded to tell me about Raven's View Wine Bar just outside of town and that I should definitely give it a try. [So nice of them, right!?] After the grand opening of the Meading Room, Shawn drove Deb and me to check it out!!

As I mentioned before, it was raining during the Mead opening, and by the time we made it up to Raven's View, it was dark and pouring rain. The parking lot was packed; we took that as a good sign. There was literally not one open parking spot, so we had Shawn drop us off at the front door. We were just going to peep inside, you know, to see if we could see what it was like inside. When we walked up, we saw through the window that there was standing room only!! A member of the staff was coming out the side door, and we asked what was going on. It turns out they were having a wake. Needless to say, we left and decided to come back another time. Unfortunately, it took many tries before Deb was able to make it back with me.

But as for me and Shawn… you could call us regulars!! Haha!! You see, not only do they have several amazing wine flights [seen in the photo above] to choose from, they also have really amazing food. Once we found out they had crab cakes made with Maryland blue crab meat, we simply had to try them. From our very first visit, our first crab cake taste, we were hooked. Being from the Eastern Shore, that is one thing we have missed terribly since we started traveling. You can see from the photos that we have also come back many times to bring friends who also love wine and crab cakes!! In the photo below, let me introduce you to my friend Lindsey Dell.

We met during my second Arizona assignment at Del E. Webb Medical Center in Sun City West. She is one of the best scrubs [we joke about her being in my top three favorites] I have ever worked with, and we had so much fun getting to know each other. I still miss working with her, so thankfully we are able to get together and share a glass of wine when time and our schedules allow!! In the photo below, you may recognize a coworker from Banner Thunderbird that I mentioned in my GenuWine blog, but let me formally introduce you to a travel and another favorite scrub friend of mine, Itzy Ibarra. We've worked together at different places over the years, including Valleywise, [the burn center] but no matter where we are, we have always made time for wine!!

Raven's View is no exception; I knew I had to take Itzy since our tastes seem to run so similar to each other. I'm blessed to have so many fabulous ladies in my life, and I have no doubt Itzy and I will work together again sometime in the future!! Below, you may recognize my friend Sherri, and I sincerely hope you do since you just met her last week!! LOL!! We ended up at Raven’s View one day after some shopping in Cave Creek. I always make sure I have a reservation when going here; they do have open seating at the bar, but I don't like taking the chance. This fact makes it a popular place for bikers to stop in since it is such a scenic drive. I mention this because I remember that on this occasion one of them tried to scoop up Sherri for a ride!! She has the effect...

Okay, back to Raven's View... the wine bar was opened in 2016 by Tom and Linda Rawles. They are a local couple who had a vision to open a wine bar in the heart of Tonto Hills. Raven's View got its name due to the high-altitude desert location and the amazing views that can be enjoyed from the patio. There is also a lot of raven activity in the area as they are considered native wildlife; they are often seen soaring above the property. The name describes what Tom and Linda were going for in this beautiful little wine bar. To make a long story short, two years later the Rawles were overcome by the physical demands of operations, and they decided it was time to retire. They had the vision, they built the reputation, and now it was time to pass the torch.

They wanted to protect what they built, so they weren't going to sell to just anyone. Kym and Steve Westhoff were frequent patrons of Raven's View and had always wanted to own a place like this. When they heard it might be going up for sale, they requested a meeting, and it felt like the right fit for everyone. In 2018, the Westhoffs took ownership, revamped the menu, expanded the patio seating, and made it the hit that it is today!

Next week [also bringing us into the year 2023!!] Wine with Wixy will be visiting a local Arizona brewery. Yes, I said brewery and you may be asking yourself why I would add this to my WINE BLOG?? Well, let me tell you... next week when you tune back in!! Hahaha!!

Cheers to you my wine loving friends, and TTFN!!