Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Winery & Trattoria - Cottonwood, Arizona

Nicole N.

Beautiful hilltop restaurant and winery. I sat at the bar overlooking Cottonwood and the Verde River Valley which was glorious in it's fall splendor with yellow leaves. The whole experience was so much fun from the ride up the tram ($2 cash paid to the tram runner) to the awesome bartender, Matti, who was great company! I very much enjoyed the daily special salad and vegetables (all from the green house on-site) and the daily special pizza. Matti made me a very special and unique gin and sake martini, so refreshing and delightful. The pizza was on point with a glass of Merkin red wine.
I had the best solo date here. I've been here a number of times at night - coming during the day was spectacular as I could really see and enjoy the incredible architecture and thoughtful design of the restaurant and winery.
This is definitely a wine, food and travel destination. Thank you to the entire Merkin team for friendly service. The host was so welcoming. The tram runner a friendly companion. Matti the bartender really made the whole experience complete with good conversation and story sharing.

Cindy L.

Merkin
Impressive, that is the word. We’ve been to other locations. I guess now have closed, but this was the grandfather of them all. ITS INCREDIBLE! Yeah, to say the least.
Joe, Beth and Tammy, I’m just saying that you guys have a lot of great employees, but these three really stood out, thank you for making our visit there so special.
The view is incredible. They have a lot of choices of wine and wine samples, but for me, I was glad to have a cocktail. I met some really fun people that were customers. Beth tickets to our favorite table. Joe, his personality is fabulous and made up the best cocktails, old-fashioned, Yum. Tammy assisted in taking some of the best pictures of the incredible view. We really did love this place and we will be back.
IWOULD RECOMMEND

Stephanie R.

My husband and I went to Merkins last night as part of our Honeymoon and it was also my birthday so we wanted to do something nice. The tram operator was a very nice guy, as well as the girl running the gelato stand. It was a bit of a wait, of course since it was Valentine's Day but after waiting around 45 minutes, they accommodated us with a very nice booth. The appetizer we ordered (Pane) was amazing and the fresh bread was out of this world! I ended up getting the Cavatelli Pesto and while the noodles were a bit gummy and the dish was lacking salt, it was still very nice and flavorful! Unfortunately, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows as our server was very absent, and we ended up sending a steak back that was overcooked both times. Our server ended up comping the steak and took off a gelato from our bill at the end for the inconvenience. Overall, I'd eat here again! The drinks are strong and manager Tammy made our night, she was the sweetest woman!

Amanda M.

Do come here for a drink to take in the spectacular views of Cottonwood. Skip the wine (at least the reds) as the flight I tried was undrinkable. They do have some very nice beers on draft (IPA) and the martini I consoled myself with after the bad flight was good but not great. Still, for the view, the fire pit when you get cool and the overall atmosphere it’s a win. We didn’t dine but a couple next to us who are local raved about the food.

Rebecca H. (.

What can I say but SUPERB! Everything on the menu that I tried was cooked to perfection and hands down mouth watering. Steaks were immaculately prepared, the butternut squash pasta in brown butter was phenomenal, and the service was very friendly. I definitely want to go back to try more dishes and for the fantastic views!

Erica H.

What a magnificent place! Food is tasty and the wines divine. The layout is terrific, staff are gracious and pleasant, the decor is tasteful and the surroundings delight. Looking forward to making another trip here very soon!

Staci S.

This is worth the drive if you don't live in Cottonwood. The view is spectacular and the food is so well made with local ingredients. We came for brunch and enjoyed conversations at the bar with other clients and staff. Drinks are a nice pour. I had the old fashion & the bartender let us try some wines before we bought the bottles from the vineyard. T-Rex & Matti were great bartenders.

Miguel

Great views of the mountains and the whole city!! Drinks.. might be a little expensive, but they were good. Food was great, but portions were huge!, so if you get a pizza.. it can easily be shared by two people.
Great place to go!!

Beautiful view of the moon!!