Lake Views, Decent Pours, No Surprises
Delavan (Greater Geneva Area) · Lake Geneva · Fine Dining / New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 24, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed 1878 on the Lake’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into 1878 on the Lake, the setting does a lot of the heavy lifting — water views, a freshly renovated dining room, and the kind of resort energy that makes people feel like they're somewhere special. The wine list arrives and it's... fine. It's a list that knows its audience: Midwestern vacationers who want something recognizable and won't push back on a $65 bottle of Pinot Noir.
The list leans hard on the Pacific Northwest — Oregon and Washington dominate, with California filling in the gaps and little room for anything European or adventurous. Erath shows up multiple times across different SKUs, which tells you the program is built around reliable, well-distributed names rather than any real curation. There's no Burgundy, no Rhône, no Barolo — if you're hoping for Old World depth to match the fine dining price point, you'll be disappointed. That said, for a resort restaurant in Delavan, Wisconsin, the Pacific Northwest focus at least gives it a regional identity to hang its hat on.
The by-the-glass program runs 12–18 options, which is a respectable count for this zip code. You'll find the Erath Pinot Gris and Rosé represented, and the range covers enough white-to-red ground that a table with mixed preferences won't be stuck. Rotation appears limited — this feels like a set-and-forget list rather than one where the glass pours change with the seasons.
Erath 2019 Oregon Pinot Gris — null
Price unknown from available data, but Erath's Pinot Gris consistently punches above its retail weight — it's bright, food-friendly, and the kind of white that works across most of the menu without drama. If it's on the lower end of the glass pour pricing, it's the move.
Erath 2021 Rosé of Pinot Noir
Rosé gets ignored at resort restaurants because people assume it's a summer-only, poolside pour. Wrong. Erath's Rosé of Pinot Noir has enough structure and dry fruit character to hold its own against the fish and seafood specials — and most people at the table will order something heavier and miss it entirely.
Erath 2019 Reserve Collection Pinot Noir
Reserve anything at a resort restaurant is where markups go to party. Erath's Reserve Pinot Noir retails in the $25–35 range, and you can safely assume it's hitting the list at a significant multiple of that. It's a good wine — just not at the price you're likely being charged for it here.
Erath 2021 Resplendent Pinot Noir + Grilled Fish or Seafood Special
Resplendent sits in a lighter, more elegant lane for Pinot Noir — lower tannin, red fruit forward — which makes it a rare red that actually works with the lake fish and seafood the kitchen features. Most people will default to a Cab with their steak, which leaves this bottle underordered and, frankly, better suited to half the menu.
The Bottom Line
1878 on the Lake is a solid resort restaurant doing exactly what resort restaurants do — safe selections, reliable producers, and a markup that subsidizes those lakefront views. We'd send a friend here for a nice night out on the water, but we'd tell them to skip the Reserve and order the Rosé.
· Lake Geneva · Resort dining
The Abbey Resort is a beautiful property, and the Yacht Club dining room presumably delivers on atmosphere and food. The wine list, however, is a nine-bottle shrug — steep markups on familiar labels with no depth, no rotation, and no apparent curation. Order a cocktail or a beer and save the wine conversation for somewhere that's having it.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Lake Geneva · Winery and Orchard
Apple Barn Orchard & Winery isn't trying to compete with your favorite natural wine bar, and it doesn't need to. It's a tight, honest, hyper-local fruit wine program priced like it wants you to actually buy a bottle — or three. If you're in Lake Geneva and open-minded about what wine can be, it's worth the stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Lake Geneva · Winery
AeppelTreow is not a wine list — it's a statement. If you're driving through Lake Geneva and want something genuinely different from the standard Midwestern winery experience, this four-bottle fruit wine lineup delivers on its own terms. Just know what you're walking into: this is orchard country, not Napa.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Lake Geneva · Waterfront American
The Boathouse at Pier 290 has a wine list that does the job without doing much else — familiar producers, California-heavy, built for the path of least resistance. If you're coming for the setting and want something easy and recognizable to drink, you'll be fine. If wine is the point of your evening, you'll want to look elsewhere.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Lake Geneva · New American
Turf. Kitchen + Tap looks like a solid resort wine program — broad enough geographically to suggest some genuine effort, casual enough in setting that nobody's going to quiz you on your order. We'd feel comfortable sending a friend here for a relaxed dinner with a decent glass of wine, but we'd stop short of calling it a destination for the list itself. Come for the views and the Choriqueso; the wine will take care of itself.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lake Como / The Ridge Hotel · Lake Geneva · American
Crafted Americana's wine program is resort-standard in the fullest sense: recognizable, priced for convenience, and unlikely to generate any complaints or any real excitement. If you're at The Ridge for the weekend and want a solid glass of Cab with your prime rib, you'll be fine — just don't come expecting a discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Newport · Fine Dining / New American
Castle Hill's wine list is a quiet overachiever in a setting that could easily get away with doing far less. The by-the-glass depth is real, the format variety is a genuine bonus, and the Lustau Fino alone justifies scanning the list carefully. Prices trend steep as you'd expect from a waterfront inn, but the curation earns some goodwill — just don't autopilot to the Cabernet.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Monterey · Fine Dining / New American
Foray's wine list is the rare kind that rewards the curious and doesn't punish the budget-conscious — a Picpoul at $15 and Krug at $195 can coexist on the same list without the whole thing feeling schizophrenic. The eclectic regional reach, fair markups, and genuinely unusual picks like the Armenian Yacoubian-Hobbs earn this a Wild Card badge: it's not the deepest list on the Central Coast, but it's easily the most interesting one in Monterey. If you care about what's in your glass, this is the right room.
Deep & Eclectic
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Proper
· Medford · Fine Dining / New American
Alchemy is doing something genuinely interesting in Southern Oregon — a sparkling-centric wine program with real depth and fair pricing that you wouldn't necessarily expect to find in Medford. If bubbles are your language, this list is worth the trip.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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