Bacchus – A Bartolotta Restaurant
Big List, Bigger Markups, Buyer Beware
Downtown · Milwaukee · American, Steakhouse, Seafood, Contemporary · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 30, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
Two hundred and thirty bottles in a sleek Cudahy Tower dining room with a sommelier on the floor — on paper, this should be a home run. The list looks impressive at first glance, with some genuinely interesting choices scattered among the usual suspects. But the moment you start cross-referencing prices, the shine comes off fast.
Selection Deep Dive
The 230-bottle list has real range, touching California, South Africa, and Europe with enough depth to keep a curious drinker busy. There are legitimately interesting picks here — the Thorne & Daughters Rocking Horse from Western Cape and the Emmerich Knoll Pfaffenberg Riesling show someone with actual taste built this list. But the selection also leans on crowd-pleasing brands like The Prisoner Wine Company that charge restaurant prices for grocery-store wine. The bones are good; the execution gets greedy.
By the Glass
By-the-glass specifics aren't published, which is its own kind of red flag at a restaurant charging these prices — you should know what you're walking into before you sit down. With a sommelier on staff and a $$$$ price point, we'd expect a rotating glass program that actually showcases the list's more interesting corners, but there's no evidence that's happening.
Emmerich Knoll Ried Pfaffenberg Riesling 2017 — $55
A 57% markup is practically charitable compared to everything else on this list. Knoll is one of the Wachau's great producers, and a 2017 with some age on it at $55 is the closest thing to a fair deal Bacchus offers. Grab it.
Thorne & Daughters 'Rocking Horse' White Blend 2022
Most Milwaukee diners are going to skip right past a South African white blend and land on a California Chardonnay. That's a mistake. Thorne & Daughters makes thoughtful, textured wines from the Western Cape that punch well above their category — and this one's worth the detour.
Pali Wine Company Wild Series White Blend 2022
A 221% markup — $90 on a $28 retail bottle — is not a pricing strategy, it's a shakedown. Pali is a perfectly fine everyday California wine, and paying three times its worth at a nice dinner is exactly the kind of move Bacchus is hoping you won't notice.
Thorne & Daughters 'Rocking Horse' White Blend 2022 + Faroe Island Salmon
The Rocking Horse is a textured, slightly saline white with enough body to stand up to the richness of salmon without bulldozing it. It's the kind of pairing that feels effortless — bright acid, subtle fruit, fish that doesn't get lost.
❌ The Bottom Line
Bacchus has the ingredients for a great wine program — serious list, knowledgeable staff, proper setting — but the markup structure on a significant chunk of the list is hard to overlook. Come for the Knoll Riesling, skip The Prisoner, and make sure someone at your table is paying attention.
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