New Hampshire Grapes Land in Wisconsin
Greater Appleton / Fox Cities · Appleton · Winery Bistro · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 14, 2026
RagingWine reviewed LaBelle Winery Fox Cities Tasting Room & Bistro’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into a New Hampshire winery outpost in the middle of Wisconsin's Fox Cities is not something you see every day — and that alone earns points for audacity. The list is tight and entirely LaBelle's own portfolio, which means you're here for a specific experience, not a world tour. If you go in expecting a traditional wine bar, recalibrate; if you go in curious, you'll probably leave pleasantly surprised.
Everything on the list is LaBelle Winery production, built around cold-hardy varietals bred to survive brutal northern winters — La Crescent, Marquette, Frontenac, and Maréchal Foch. These aren't the grapes you'd find at a Napa tasting room, and that's exactly the point. The range is compact, hovering around 20-40 bottles, but it's genuinely coherent — white, rosé, and red expressions all present, covering dry to off-dry styles. What's missing is any outside reference point: if you want a Burgundy or a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, this isn't your stop.
The by-the-glass program runs 10-20 options and effectively doubles as a tasting menu — you can work through LaBelle's portfolio one pour at a time without committing to a bottle. Flights are available, which is the smart play for first-timers who want to understand how La Crescent compares to Marquette. Rotation tracks with the seasonal menu updates, so what's pouring in winter won't necessarily be what's pouring come July.
LaBelle Winery La Crescent — $
La Crescent is LaBelle's calling card white — aromatic, bright, and built for the bistro's charcuterie and cheese plates. At winery-direct pricing, you're getting a genuinely interesting cold-climate white for significantly less than you'd pay for a comparable imported aromatic white at a traditional restaurant.
LaBelle Winery Foch
Maréchal Foch gets overlooked because it sounds obscure and most people have never encountered it. That's a mistake. At LaBelle it tends to run earthy and medium-bodied with real character — closer to a rustic Beaujolais than anything jammy or heavy. Most guests walk past it for the Marquette; don't.
LaBelle Winery Frontenac
Frontenac is a tricky grape — it runs high-acid and can veer tannic in ways that don't always resolve well in a glass-pour format. Unless you've had it before and know what you're getting into, it's the most divisive bottle on the list and the one most likely to disappoint someone expecting a smooth, approachable red.
LaBelle Winery Marquette + Charcuterie Board
Marquette has enough structure and dark fruit to stand up to cured meats and aged cheeses without steamrolling the more delicate components. It's the list's most food-versatile red and the charcuterie board is the kitchen's most food-versatile plate — straightforward logic that actually delivers.
🎲 The Bottom Line
LaBelle Winery Fox Cities is a genuine Wild Card in the Appleton dining scene — a focused, single-producer list of cold-hardy grapes you won't find anywhere else in town. Send a friend who's curious and open-minded; skip it if they need a Cabernet.
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Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Appleton · Appleton · Italian
Victoria's isn't a wine destination, but the prices are honest, the Italian picks are legitimate, and a $10 Chianti Riserva with a massive plate of pasta is a genuinely good night out. Send your friends here if they want comfort food and an easy bottle — just don't expect anyone to geek out over the list with you.
Crowd Pleasers
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Appleton · Appleton · Japanese
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Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Appleton area · Appleton · Steakhouse
Wissota Chophouse is a reliable stop for a well-poured glass of something familiar alongside a good steak — just don't expect the wine list to be the reason you drove here. Stick to the mid-tier bottles, avoid the trophy wines, and you'll leave satisfied.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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