Long Island's Best Ambassador Lives in Wisconsin
Madison · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · March 31, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Manna Kitchen & Bar’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The list opens with Dom Pérignon and closes with Opus One, which tells you Manna isn't playing it completely safe — but it also isn't afraid to charge for the privilege. What actually catches our eye is buried in the middle: a run of Long Island producers that you don't typically find 1,200 miles from the North Fork.
Manna has built something genuinely unusual here — a wine list that doubles as a quiet love letter to Long Island. Bedell, Wolffer Estate, Channing Daughters, Fatalis Fatum, and Paumanok all make appearances, covering everything from Malbec Rosé to Cabernet Franc to Ramato-style Pinot Grigio. Outside of New York, the list pulls from reliable classics: a Domaine Vocoret Chablis, a Karine Lauverjat Sancerre, the Domaine Ott Bandol Rosé, and a Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio keep the Old World flank respectable. California shows up with Opus One and St. Francis Chardonnay, which is a wide swing between prestige and commodity — the stuff in between is where they could use more work.
Glass pours run $11–$14, which is fair for Madison but not generous. The by-the-glass selection appears to rotate through a small subset of the bottle list, and with estimates of 8–12 options, there's enough to navigate without defaulting to the house pour. We'd love to see more of those Long Island bottles make it to the glass program — right now it skews toward the easier crowd-pleasers.
Channing Daughters Pinot Grigio Ramato '20 Long Island NY — $40s
This is an amber-hued, skin-contact Pinot Grigio from one of Long Island's most adventurous producers — the kind of wine that costs more at the winery tasting room and gets written up in Bon Appétit. Finding it here at a Madison restaurant at a mid-tier bottle price is the quiet win on this list.
Fatalis Fatum Cabernet Blend '18 Long Island NY
Most people scanning this list will jump straight to Opus One and tune out everything else in red. Don't. Fatalis Fatum is a small-production Long Island Cab blend that punches well above its regional reputation — it's the kind of bottle that surprises people who assume Long Island reds are afterthoughts.
Opus One '17 Napa Valley CA
At $326 on a restaurant list, you're paying a significant markup on a wine that retails around $200 and is available almost everywhere. It's not a bad bottle — it's never a bad bottle — but it's a prestige tax, not a discovery. Save that spend for a bottle you can't find at your local Total Wine.
Domaine Ott Chateau Romassan Bandol Rosé '20 Provence FR + Chef's fish or seafood feature
Bandol Rosé is one of the most food-serious pink wines made anywhere — structured, mineral, built on Mourvèdre rather than Grenache fluff. It handles rich seafood without getting pushed around, and Château Romassan specifically has the weight to stand up to anything with a butter or cream component on the plate.
The Bottom Line
Manna is doing something legitimately interesting with its Long Island commitment — it's the kind of list quirk that makes a restaurant worth revisiting. The markups keep it from being a great wine destination, but if you order smart, you'll drink better here than the menu design suggests.
South West Side / Arbor Gate · Madison · Contemporary American
Bonfyre is a reliable neighborhood grill that happens to have Wine Down Wednesday, and that promotion does more for this wine program than anything on the list itself. Come on a Wednesday, order the Riesling or the Malbec with your steak, and you'll leave happy — just don't expect the list to dazzle you on a Tuesday.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Downtown / Capitol Square · Madison · Sushi / Japanese
Red Sushi isn't a wine destination, and it doesn't pretend to be — but the fortified and dessert options give it more credibility than most comparable spots downtown. Come for the sushi, stay for the Madeira.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Far West Side / Greenway Station · Madison · Casual Italian
Biaggi's is a chain, the markups are steep, and nobody on staff is going to geek out over Nebbiolo with you — but the Wine Wednesday promotion (50% off bottles $75 and under) genuinely changes the math. Come on a Wednesday, order a bottle of Santa Margherita or a Chianti Classico at half price, and you'll have a perfectly solid dinner without any regrets.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Downtown · Madison · Seafood and Steak
Tempest is a reliable downtown option for wine with your oysters — the list has genuine highlights and the glass count is respectable, but the markups are steep and the program isn't pushing itself. Go for the Sancerre, go for the Riesling, and don't overthink it.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Side / Junction Road · Madison · Wine Bar & Bistro
Eno Vino West is the dependable neighborhood wine bar Madison's west side needs — not flashy, not adventurous, but genuinely well-stocked and fairly priced. Show up on a Monday or Tuesday, grab a half-price bottle, and stop overthinking it.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Active Program
Acceptable
Near West Side / Monroe Street · Madison · Californian-style, veggie-forward American
Everly's list is more thoughtful than most neighborhood spots its size, with a few genuinely exciting bottles mixed in with the safe pours. We'd send a friend here for wine, but we'd tell them to go in with eyes open on the markup — you're paying a premium for the atmosphere as much as what's in the glass.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Eagle Ranch · Vail · American
The Wild Sage is your dependable neighborhood spot in Eagle Ranch — the wine list won't blow your mind, but it won't embarrass you at dinner either. Watch the markups on the top-shelf Napa bottles and stick to the mid-range, and you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Waterfront · Traverse City · American
Warehouse Kitchen + Cork won't win any awards for depth or ambition, but it plays its hand honestly — fair prices, solid local representation, and a full by-the-glass program that respects your wallet. If you're in Traverse City and want a glass of something local with a water view, this works.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
West Truckee · Truckee · American
Sunnyside is a casual lodge restaurant wearing a serious wine list under its flannel — the markup is steep and it won't win any awards for staff expertise, but the producer lineup is legitimately impressive for where you're sitting. If you're already at the lake, this is absolutely worth ordering a real bottle.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
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