Pogreba Restaurant

The wine list at Pogreba is short — 26 bottles — but it reads like someone made deliberate choices rather than just calling a distributor and saying 'send whatever.' The price range opens at a very reasonable $28 and tops out at $124, which for an upscale American restaurant in La Crosse is refreshingly grounded. This isn't a list trying to impress wine nerds; it's a list trying to not embarrass itself, and mostly it succeeds.

Whites lead with Dutcher Crossing and Duckhorn holding down Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, and a Marqués Casa Concha Limari Valley Chardonnay that shows someone at least glanced beyond California. The fun stuff — a Dr. Loosen Mosel Riesling at $28 and a Cascinetta Vietti Moscato d'Asti — feels a little stranded on a list otherwise dominated by Napa Cabernet. And there is a lot of Cabernet: Sanctuary, Paul Hobbs, Stags Leap, Frank Family, Joseph Phelps, Caymus — six Napa Cabs in a row, plus the Mollydooker from McLaren Vale for the person who wants 'bold' but resists California zip codes. Pinot Noir gets a solid nod via Rex Hill and Big Farm Table from Willamette and the Belle Glos Dairyman from Russian River, and the Duckhorn Merlot rounds things out. There are zero sparkling options beyond the Marqués de Caceres Cava, and the absence of any Rhône, Italian reds, or anything from South America south of Chile is a gap that keeps this from reaching the next level.

By-the-glass data isn't available from the sourced wine list, which only documents bottles. Based on the list's structure and price points, it's a reasonable assumption that a handful of the entry-level bottles — the Cavaliere d'Oro Pinot Grigio, the Dr. Loosen Riesling, and possibly the Marqués de Caceres Cava — rotate into pours, but we can't confirm specifics. If you're not splitting a bottle, ask your server what's open.