Six Bottles and a Prayer
· La Crosse · Hotel Restaurant / American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 15, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Restaurant at The Radisson Hotel La Crosse’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Six wines. That's the list. You could fit the entire wine program on a Post-it note and still have room to write 'please help.' This is a hotel bar wine list in the most resigned, apologetic sense of the term.
The list reads like someone grabbed whatever was on the bottom shelf at a regional grocery distributor and called it a day. CK Mondavi and Jacob's Creek are the headliners — both bulk-production brands that retail for under $10 a bottle. The most interesting entry is arguably the Meiers Sparkling Catawba, a non-alcoholic option that somehow made the cut on a six-bottle list. There are no regional producers, no Old World representation, and no apparent curation beyond 'it's wine and it pours.'
Three pours available by the glass, all at a flat $8. That sounds accessible until you realize the bottles underneath those pours retail for $7-$9 at most, making the markup math pretty unflattering. Rotation isn't a concept that applies here.
Wycliff Brut Champagne — $30
On a list this thin, the sparkling option at least gives you something celebratory. It's not remotely complex, but bubbles have a way of making any situation feel slightly more intentional.
Meiers Sparkling Catawba (Non-Alcoholic)
If you're not drinking alcohol, this is actually a thoughtful inclusion — Meiers is a legitimate Ohio producer with history, and sparkling Catawba is a genuinely American grape story. It's the most interesting thing on the list, which says a lot.
Prosecco
At $35 with no producer name attached — just 'Prosecco' — you have no idea what you're getting, and that ambiguity isn't worth the premium over the Wycliff sitting right next to it.
Jacob's Creek Moscato + Hotel Breakfast Buffet
Sweet, low-alcohol, and completely inoffensive — this is basically juice with ambition, and it fits the morning buffet energy better than it fits any actual dinner course.
The Bottom Line
This is a wine list that exists because the hotel felt obligated to have one, not because anyone thought carefully about it. Order a beer or a cocktail and move on.
· La Crosse · Steakhouse / Smokehouse
Piggy's isn't trying to be a wine destination, and that's fine — but for a smokehouse in La Crosse, the list is fair, the pricing doesn't embarrass itself, and there are a couple of genuinely solid bottles if you know where to look. Order the Seghesio, eat the ribs, and leave happy.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · La Crosse · French-Influenced New American
For a hotel restaurant in La Crosse, The Charmant's wine list is a genuine surprise — thoughtfully assembled, fairly priced, and hiding at least two or three bottles that serious wine drinkers would seek out anywhere. Send a friend here and tell them to order the Radikon.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· La Crosse · Steakhouse / American
Freight House is a dependable steakhouse wine list — fair prices, familiar names, no nasty surprises. If you're looking for discovery, look elsewhere; if you're looking for a solid bottle to go with a good cut of meat in La Crosse, you'll leave satisfied.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Onalaska · La Crosse · American / Supper-Club Style
Blue Moon is a dependable neighborhood spot that takes its wine list seriously enough to give you real options without overcomplicating things. Send a friend here if they want a lake view, a fair pour of Chianti, and no stress — just don't send them expecting adventure.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· La Crosse · Italian / New American
SAGRA is doing something genuinely surprising for its geography: a tight, intentional natural wine list at fair prices in a mid-sized Wisconsin city. If you're passing through La Crosse and care about what's in your glass, this is not a place to walk past.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· La Crosse · Upscale American
Pogreba's wine list is a well-intentioned, Napa-centric lineup that serves its room without taking many risks — and in La Crosse, Wisconsin, that's probably the right call. Send a friend here if they want a reliable bottle at a fair price; tell the adventurous drinker to order the Riesling and stop overthinking it.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Provo · Hotel Restaurant / American
AutoCamp Virgin has no business having a wine list this interesting, and we mean that as a compliment. It's small, it's fair, and it has two or three bottles genuinely worth ordering — which is more than you can say for most hotel restaurants twice its size.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Canandaigua Lake waterfront · Canandaigua · Hotel Restaurant / American
Rose Tavern is a perfectly pleasant place to drink wine if you're already staying at The Lake House — the setting does a lot of the work. But if you're driving in specifically for the wine list, you'd do better hitting a dedicated Finger Lakes tasting room down the road.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Canandaigua Lake waterfront · Canandaigua · Hotel Restaurant / American
Rose Tavern isn't trying to be a destination wine bar, but it's got the bones of one — a sommelier, a thoughtful local-first list, and a glass program that lets you actually explore it. Markups on the name brands are punishing, but stick to the Finger Lakes section and you're drinking well at a lake view that most wine lists couldn't dream of.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
List Variety
Markup
Glassware
Staff
Specials & Deals
Storage & Temp
