La Crosse's Secret Natural Wine Obsession
· La Crosse · Italian / New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 14, 2026
RagingWine reviewed SAGRA Food and Wine’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Nineteen bottles. That's it. In most places, that number would be a death sentence for a wine program — but SAGRA isn't most places. This list reads like someone's personal cellar raided by a person who actually knows what they're doing: Teutonic, Arnot-Roberts, G.D. Vajra, and a Croatian Plavac Mali sitting next to a Lambrusco. In La Crosse, Wisconsin. We had to look twice.
The list is organized into three loose buckets — whites and oranges, reds, and frizzante — and every slot feels deliberate. There's a genuine commitment to the natural and low-intervention world here: Union Sacre Dry Orange Riesling, Fio Orange Glou-Glou, and Sables Vert Glou-Glou signal a kitchen that's paying attention to what's happening in wine right now, not what was trendy five years ago. The Italian thread is strong — Vietti Dolcetto, Vajra Langhe Rosso, Li Veli Primitivo, Puianello Lambrusco — but the list escapes the trap of being a one-note Italian restaurant wine list by pulling in Austrian Neuburger, Sardinian Vermentino, and a California Cab from Arnot-Roberts. Gaps? Sure — no Burgundy, no Barolo, limited depth for red-meat drinkers who want options. But for what it is, this list punches well above its weight class.
Seven pours by the glass at $9–$13 is genuinely reasonable, and the range feels like a greatest-hits sampler of the bottle list rather than a dumping ground for surplus stock. We don't have the full BTG breakdown, but if the frizzante and orange wine options make the cut here — which they should — this is a solid by-the-glass program for a small-city restaurant. Rotation details are unclear, so ask your server what's open.
Puianello Lambrusco Ambile — $32
The entry price on this list and the easiest yes of the night. Good Lambrusco is criminally underrated, and at $32 this is probably a $15–$18 retail bottle — fair markup, zero pretension, and it drinks great slightly chilled with anything on the table.
Markus Altenburger Neuburger Betont
Neuburger is an Austrian white grape that almost nobody outside of wine nerd circles has heard of, and Altenburger is one of the best producers working with it. This is genuinely rare on a restaurant list — anywhere, not just Wisconsin. If you skip this for a safer Chardonnay, you'll regret it.
Arnot-Roberts Montecillo Cabernet Sauvignon
Arnot-Roberts is a great producer and this is a serious wine, but at $152 it's the one moment where the list loses the plot on value. That's a significant jump from the next most expensive bottle, and unless someone at the table is specifically hunting California Cab, your money goes further almost anywhere else on this list.
G.D. Vajra Langhe Rosso + Pasta with a meat ragù or braised pork
Vajra's Langhe Rosso is a Nebbiolo-based blend with enough structure to stand up to rich, slow-cooked meat but enough freshness to not bulldoze the dish. It's the classic Italian red for Italian food play, executed at a price — $48 — that won't make you wince when you order a second glass.
The Bottom Line
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.
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 · 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
· La Crosse · Italian
Ciatti's isn't going to make anyone's wine pilgrimage list, but it's a genuinely solid neighborhood Italian with fair prices, a thoughtful white wine program, and a local Wisconsin producer on the list. Send a friend here for dinner and they won't be stuck drinking swill.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· La Crosse · Bar & American Fare
The Old Crow is a bar first, and the wine list is an afterthought — a short, safe, supermarket-shelf lineup that'll do the job if you absolutely need a glass of something. Order a beer or a cocktail instead; this is not your wine destination.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· La Crosse · Coffee House & Wine Bar
JavaVino is La Crosse's most charming low-stakes wine stop — not because the list is ambitious, but because the pricing is honest and the whole thing feels genuinely unpretentious. Send a friend here for an afternoon glass and a coffee chaser, not a serious bottle-list deep dive.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Cass Street Historic District · La Crosse · French and European Fine Dining
Le Chateau is a genuinely lovely place to eat, and the wine list has flashes of good instinct — the Ott Rosé, the Vouvray, the Loire focus. But unnamed producers, punishing markups on the house selections, and a static list hold it back from being a real wine destination. Order the Domaines Ott, skip the Malbec, and let the room do most of the heavy lifting.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Santa Barbara · Italian / New American
Nella's list is small enough to read in two minutes but built by someone who clearly gives a damn — the Loire picks alone are worth the detour. Not a deep cellar, but an honest, well-priced program that earns its place in Santa Barbara's dining scene.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Springfield · Italian / New American
Piccolo punches above its weight for a Springfield Italian spot — the Brunello by the glass alone earns it a second look. It's not destination wine dining, but it's a genuinely solid list that won't embarrass you on a date night.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Brookside / Ben Holt · Stockton · Italian / New American
Mezzo isn't trying to be a wine destination, but it's doing the work to be a reliable one — solid California producers, a smart sparkling section, and prices that won't ruin the night. Send your friends here knowing the wine won't let them down.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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