La Crosse's Best-Kept Wine Secret
Downtown · La Crosse · French-Influenced New American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · September 15, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Charmant Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You do not expect a 72-bottle list with a $475 prestige Champagne and a Radikon skin-contact white when you roll into La Crosse, Wisconsin — and yet here we are. The Charmant's wine program hits well above its weight class for a mid-sized Midwest hotel restaurant, and it's clear someone with actual taste built this list. The range from $30 entry-level to serious cellar picks signals a real effort, not just an afterthought.
The list covers meaningful ground: Barolo from Boroli, a Grand Cru Saint-Émilion from Château Haut-Segottes, Duckhorn's benchmark Three Palms Merlot, and the wildly unexpected Radikon Pinot Grigio 'Sivi' — an orange wine that has absolutely no business being in a hotel lobby bar in Wisconsin, and we mean that as the highest compliment. French representation leans toward Bordeaux and Languedoc, with the Domaine de Baron'Arques Limoux Rouge as an undersung pick. Pacific Northwest shows up well with Alexandria Nicole's Destiny Ridge Syrah and Lingua Franca's 'Avni' Pinot Noir. Argentina gets a double mention with both Cosse et Maisonneuve's Cahors-style Malbec 'Solis' and the more crowd-friendly Atamisque. The list isn't exhaustive, but it's curated with a point of view.
Sixteen options by the glass is a generous pour for any restaurant, let alone one in this market, with pricing running $6 to $13. That low ceiling does raise some questions about whether the pricier bottles are represented in the glass program, but the spread at least means you can explore without committing to a full bottle. A rotation of this size suggests they're keeping things moving, which is good news for freshness.
Lingua Franca Pinot Noir 'Avni' 2021 — $62
Lingua Franca is Larry Stone's Willamette Valley project, and the 'Avni' consistently punches above its price tier in the market. At $62 on a restaurant list, you're getting serious Oregon Pinot from a name that usually costs significantly more to drink in a dining room. This is the move.
Radikon Pinot Grigio 'Sivi' 2020
Most people scanning this list will walk right past a $95 Pinot Grigio without a second look. That's a mistake. Radikon is one of the founding names in natural, skin-contact wine from Friuli, and 'Sivi' is an amber-hued, oxidative, genuinely weird and wonderful bottle that you will not find at most restaurants in this zip code — or most zip codes, frankly. Order it and confuse your table.
The Prisoner Zinfandel 'Saldo' 2021
At $54, Saldo is priced fairly enough, but it's also available at every Total Wine and Costco in America. When the list has a Boroli Barolo and a Radikon orange wine within reach, spending your evening on a fruit-bomb Zinfandel you could grab off a grocery shelf for $20 feels like leaving money on the table — the wrong way.
Domaine de Baron'Arques Limoux Rouge 2019 + Duck or roasted poultry preparation
The Baron'Arques Limoux Rouge is a Languedoc blend with earthy backbone and enough dark fruit to handle rich poultry without overwhelming it. It's the kind of food-friendly French red that was built for exactly this style of French-influenced New American cooking — and at $95 it's one of the more interesting bottles on the list that most diners won't recognize by name.
The Bottom Line
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.
· La Crosse · Hotel Restaurant / American
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.
Grocery Store
Steep
Basic Stemmed
MIA
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· 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
· 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
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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