Lake Views Can't Save This List
Fontana-on-Geneva Lake · Lake Geneva · Casual American / Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 24, 2026
RagingWine reviewed The Waterfront at The Abbey Resort’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
The lakefront setting at The Abbey is genuinely lovely — a warm Wisconsin evening, water lapping outside, cold drink in hand. Then you look at the wine list and it's eight labels deep, with two of those slots taken up by house-branded Chardonnay and Cabernet. The vibe says resort; the wine list says airport.
Eight bottles is not a wine list — it's a suggestion. What's here leans heavily on crowd-pleasing, easy-to-pronounce labels: Avissi Prosecco, Ricossa Moscato d'Asti, and two Chandon splits covering the sparkling bases. The red side of the menu gets Honoro Vera Cabernet (a solid Spanish value) and Juan Gil Red Blend alongside The Abbey Resort's own-label Cab, while whites are covered by Grounded by Josh Phelps Sauvignon Blanc and the house Chardonnay. There's no regional curiosity here, no depth, and the California-Spain-Italy trifecta feels more like a distributor's starter pack than a curated selection. Gaps are everywhere: no Pinot Noir, no Rosé by the bottle, no Riesling to honor the Wisconsin summer.
By-the-glass specifics aren't published, which is itself a small red flag — you're likely looking at whatever the server decides to open that night. With only eight labels on the entire list, the pour options are presumably limited; expect the house Abbey Resort bottles to dominate the glass program. Ordering a split of Chandon Rosé or Brut at $20 is probably your most controlled move here.
Honoro Vera Cabernet — Unknown — bottle price not published
Honoro Vera is a reliably overperforming Spanish Cab that retails around $10-12, so even if the resort marks it up, it's the most legitimate wine on this list. If you're drinking red, this is your best shot at something that actually tastes like it belongs in a glass.
Juan Gil Red Blend
Juan Gil makes serious wine out of Jumilla, Spain — mostly Monastrell, which is dense, dark-fruited, and built for food. Most people at a lakefront bar will scroll right past it. Don't. It's got more going on than anything else on this list.
The Abbey Resort Chardonnay
House-label wines at resort properties are almost always bulk wine with a custom label slapped on. There's no producer transparency, no vintage information, and you're paying resort pricing for something that almost certainly came out of a tank in California's Central Valley.
Chandon Brut (Split) + All-You-Can-Eat Fish Fry (Walleye)
Sparkling wine and fried fish is a classic move — the bubbles and acidity cut right through the batter. A Chandon Brut split is cold, fizzy, and proportioned perfectly for a solo fish fry situation. It's also the only wine on this list where you control the format and know exactly what you're getting.
❌ The Bottom Line
The Waterfront is a great place to have a beer and watch the sun go down over Geneva Lake. As a wine destination, it has no ambitions and makes no apologies — order the Chandon split, enjoy the view, and save the bottle of wine for dinner somewhere else.
Lake Como / The Ridge Hotel · Lake Geneva · American
Crafted Americana's wine program is resort-standard in the fullest sense: recognizable, priced for convenience, and unlikely to generate any complaints or any real excitement. If you're at The Ridge for the weekend and want a solid glass of Cab with your prime rib, you'll be fine — just don't come expecting a discovery.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Highway 50 corridor (east of downtown Lake Geneva) · Lake Geneva · Steakhouse / Seafood / Supper Club
Anthony's isn't a wine destination, and it doesn't pretend to be — but for a Wisconsin supper club on a Friday night, the list is honest, the prices are fair, and the Washington State focus gives it just enough personality to keep things interesting. Send your parents here and order the Syrah.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Williams Bay / Highway 67 corridor · Lake Geneva · Fine Dining French
Opus is the rare fine dining wine program in the Midwest that earns the label without hedging — 346 bottles deep, French-focused, and staffed by someone who clearly knows what they're doing. The markups will sting, but for a special occasion in lake country, this is exactly where you want to be drinking.
Deep & Eclectic
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Delavan (Greater Geneva Area) · Lake Geneva · Fine Dining / New American
1878 on the Lake is a solid resort restaurant doing exactly what resort restaurants do — safe selections, reliable producers, and a markup that subsidizes those lakefront views. We'd send a friend here for a nice night out on the water, but we'd tell them to skip the Reserve and order the Rosé.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Occasional
Acceptable
Delavan (Greater Geneva Area) · Lake Geneva · American / Resort
If you're here for the lake views and a burger, order a cocktail and don't stress the wine list — it's not why you came. But if wine actually matters to you, the Lookout's list is the kind of set-it-and-forget-it program that makes you wish you'd packed a bottle to leave at the front desk.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Lake Como · Lake Geneva · American / Supper Club
Mars Resort is a great place to drink a cold glass of something while live music plays and the lake does all the heavy lifting — but don't come here expecting a wine program that cares as much as you do. Order the Bisol, enjoy the view, and save the serious bottle for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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