The Wisconsin Room

Walking into The Wisconsin Room feels like stepping into a Napa tasting room that somehow ended up in the Midwest — the list is anchored hard in California, and it makes no apologies for that. It's a confident, resort-polish approach to wine that leans into what well-heeled guests already know and love. The surroundings are stunning (this is The American Club, after all), and the list suits the room.

With 200-300 bottles, this is a proper list — not encyclopedic, but substantial enough that you won't feel stranded. The focus is unmistakably California, and the roster reads like a greatest hits of Napa: Caymus, Silver Oak, Stag's Leap, Jordan, Far Niente, Duckhorn. If you're looking for Burgundy depth, Rhône adventures, or anything from the natural wine world, you'll be disappointed. But if your happy place is a big Napa Cab or a buttery Russian River Chardonnay, sommelier Michelle Berard has built a list worth sitting with. Wine Spectator handed them their first Award of Excellence in 2025, and the California strength they cited is clearly the backbone here.

Twenty to thirty-five options by the glass is genuinely impressive for a resort dining room in Wisconsin — that's not a throwaway program. Expect the same California-forward lineup in glass form: Rombauer Chardonnay and Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches will almost certainly anchor the whites, with Caymus or Jordan pouring for the red crowd. Rotation doesn't appear to be a priority, so don't expect surprises, but what's there is reliable.