Best Wine Lists in Wisconsin

Ristorante Bartolotta dal 1993

Wauwatosa · Wauwatosa · Italian

The Wild Card

Bartolotta is doing something genuinely unusual for the Midwest — a focused, Italy-only wine list that favors regional specificity over safe crowd-pleasers. The pricing is fair relative to what's on offer, and standouts like the Vie Di Romans Ciampagnis and Ca del Bosco Franciacorta punch well above the restaurant's zip code. If Italian wine is your thing and you're anywhere near Wauwatosa, this list is worth a dedicated evening.

The Commodore - A Bartolotta Restaurant

· Hartland · Restaurant

The Wild Card

The Commodore is a Champagne list wearing a full-restaurant costume — if bubbles are your reason for coming, there's enough grower depth (Chiquet, Gimonnet) mixed in with the prestige bottles to make it a legitimate destination pour. But the markups are real, the still wine bench is thin, and we don't have enough visibility into the rest of the experience to call it more than a Wild Card worth knowing about if you're celebrating in the western suburbs of Milwaukee.

The Lakely

· Eau Claire · New American

The Reliable

The Lakely is a genuinely likable neighborhood anchor in a hotel package that punches above its weight for Eau Claire. The wine program is modest and not fully transparent online, but the vibe, the food — that Friday fish fry especially — and the fair pricing keep this squarely in the worth-a-visit column. We'd go back for the burger and whatever's pouring by the glass. We'd hold off on building a whole evening around the wine list.

The Wine Guyz

· La Crosse · Wine Bar

The Wild Card

The Wine Guyz earns its Wild Card badge by being something La Crosse didn't necessarily need but clearly does: a real wine bar with range, a relaxed atmosphere, and food that goes beyond bar snacks. We'd send a curious wine drinker here without hesitation — just go in ready to ask questions, since the list doesn't live online and the real program reveals itself in person.

A compact 12-wine list with glass and bottle prices posted, half-glass portions, and a bottle shop run by the same business. Order the $11 Famille Perrin Côtes du Rhône or the $11 Anjou Chenin Blanc by the glass and confirm current availability, since the menu is linked as 8-22-26. This unrated guide covers the posted beverage menu, not service, storage or markups.

A very large list with no by-the-glass section posted: 657 priced wines from $30 to $4,450, and Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is the biggest group at 93 entries. For a starting point, the $50 Jean Marc Martin Haut-Médoc Merlot 2015 is the lowest-priced wine in the "Sommelier's Favorites Reds", and the $70 Thorne & Daughters Rocking Horse White Blend 2023 is the South African pick. Prices carry no unit and the page is undated, so confirm both. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.

A short, varied list: 35 wines, from Lambrusco and Mourvèdre to Napa Cabernet, with paired numbers from 11 to 15 and a Cruvinet box at 11 to 22. Try the 11 | 43 Pirates del Ebro Tempranillo, or the Selbach Riesling with the scallops, and ask which number is the glass price. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.

Lakefront is a beer hall with a one-line wine list: three Wollersheim wines at $9. If you want wine, start with the Prairie Fumé alongside the cheese curds and ask about pour size, since the menu does not say. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks selection, not service, storage or markups.

A friendly, easy list for a pasta-and-pizza room: 19 pours by the glass from $7 to $13, plus bottles from $36 to $90. Start with the $7 Wollersheim Prairie Fumé, or get the $10 Banfi Chianti Superiore with a bowl of Pomodoro, and confirm prices because the page is undated. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.

A bottle list with Greek, Sicilian and Lebanese bottles alongside Napa Cabernet, and Dom Perignon at $550. Start with the $40 Oenops 'Apla' or the $65 Château Musar 'Jeune', and plan around Wine Wednesday, when the restaurant says select bottles are half price from 5pm to 9pm. Confirm vintages and which bottles qualify before you order. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.

A global drinks list that matches a global small-plates menu. Start with the Dr. Hermann Riesling at $10 / $40 or the Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc at $10.5 / $42, ask which figure is the glass, and confirm what is pouring. This unrated guide covers the posted drinks list, not service, storage or markups.

A big, Cabernet-led list with a few friendly glass pours at the front. Start with the $11 A to Z Chardonnay or the $14 Dr. Hermann Riesling, and save the four-figure bottles for a night you have planned for. Confirm current prices, since the menu is a live widget. This unrated guide covers the posted wine list, not service, storage or markups.