Walker's Point's best Monday excuse to drink wine
Walker's Point · Milwaukee · Globally inspired small plates / tapas · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 9, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at La Merenda feels like the menu itself — bouncing around the globe with genuine curiosity and no apologies. It's a 60-to-100-bottle spread that doesn't try to be a wine bar but clearly put thought into what lands on these tables. For a lively tapas spot in Walker's Point, this list earns a double take.
The range here is legitimately eclectic — Mosel Riesling sitting next to Oregon Pinot Gris next to Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc — and it mirrors the kitchen's globe-trotting small plates in a way that feels intentional rather than accidental. There's real depth for a casual neighborhood spot: selections from the Pacific Northwest, New Zealand, and Germany all show up, which is more than most Milwaukee restaurants at this price point bother with. The gaps are real, though — no indication of Southern Hemisphere reds, Spanish wine presence is unclear, and the Italian section (natural for a tapas-adjacent spot) isn't documented. Still, the breadth suggests someone is paying attention.
Twelve to twenty by-the-glass options is a strong pour program for a place where most people are ordering five small plates and splitting a bottle. Whether those pours rotate with any seasonality is unclear, but the volume of options means you're not stuck choosing between Malbec and Pinot Grigio like everywhere else. A solid glass program for the format.
Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc 2024 — $44
At a 76% markup, this is the most restaurant-honest bottle on the list. Dog Point is a serious Marlborough producer — not your grocery store Cloudy Bay — and $44 for this quality is fair by any measure. Order it.
Dr. Hermann Riesling 2024
Mosel Riesling at a tapas spot in Milwaukee is a genuinely unexpected find, and Dr. Hermann is a legit producer. Yes, the markup stings at $40 on a $16 retail bottle, but the wine itself — bright, tart, a little petrol, a little lime — cuts through the lamb meatballs and Thai beef salad better than anything else on the list. Most people will skip it. Don't.
Foris Pinot Gris 2022
At $42 on a $15 retail bottle, this is the worst value math on the list — a 180% markup on a perfectly fine but unremarkable Oregon Pinot Gris. Nothing wrong with the wine, but you can do better here for the same money or less.
Dr. Hermann Riesling 2024 + Thai Beef Salad
Off-dry Mosel Riesling and anything with fish sauce, lime, and chili is one of the most reliable pairings in the world. The acidity slices through the heat, the residual sugar tamps the spice, and the citrus notes echo the salad's dressing. It's not subtle — it just works.
Monday — All bottled wine is half-price on Mondays. This changes the value equation on the entire list significantly — even the steeper markups become reasonable, and the Dog Point at ~$22 is a near-steal.
🎲 The Bottom Line
La Merenda's wine list is punching well above its weight for a casual Walker's Point tapas spot — global, eclectic, and backed by a Monday half-price bottle deal that makes the steep markups a lot easier to swallow. Come hungry, come Monday, and work around the Foris.
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