Mary Kate's Wine Bar
Serious California Juice in Northwoods Wisconsin
Eagle River · Eagle River · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 10, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
You don't expect to find Opus One and Ridge Monte Bello on a wine list in a small Wisconsin lake town, and yet here we are. Mary Kate's lands a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence in its first year of eligibility, which tells you everything about how seriously this place takes its program. The room delivers on atmosphere too — great decor, the kind of place that earns a second visit.
Selection Deep Dive
The list runs 150-250 bottles with a clear California identity and no apologies about it. Caymus, Silver Oak Alexander Valley, Jordan, Stag's Leap, Far Niente, Duckhorn, Cakebread, Flowers — this is a California greatest-hits list executed with real conviction, not just a lazy drop of recognizable labels. Ridge Monte Bello is the standout intellectual pick, sitting alongside the crowd-pleasers without feeling out of place. The gap is obvious: if you want Burgundy, Barolo, or anything from the Southern Hemisphere, you're mostly on your own.
By the Glass
With 20-35 pours available, the by-the-glass program punches well above what you'd expect from a town this size. Eric Radi and John Hayes are running the floor, which means there's actual guidance behind those pours rather than a laminated card left to fend for itself. Rotation details weren't fully available, but with a list this deep, we'd expect glass options to reflect the California focus with solid representation across reds and whites.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — $35-$60
Jordan is one of California's most consistent and food-friendly Cabs — elegant rather than bombastic, and typically marked up fairly at spots that understand it. At a place with this kind of program, it's the move if you want a bottle that drinks above its price point without gambling on something unfamiliar.
Flowers Pinot Noir
Most people at a California-focused list go straight for the Cabs, which means Flowers Pinot Noir gets quietly overlooked. Flowers farms ridiculously challenging Sonoma Coast terrain and makes wines with real tension and complexity. It's the anti-Caymus pick on this list — and better for it.
Opus One
Opus One is a perfectly fine wine that costs a lot everywhere and represents exceptional value nowhere. At a restaurant, you're paying a significant premium on top of an already premium bottle for a label that has become more status symbol than discovery. The money goes further almost anywhere else on this list.
Duckhorn Merlot + Savory Charcuterie Board
Duckhorn's Napa Merlot has the fruit weight and structure to stand up to cured meats and aged cheeses without steamrolling the subtle stuff. It's plush enough to be approachable but has enough backbone to keep things interesting across a board that's meant to be grazed slowly.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Mary Kate's is genuinely surprising — a destination-worthy wine bar in a fishing town that happens to stock Ridge Monte Bello and earned a Wine Spectator award in year one. If you're passing through Northwoods Wisconsin and you care about what's in your glass, do not drive past this place.
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