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Wining and Dining, Utah-style
Local spots where you can sniff, swish and swirl with the best of them.
By Sheral Schowe

It might surprise you to know that Salt Lake City boasts a wine scene as diverse and captivating as its breathtaking landscapes. From restaurants with impressive wine lists to cozy wine bars pouring glasses of rare and interesting wines from around the world, the city's vinicultural landscape offers a tantalizing journey for oenophiles and curious newbies to the wine world alike. Salt Lake City has emerged as a surprising haven for wine enthusiasts on every level, from the social imbiber to the serious student of advanced opportunities and education.

Want to meet fellow wine aficionados? Here are a handful of my personal favorite bars, restaurants, wine stores, major wine events, wineries, clubs and certification opportunities. It is by no means an exhaustive list, so forgive me in advance if I have neglected to include your favorites!

Wine Bars
Casot Wine and Craft Cocktail Bar
For a very chill, yet mentally stimulating vibe on the 15th & 15th block, Casot has to be my go-to place on a Sunday afternoon or any other night before or after dinner. This is another innovative creation of Scott Evans who brilliantly sources some extremely rare finds from small family winemakers specializing in organic and biodynamic agriculture. The extraordinarily skilled bartender, Brian Richey, pours the most amazing lineup of wines, selected by Evans each week, which have included famous players such as Premier Cru Bourgogne, Vega Sicilia, as well as some extremely rare finds from the tiniest regions of Europe. Richey is a certified French, Italian and Spanish Wine Scholar, so if you are looking for stimulating conversation about the wines they have on offer, you will be entertained and enlightened. Casot also offers creative cocktails and craft beers. There's something for everyone and the lineup changes every week. 1508 S. 1500 East, SLC, 801-441-2873, casotwinework.com

BTG Wine Bar serves more than 75 wines "by the glass" (BTG), as well as creative cocktails and a decent bar food menu. I love the vegetarian eggplant meatballs and focaccia with marinara, and I could truly eat a gallon of their shoestring fries. 404 S. West Temple, SLC, 801-359-2814, btgwinebar.com

Ivy and Varley is worth mentioning for its incredibly extensive list of spirits, and therefore, cocktails. The special menus include some vegan and vegetarian options that are creative and delicious. You must visit their website to see the entire list of wines, spirits and food. 55 W. 100 South, SLC, 801-895-2846, ivyandvarley.com

White Horse is an impressive place to bring your friends from out of town. Without exception, my guests have exclaimed a loud, "Oh My God!" when they walk in and see the entire wall of dramatically back-lit spirits. No worries, there is a reasonable wine list as well. The food is fantastic. My friend from Italy and I kept ordering and ordering until we about closed the place—worth every bite, sip and calorie. For a fun read, visit their website for the true story of the "White Horse prophecy." 325 S. Main, SLC, 801-363-0137, whitehorseslc.com

Restaurant Wine Lists of Note
Log Haven
Thanks to the extreme wine passion of sommelier Ian Campbell, Log Haven's wine list has never failed to impress the most discerning of diners looking for the perfect pairing to chef Dave Jones' culinary creations. It was Campbell who handed me my first glass of Amontillado sherry, as dry and crisp as the falling leaves on an autumn day, which it actually was. I was transformed then and continue to be impressed by his selection of wines from around the world from reasonably priced to collector level. Campbell has created a list of specialty cocktails as well, to start your evening by the fireplace, or to enjoy while listening to a beloved local musician such as Emilee Floor as you take in the beauty of this historic canyon treasure. 6451 E. Mill Creek Canyon Road, SLC, 801-272-8255, log-haven.com

Libertango
Sandy is the new location for a South American family who created an award-winning restaurant in Brazil and have made Utah their new home and second restaurant location. This innovative restaurant screams the theme of wine from the entrance that showcases a wall of wine bottles to the wine menu. It's a pleasant surprise for the southern reaches of Salt Lake County. 10395 S. State, Sandy, 385-379-6122, libertango.us

Antica Sicilia
This Millcreek eatery features a great list of reasonably priced Italian wines to pair with their award-winning cuisine created by chef and owner Giuseppe Mirenda. 3300 S. 2020 East, Millcreek, 385-202-7236, anticasiciliaut.com

Stanza Italian Bistro & Wine Bar
Any restaurant with Barolo Chinato on their list becomes an immediate favorite of mine. 454 E. 300 South, SLC, 801-746-4441, stanzaslc.com

State Wine Stores
If you've lived here more than a week, you've already figured out that the only way to purchase wine is to discover the network of Utah State controlled wine and liquor stores. While state stores offer wine selections, I prefer to search for wines at these two predictably well-stocked locations:

Store No. 41 is not only fully supplied with wines from the far reaches of Europe but staffed with the most knowledgeable professionals to guide you to the perfect selection for your dinner pairing, cellar collection or educational wine class. For the best advice on your wine purchases, ask for Eric, Justin or Drew. 280 W. Harris Ave. (1605 S. 300 West), SLC, 801-412-9972, abs.utah.gov

Store No. 35 is also well stocked and well-staffed, though smaller than the Harris Avenue location. It's very highly recommended for European as well as new world specialties. 250 S. 300 East, SLC, 801-533-6444, abs.utah.gov

Utah Wine Events
Utah Wine Festival takes place on Labor Day weekend every year, in Cedar City. Year after year, the wine competition becomes larger, and more competitive, as Utah's winemakers work with older vines, improved agriculture and increased skills as winemakers. The competition is only one of the events on this ever-growing festival which includes winemaker's dinners, lunches, winery tours, educational classes and the longest table for a wine dinner in the state. You will be able to purchase tickets in the summer for this early fall event at utahwinefest.com

Eat Drink Salt Lake takes place at Tracy Aviary this year Sept. 11-12. It is co-hosted by SB Dance to raise awareness about culinary and cultural opportunities. You'll visit stations featuring local chef's yummy bites and fabulous wines from around the world, accompanied by music, dance and performing arts. Purchase tickets at eatdrinkslc.com

Red White and Snow is a weekend-long wine, culinary and ski event held in Park City every March.For 20 years, this three-day event features wineries and top chefs presenting wine tastings, private vintner dinners, skiing at three resorts, silent auctions and a black-tie gala dinner. All proceeds benefit the National Ability Center, which is the best reason of all to attend this spectacular event. redwhiteandsnow.org

Park City Wine Festival is scheduled for Oct. 3-5, 2024, at the Canyons Village. This is an opportunity to taste the wines from more than 100 wineries from California to France, attend wine dinners and lunches plus the bonus of educational seminars presented by the winemakers and sommeliers. parkcitywinefest.com

Wine Clubs and Organizations
La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs SLC, established in Utah 1976, is one chapter (Bailliage) out of 130 in the United States as well as 90 countries worldwide. It is the oldest and largest food and wine organization in the world, with its beginnings in Paris, France—500 years before the French Revolution in 1248. There are about 60 members who meet every other month for an exquisite food and wine experience at high-end restaurants throughout Salt Lake Valley. Members wear colorful ribbons that reflect their rank as a professional chefs, sommeliers, restaurateurs, hoteliers, food and wine educators and oenologists as well as non-professional foodies and wine aficionados who join for the opportunity of meeting like-minded people to celebrate the art and experience of the table. To inquire about the SLC chapter, visit chaineslc.org

Les Amis du Vin is a more casual social club for wine enthusiasts. It was started in 1976 to create opportunities for wine lovers to gather as a group of friends on a regular basis to enjoy the cuisine of local restaurants and hand-selected wines. ladv-utah.org

Wine Schools
Wasatch Academy of Wine was established in 1991 as Utah's first and largest wine school. There were several wine experts in Utah who came before as educators, brokers, mentors and major collectors, but this was the first to offer public wine classes for all levels of students. Services include advanced certification in the areas of Italy, France and Spain as well as fun one evening or lunchtime tastings at restaurants throughout the valley. Private wine dinners for homes or businesses are also available. Contact me, Sheral Schowe (yes, it's my company!) for more information. Wasatch Academy of Wine is the affiliate provider of post-nominal certification programs through the Wine Scholar Guild. We also offer one night food and wine pairing classes through University of Utah Lifelong Learning (utahlifelong.com) and credit courses for Salt Lake Community College Culinary Arts Department. OK, enough about me! 801-414-7895, wasatchacademyofwine.com

Utah Wine Academy was created by Jimmy Santangelo in 2010. There is none better than Santangelo to teach you about cocktails, tequila, mezcal, gin, bourbon and scotch as well as wine! He is hilariously entertaining and spot on with accurate and engaging information. When I'm not teaching my own classes, I like to take his. He is the affiliate instructor provider for WSET, Wine and Spirits Education Trust, which is the first step in becoming a master of wine. To book a class or start your journey as a serious student of wine, visit wineacademyofutah.com

Can I Get a Word In?
My favorite Utah drinking myths.
By Thomas Crone

A common opinion among folks who don't live in the Beehive State is that it's hard to get a drink here. If you never step foot outside of Utah's borders, this kind of thinking may seem like an outdated cliche, but it lives on in the average thinking of folks who call the other 49 states home.

They assume that if you live in Utah, you ski, hike or are in love with other forms of outdoor sports. They'll probably also assume that you're a Latter-day Saint. But having lived in SLC myself, I've found you can live a full life without ever stepping foot in a temple or ward house.

There's also a notion that everything in Utah is just a little bit, well, weird. Maybe it's due to the image of the sphinx at Gilgal Sculpture Garden in too many local tourist guides or TV shows featuring Utah's polygamous families or the fact that Utah also makes regular, national headlines because the state's largest body of water is evaporating into the high desert air.

But while we're on the subject of liquids, there's nothing like the misconceptions of Utah drinking laws. There's no shortage of folks who offer a (wrong) opinion about drinking culture in Utah.

Misconception No. 1: The beer is weak—like 3.2 ABV weak! Untrue! But this one's not wildly out of sync with reality. Go to one of the city's great brew pubs, and you'll probably go through a quick quiz if you're not a daily regular. Your ID will be scanned, and you'll be pointed to the draft towers, where beers up to 5% can be poured for you onsite. If you're looking for a "heavy point" ABV of over 5%, you'll be directed over to the cooler near the front door, where bigger porters, stouts and IPAs often chill out. The bartender, almost certainly wearing a name tag, will go over your options for a second drink, when you can order it and how it can be consumed.

Misconception No. 2: Utah restaurants try to hide bartending operations. The tradition of a "Zion curtain," a physical partition that separated drinker from bartender, ended in 2017 as restaurants all across the state made national news smashing their frosted glass, bartop walls. As NPR reported at the time, "The goal of the original rule was to shield kids from the supposed glamour of bartending and subsequent risks of underage drinking."

Misconception No. 3: Members only? No, you don't need to buy a membership card to drink at your favorite local pub. Go to a bar like Twilite Lounge (347 E. 200 South, SLC, 801-532-9400, twilitelounge.com) on a Friday night at, say, 11 p.m. You'll find a young, hip clientele enjoying modern cocktails and dive bar-priced domestic beers. A membership card displayed behind the counter is a keepsake from the olden days (that ended in 2009), when exactly that kind of pocket paperwork was necessary to grab a round. Today, it's an amusing, wee remnant of a bygone era.

If you're ever confused by Utah's liquor laws,
get more confused by visiting: abs.utah.gov/faq

IT'S A WRAP

Light the Fire Within
Get ready to party when the Olympics return to Salt Lake City.
By Benjamin Wood

With the possible exception of 1869, when the transcontinental railroad came together at Promontory Summit, the coolest thing to ever happen in Utah was the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. And in 2034, unless something goes catastrophically wrong, Utah will get to do it again.

I was 15 and living in Ogden when the games first came to town. And like any Utahn, I have my personal list of magical moments: waiting in the freezing cold on Ogden's 25th Street for the torch relay at Union Station; seeing Brooks & Dunn perform on the Medals Plaza; watching Belarus upset Sweden in Men's Hockey; and, later, taking a school field trip to a Paralympic sledge hockey game, still one of the most thrilling live sporting events I've ever witnessed.

That's not even my full list. The games were simply everything, everywhere, all at once. There they were, wrapped around the facades of downtown skyscrapers. There they were in the Roots berets and collectible pins and volunteer coats that infected local fashion. There they were around every corner, down every alley, under your bed and outside your door. For weeks, both before and after the event itself, the eyes of the entire world were on Utah and the exposure forever changed the state for the better.

Now that I'm older and living in Salt Lake City proper, my excitement for the games has only grown, and not just because I want my son and his generation to have the same experiences I did. I also want legitimate public transit so future Utahns aren't forced to drive everywhere. I want liquor and land use laws that allow neighborhood bars to thrive and that allow adults to socialize responsibly. I want a vibrant city center where locals and visitors enjoy spending their time and treasure, with an economy steady enough to fund critical services like education, affordable housing and environmental repair.

There's no guarantee we'll get those things with the Olympics—but I guarantee they don't happen without the Olympics. The wheels of government simply grind too slow and are too prone to stagnation when left to their own devices. Every now and then, you gotta recharge the batteries if you want to get good things done.

People are right to maintain caution and skepticism toward the games, but there's also legitimate reasons why Utah is in a better position than other hosts. Legacy venues are in relatively good condition, needing upgrades and facelifts but no wholesale rebuilds. And the new elements that do need to be constructed can double as permanent community assets, something Mayor Erin Mendenhall noted in her recent State of the City address when she said the 2034 Medals Plaza wouldn't necessarily revert to being a parking lot after the games, as the 2002 plaza at 300 West and North Temple did.

Utah is also facing an acute housing crisis, and the leadup to the next games ensures a decade of sustained development attention right where it belongs—in our dense and densifying urban centers rather than the sprawling suburban periphery.

To put it bluntly, Utah built many things wrong in the past and the necessity of preparing for the Olympics gives us a chance to build things better, or at least less bad. That's what a second Olympics means for our city and many cities throughout the state—a fighting chance at a better future.

But who cares about all that ... because it's going to be fun! Yes, there will be costs and yes, there will be conflict, and, yes, there will be tRafFiC, but there will also be more parties, more concerts, more celebrity sightings, more swag and more events with more tickets than organizers even know what to do with. And when it's over, Salt Lake City will be a bigger, brighter and a more globally notable version of itself, until we do it all over again in another 20 years!

Women, Wine and Wilderness
Finding friendship along the trail.
By Carolyn Campbell

Angelique Fish never guessed that her first backpacking trip would become a turning point. She recalls her sense of accomplishment after completing that first outdoor venture. "I hung my bear bag, cooked my food and filtered my water," she says. Her confidence rose as she embarked on more outdoor experiences.

Fish's friend, Cindy Vance, accompanied her on that first backpacking trip. Both women envisioned the power inherent in supporting other women in the outdoors. As a result, in 2016, the women co-founded the Women's Wine Hiking Society as a Facebook group.

Vance notes that snacks often accompany the wine. And nondrinkers are always welcome. "Sometimes, we will do a potluck where we share ingredients," she says. "We try to have fun events where people can show up, meet others and connect." In hopes of helping more women see future hike announcements, they created a website. Today, the Utah group has 5,400 members. There are chapters in all 50 states.

Fish describes their philosophy: "We're a social club with a hiking problem. We're not the group that races to the top. Rather, we're the group chatting the whole way."

Vance says, "The number of women who have found their best friend in this group is amazing. You would think they had known each other for years. We might all start as strangers. In the end, we are all friends."

Each hike becomes an event. "We're a community, and we have an ambassador who guides every hike," Vance explains. She and Fish coordinate every aspect, assuring everyone knows the starting point. "We ensure everyone is safe, and no one is left behind," says Fish. "Even if you're a slow hiker, it's OK. We will make sure to wait for you. You will get to the top with us."

With a motto like: "Making pour decisions since 2016. Wine not?" you know the vibe is fun. The Women's Wine Hiking Society—where members are often 30-somethings who may have relocated to Utah—are one of many ways that locals make connections while figuring out what makes this pretty great state rock. winehikingsociety.com