Aerie
Sky-High List, Mountain Views, Zero Apologies
Snowbird · Snowbird · American · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 9, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
You're on the 10th floor of the Cliff Lodge, floor-to-ceiling windows framing the Wasatch peaks, and the wine list lands with the kind of heft that makes you sit up straight. This isn't a resort restaurant coasting on captive diners — someone here actually cares. Wine Spectator just handed them a Best of Award of Excellence for the first time in 2025, and walking through the list, you believe it.
Selection Deep Dive
Three hundred to five hundred bottles anchored firmly in California and France — that's the spine of this list, and it's a strong one. You've got the heavy hitters: Opus One, Joseph Phelps Insignia, Kistler Chardonnay, Far Niente — the kind of names that read like a greatest-hits compilation for Napa obsessives. France shows up credibly through Louis Jadot Burgundy, giving the list some old-world balance without going too deep into obscurity. The gaps are real — don't come hunting for Rhône producers or anything remotely natural — but within its California-France lane, this list executes with conviction.
By the Glass
Twenty to thirty-five pours by the glass is a serious commitment for a mountain resort, and the range runs $14 to $22 — reasonable given the zip code and the altitude tax you're already paying on everything else. The glass program pulls from the same California-forward producers that anchor the bottle list, so you're not drinking the leftovers. We'd push staff on what's freshest and moving quickly; turnover matters up here.
Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir — $60
In a list stacked with three-digit Napa bottles, this Oregon Pinot punches above its price and gives you something genuinely elegant alongside the elk or the trout. It's the smart order in a room full of people reaching for Silver Oak.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling
Most tables here are going straight for Cabernet, which means this Washington Riesling gets ignored. That's a mistake. It has the acidity and stone-fruit clarity to cut through a charcuterie board or stand up to the brightness of the Utah trout, and it's priced like nobody's paying attention — because nobody is.
Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Look, Caymus is fine. It's also on every resort wine list in America, marked up to the ceiling, and delivers exactly what you expect — which is to say, not much surprise. You're at a place with Insignia and Opus One on the menu. If you're spending resort-list money on California Cab, aim higher.
Kistler Chardonnay + Pan-seared Utah trout
Kistler brings the kind of rich, burgundian texture that can stand next to a properly seared piece of fish without steamrolling it. The trout's natural fat and the oak-kissed depth of the Kistler find each other in a way that makes the mountain view feel like a bonus rather than the main event.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Aerie is the rare resort restaurant where the wine list earns its own reservation — sommelier Steven Varsava has built something worth the drive up the canyon. Markups are steep the way mountain air is thin: just part of where you are, and worth accepting for the experience.
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