75 Glasses Deep in Downtown Salt Lake
Downtown Β· Salt Lake City Β· International Wine Bar Β· Visit Website β
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk Β· April 1, 2026
RagingWine reviewed BTG Wine Barβs wine list and gave it The Wild Card β RagingWineβs Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists β
Wingman Metrics
Walking into BTG, the name does the talking β By The Glass, and they mean it seriously. Over 75 pours on any given night in downtown Salt Lake City is not a typo, it's a statement. This is the kind of place that makes you cancel your dinner plans and just... stay.
The list punches well above its weight for a Utah wine bar, spanning Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs, Alto-Adige whites, Willamette Valley Pinot Gris, California Pinot Noir, and a genuinely impressive fortified wine corner with Madeira and Sherry showing up where most bars would just pour another Cab. The inclusion of Cossart Gordon Bual Madeira and Lustau Manzanilla tells you someone here actually knows what they're doing β these aren't checklist wines. There are gaps: the red wine depth beyond California and France could stretch further, and we'd love to see more Southern Hemisphere representation beyond the obligatory New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. But for a city not exactly known as a wine destination, this list is quietly remarkable.
With 75+ options by the glass, BTG is doing something almost no other bar in the region attempts at this scale. The flight program is a smart entry point β the BTG's Choice Flight rotates through producers like Crosby Roamann and Grangeon, giving you a real tour in three pours. Rotation frequency isn't fully clear from the menu, but the breadth suggests this list gets real attention.
Carol Shelton 'Black Magic' Zin β $9
Nine bucks for a glass of wine you'd pay $18 retail for at home? That's a fair deal β especially for a pour-by-the-glass program. BTG is barely doubling retail here, which in a restaurant context is almost charitable.
Cossart Gordon Bual Madeira
Most people skip straight past the fortified wine section without a second glance, which is a mistake. Bual Madeira is nutty, oxidative, and complex in ways that a $14 Chardonnay can only dream about β and it's genuinely hard to find by the glass anywhere.
BTG's Choice Flight
At $26 against a retail value of ~$75 worth of wine, this flight sits at a 223% markup β the steepest on the menu by a wide margin. You're better off ordering those same wines individually, where the per-glass math is much kinder.
Andriano 'Floreado' Sauvignon Blanc '23 Alto-Adige + Chicken Piccata
Alto-Adige Sauvignon Blanc has that clean, herbal edge with enough acidity to cut through butter and caper brine without overwhelming the dish. It's a more interesting call than the obvious Marlborough pick and it makes the Piccata taste like it cost twice as much.
π² The Bottom Line
BTG is the best wine bar argument Salt Lake City has, and it's not particularly close. Send your friends here, tell them to skip the flight markup, and order something weird from the fortified section β they'll thank you.
Sugar House Β· Salt Lake City Β· Steakhouse and Seafood with Scandinavian/European Influences
Kimi's earns its reputation as one of Salt Lake City's better nights out, and the wine program has real bones β a sommelier, a thoughtful Italian-leaning list, and proper glassware. Just go in knowing the markups are aggressive on the bubbles, anchor yourself to the Riesling if you're watching the spend, and let the room do the rest of the work.
Solid Range
Steep
Varietal Specific
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Occasional
Proper
9th & 9th Β· Salt Lake City Β· Middle Eastern
Mazza isn't a wine destination, but it's doing something genuinely interesting by building a list around Lebanese producers that actually belong on the table with this food. If you're in Salt Lake City and want to drink something you won't find anywhere else in town, this is worth a detour.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Β· Salt Lake City Β· Japanese and Sushi
Takashi is a great restaurant with a wine list that's just along for the ride β functional, safe, and a little overpriced relative to what you get. Go for the sushi, order the Cloudy Bay or the Oregon Pinot, and don't expect the wine program to keep pace with the kitchen.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Β· Salt Lake City Β· Seafood and Raw Bar
Market Street Oyster Bar is a reliable spot for wine if you calibrate your expectations accordingly β this is a crowd-pleaser list built for a crowd-pleaser room, and it mostly delivers. Send a friend here for oysters and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, not for a wine education.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Cottonwood Heights Β· Salt Lake City Β· Seafood and Steakhouse
Market Street Grill Cottonwood is a dependable neighborhood anchor with a wine list that does exactly what it needs to β nothing more. Send a friend here for the oysters and the Sonoma-Cutrer; just don't send them expecting to discover anything new.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown Β· Salt Lake City Β· Seafood and Steakhouse
Market Street Grill is a solid, dependable restaurant that deserves a more adventurous wine list β the oyster program alone could support something far more interesting than what's here. Come for the seafood, order the Sonoma-Cutrer, and don't spend too much time staring at the bottle list hoping it changes.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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