Caffe Molise
Italian soul, Salt Lake City prices, mostly fine
Downtown · Salt Lake City · Italian · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed April 1, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
The list opens with a clear Italian lean — Tuscany and Piedmont up front, California filling in the gaps — and at 58 labels it's more considered than the average downtown Italian spot. Nothing flashy, but someone at least cared enough to source a Vietti Nebbiolo alongside the obligatory house Cab.
Selection Deep Dive
Italy is the backbone here, and it holds up reasonably well: the Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico and Vietti Perbacco Nebbiolo give the list some legitimate Piedmont and Tuscan credibility. California shows up heavily in the mid-tier, leaning on crowd-pleaser labels like Orin Swift's The Prisoner — safe, recognizable, but not adventurous. The Riff Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige is a welcome nod to northern Italy beyond the usual suspects. Gaps exist in Southern Italy and anywhere outside Italy and California — no Spanish, no French, no New Zealand to speak of.
By the Glass
Ten-plus options by the glass is a solid showing for a restaurant this size, and the $7–$12 range keeps it accessible. The Cetamura Chianti is the obvious anchor pour — well-known, crowd-tested, and honest about what it is. We'd like to see a little more rotation and a by-the-glass option pulling from the better bottles on the list.
Honig Sauvignon Blanc Napa — $38
At 73% markup, it's the least punishing bottle on the list relative to retail. Honig Sauvignon Blanc consistently overdelivers for the price point, and at $38 you're getting a proper Napa SB without the usual downtown restaurant tax.
Vietti Perbacco Nebbiolo
Most tables will order the Chianti or reach for The Prisoner out of habit. Don't. The Perbacco is Vietti's approachable Nebbiolo — same house that makes serious Barolo — and it drinks way above its position on a list like this. Red cherry, tar, and structure that actually holds up through a full meal.
Beringer White Zinfandel California
A 183% markup on a $12 retail bottle is genuinely hard to defend. This is a $34 ask for grocery store rosé — and not even an interesting one. If you want pink wine, the Saracina Skid Rosé from Mendocino is sitting right there at a much more honest margin.
Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico + Pasta Bolognese
Chianti Classico and a meat ragù is one of the least complicated decisions in Italian dining. Badia a Coltibuono's version brings enough acidity and Sangiovese structure to cut through the richness of a slow-cooked Bolognese without stepping on it.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Caffe Molise is a dependable Italian wine list in a city that doesn't exactly overflow with options — the Italian core is legitimate, the markups are uneven but not outrageous across the board, and the Vietti Nebbiolo alone is worth knowing about. We'd send a friend here for a solid dinner bottle, just with a few specific instructions on what to order.
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