Utah's best-kept wine secret, seriously
Central City · Salt Lake City · Foraged ingredients tasting menu · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed March 31, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Forage, you half-expect a wine list that plays it safe — tasting menu spots in landlocked Utah don't exactly have a reputation for adventurous pours. Then you see a local Utah late-harvest Zinfandel sitting alongside Lalande de Pomerol and Willamette Pinot, and you realize this place has a point of view.
The list runs 80-120 bottles and punches well above its weight for Salt Lake City. Burgundy and the Pacific Northwest anchor the backbone, with Northern Italy filling in some interesting texture — the 2013 Tiefen Brunner Pinot Grigio is a world away from the grocery-store version of that grape. What really separates Forage from every other fine dining list in Utah is the deliberate inclusion of local producers: a 2009 Iron Gate late-harvest Zinfandel from Cedar City is a genuine conversation piece, not a novelty afterthought. Gaps exist — don't come looking for serious depth in Rhône, Spain, or anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere — but what's here is chosen with obvious care.
Eight to twelve options by the glass is the right size for a room that seats 14-16 people — you're not drowning in choices, and nothing feels like it's just there to fill a slot. The Simonnet-Febvre Crémant de Bourgogne (100% Pinot Noir) as an opener is a smart move, giving guests a proper sparkling option without defaulting to a Champagne markup. We'd like to see the glass list rotate more aggressively alongside the ever-changing tasting menu, but what's poured is genuinely worth drinking.
Simonnet-Febvre Crémant de Bourgogne (100% Pinot Noir) — null
Crémant from a serious Burgundy house at a fraction of what comparable Champagne would cost in this room. It's the smartest way to start the meal and the staff knows it.
2009 Iron Gate Late Harvest Zinfandel
A late-harvest Zinfandel from Cedar City, Utah sounds like a curio — and it is — but in the best possible way. Most guests walk right past it for something French or Oregonian. Don't. It's a genuine expression of an emerging Utah wine region and it's unlike anything else on the list.
Chateau Sergant Lalande de Pomerol
Lalande de Pomerol is a perfectly respectable appellation, but Chateau Sergant is the kind of label that shows up when a list wants a Right Bank name without committing real budget to it. At fine-dining markups, the price-to-excitement ratio falls flat when the list has more interesting options around it.
Patton Valley Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley) + Smoked Maple Farms Duck
Willamette Pinot and duck is not a revelation on paper, but Patton Valley brings enough earthy, red-fruit density to stand up to the smokiness without overwhelming the kitchen's more delicate foraged components on the plate.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Forage is the Wild Card this region desperately needs — a tiny, serious room where the wine list actually reflects the same curiosity and local pride as the food. If you're eating in Salt Lake City and care about what's in your glass, this is the room.
Sugar House · Salt Lake City · 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 — 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 · Salt Lake City · 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 · Salt Lake City · Japanese and Sushi
Takashi is a great restaurant with a wine list that's just along for the ride — 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 · Salt Lake City · Seafood and Raw Bar
Market Street Oyster Bar is a reliable spot for wine if you calibrate your expectations accordingly — 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 · Salt Lake City · Seafood and Steakhouse
Market Street Grill Cottonwood is a dependable neighborhood anchor with a wine list that does exactly what it needs to — 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 · Salt Lake City · Seafood and Steakhouse
Market Street Grill is a solid, dependable restaurant that deserves a more adventurous wine list — 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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