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🎲The Wild Card

Forage

Utah's best-kept wine secret, seriously

Central City · Salt Lake City · Foraged ingredients tasting menu · Visit Website ↗

date-nighthidden-gemold-world-focuslocal-producers

Reviewed March 31, 2026

Wingman Metrics

List VarietySmall but Thoughtful
MarkupFair
GlasswareVarietal Specific
StaffKnowledgeable & Friendly
Specials & DealsSet & Forget
Storage & TempProper

First Impression

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.

Selection Deep Dive

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.

By the Glass

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.

💰Best Value

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.

💎Hidden Gem

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.

Skip This

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.

🍽️Perfect Pairing

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.

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