Utah's Own Grapes, Surprisingly Worth Your Time
Salt Lake City Β· Salt Lake City Β· Urban Winery Tasting Room Β· Visit Website β
Reviewed March 31, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Walking into IG Winery, you're not handed a Napa greatest hits list β you're handed something weirder and more interesting: a house-made lineup built around Utah production with names like Tempest, Seduction, and Three Patriarchs. It's part tasting room, part local wine experiment, and the energy matches. The list is compact but it's clearly been thought about.
Eighteen-ish wines deep, IG's list leans hard into their own production β Alicante Bouschet, Roussanne, Petit Verdot, and a Tempranillo all show up alongside more expected Cab and Pinot Noir. The barrel-aged variations are a genuine differentiator: a Rum Barrel Tempest and a Bourbon Seduction sit right next to their base versions, letting you taste the experiment directly. Washington, Oregon, and California fruit reportedly backs some of the blends, but the Utah identity is front and center. The gaps are real β no serious old-world representation, no Champagne, and the white wine bench is thin β but that's not really what IG is trying to do.
All 18 wines are available by the glass, which is essentially the entire list β so this place lives and dies by the pour. Prices run from $10 for the Exhilarate Sauvignon Blanc up to $37 for the Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, with most of the interesting stuff landing between $13 and $18. The barrel-aged variants at $16.50 are the move if you want to drink something you genuinely can't get anywhere else.
Rum Barrel Tempest Red Blend β $16.50/glass
Retail and restaurant price are identical β you're paying winery direct pricing β and a rum-barrel-aged red blend is not something you'll find on any other list in Salt Lake City. For the novelty alone it earns its spot, but it also drinks with more complexity than the price suggests.
Roussanne
At $14.50 a glass, this is the most interesting white on the list by a wide margin β Roussanne is an underplanted RhΓ΄ne variety that most casual drinkers have never tried, and finding it at a Utah winery at this price is genuinely unexpected. Worth the order over the safer Sauvignon Blanc.
Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
At $37 a glass, this is a significant jump above everything else on the list, and if you're at IG Winery, you're not here for someone else's Napa Cab. The house Cabernet Sauvignon is available at $16.50 β half the price β and the whole point of this place is the local production story. Save the Napa pour for a list that built its identity around it.
Petit Verdot + Charcuterie Board
Petit Verdot is a bold, ink-dark variety that most wineries use only as a blending grape β IG bottles it solo at $24.50. The tannin structure and dark fruit cut right through cured meats and aged cheese on a charcuterie spread, and it's the kind of conversation-starter pour that makes a tasting room visit worth it.
π² The Bottom Line
IG Winery is the Wild Card pick for Salt Lake City wine drinkers willing to trade prestige labels for genuine local curiosity β the markup is essentially nonexistent and the barrel experiments alone justify the visit. Don't come expecting a deep cellar; come expecting to drink something you've never had before at a price that won't sting.
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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