Utah isn’t typically thought of as a state to encounter fine wines, let alone go on a wine tour. However, the dry climate and latitude of southern towns make for a great environment for local grapes while the urban vibe around Park City and Salt Lake City allow for unparalleled tasting opportunities.
We’ve assembled unique options for people who have a passion for wine or want to find out more. Fill a trail pass on the Utah Wine Trail, book private tastings with sommeliers at Old Town Cellars, try out a new enterprise that offers wine storage, and take classes and history tours through Fox School of Wine. Also don’t forget to check out the Park City Wine Festival in October.
Take a trip to southern Utah and embark on a wine journey like no other. With six wineries on the Utah Wine Trail, and a sixth coming soon, the experience offers a deep dive into all things Utah wine. If the state was cut into fourths, the tour is contained in the bottom left fourth and currently includes Bold & Delaney Winery in Dammeron Valley, Chanela Vineyards in St. George, I/G Winery in Cedar City, Water Canyon Winery in Hildale and Zion Vineyards in Leeds.
“We encourage spreading your tour out over a weekend,” suggests Doug McCombs, manager of the wine trail. “There’s no order to go in, and no time limit. You could technically do it all in a day, but it would be a long one and you’d definitely need a driver.”
Visitors can pick any winery as a starting point and should ask for a trail pass. Once the tasting is complete, your card will be stamped and you can go on your way to the next location. The last place that stamps your pass will give you a gift — currently custom wine glasses, but that is subject to change — as a thank you for visiting.
All wineries offer red and white variations. Some allow you to pick your tastings, while others have a set menu. And each winery has a different cost for the tasting.
“It’s so low-key, and I think what’s unique is everyone will pour you what you would like to taste and then sit down and chat with you,” McCombs says. “You’ll sit with the owner or winemaker. It’s so much more intimate than a larger winery. It’s a down-home experience because you’re enjoying your glass with the people who have their hands on the grapes.”
The trail is open year-round, but some winery visits are by appointment only.
The quintessential Main Street location, Old Town Cellars, brings wine tasting and local grapes to visitors and residents alike. After a water main break last spring that shut down the physical location, Old Town Cellars leaned on their Utah Liquor Store sales to stay afloat while renovations happened. Now that the doors are open again, the tasting room is better than ever.
“We’re still recovering from our city pipe break last April, so we used this time to strategize special events for the upcoming season,” says Stephen MacKay, founder and owner of Old Town Cellars. “We’re working on more live music, stand-up comedy and partnerships.”
The winery blends and creates its own wines from various grape suppliers along the West Coast and serves them alongside an eclectic list of other wines selected by Old Town Cellars’ sommeliers, local brews and top-shelf spirits. The tasting room is in a 19th century silver mining vault that provides a vintage après-ski vibe.
“When visiting, I’d recommend doing a private tasting with myself or another sommelier between 11 a.m. and noon, before we open to the public each day,” MacKay suggests. “We curate it to the guest and make it really fun — it’s inviting with a touch of concierge. We have the most unique bar on Main Street, so we definitely put lots of focus on the wines we produce, but we certainly have other offerings to please the crowd.”
If you have too much wine on your hands after a wine tour in Utah or beyond, fear not as Mountain Wine Storage offers a solution that can’t be found anywhere else in the Wasatch. “I moved here from California and needed a program for storing my wine,” says Bill DeLeon, managing partner. “I wanted to ship wine once I moved, but that wasn’t feasible. After finding no storage options, I knew I couldn’t be the only person who had this need. I looked into the legalities because I needed more than a basement for storing my collection.”
The Heber City facility is a spacious 9,000 square feet with both the temperature and humidity carefully controlled. With security cameras, a backup generator and individual wine closets that hold only 12 cases or are as large as a walk-in closet, there’s something for nearly all wine enthusiasts. Options are also available for month-to-month rentals.
“We take wine very seriously,” DeLeon says. “It’s a passion for me and my partners, which was our motivation to start this, in addition to a business opportunity and something we needed. I like to know that I’m solving a problem for not just myself but others in the community.”
After sampling, buying and storing wine, take some time to dive in and learn more about its origins and tasting notes in an informative and lighthearted atmosphere.
“Our overarching umbrella of deliverables is first fun, then tasting and finally learning,” says Kirsten Fox, executive sommelier of Fox School of Wine. “If we aren’t having fun, we won’t even move on to the next thing. It’s all about being able to recall a wine through a fun experience, rather than just reading notes.”
Wine professors teach classes on a multitude of wines made throughout the world. Each professor brings their own background and interesting pieces of data that come from relationships they’ve made through their studies. There are Friday evening Recess on Main classes from 6:30 – 7:45 p.m. held at Treasure Mountain Inn in Park City, and groups can reserve private historical Mines & Wines tours in Park City and Saints & Sinners tours in Salt Lake City. Private classes and tastings also are available.
“These aren’t any old normal wine educators,” Fox emphasizes. “We have vineyard owners and educators that have amazing experiences with food and beverage. We have a woman who pairs wines with different summits in Utah, and another who is one of 443 certified wine educators in the world.”
