At Utah’s best wine bar – BTG – there are more than 75 wines available by the glass – truly something for every palate and every pocketbook. Wine, for example, ranges from a four-buck 2-ounce pour of Ve-Ve Vinho Verde from Portugal, or an eight dollar 5-ounce glass of Jean-Luc Colombo “Cape Bleue” Rosè from France, to a splurge such as Produttorri del Barbaresco “Pora” from Piedmont, Italy for $200 per bottle. Caffe Molise/BTG owner Fred Moesinger and sommelier Louis Koppel have assembled one of the State’s best wine selections.
There is also a reserve wine list containing gems like Chateau Duhart Milon Bordeaux, as well as a variety of wine flights. Luckily, sommelier Louis Koppel patrols the floor at BTG and knows about as much as anybody does about wine. He’s a walking encyclopedia of wine knowledge and is always happy to assist guests in navigating the extensive BTG wine selection. That’s very helpful given that red wines alone run the gamut from Domestic reds and those from Australia, Argentina and Italy, to Austria, Germany, Spain, France, and even Lebanon.
An especially fun and educational way to explore wines that you might never have tasted is via BTG’s carefully selected wine flights, which range in price from $17 to $31. Each flight consists of three 2-ounce pours for a total of 6 ounces of wine per flight. Wine flights range from White, Red, and Sparkling wines to Orange wines, Rosés, French flights, Italian wine flights, California, and many more.
Those interested in tasting French Bordeaux, for example, could opt for the Bordeaux Flight ($23) with sips of Chateau le Bel Medoc, Chateau La Fleur Garderose Saint Emilion, and Petite Lacoste Pauillac. A “Hipster” ($19) flight highlights these three wines: Savage Grace skin-contact Gewurztraminer WA, and Analemma Mencia OR, and Quinta Romeu Portugal. Do you like wines that sparkle? Try the Bubbles ($24) flight: Priure Cremant Brut France, Raventos Extra Brut Rosé Spain, and Jacky Blot Chenin Blanc Brut France. A “Big & Bold” ($29) flight showcases Adaro Tempranillo Spain, Mollydooker “Boxer” AUS, and El Nido “Clio” Monastrell/Cabernet Spain, while the Life is Sweet ($25) flight offers guests tastes of off-dry, sweeter wines: Kruger Rumpf Scheurebe Germany, Chiarli Lambrusco Italy, Centorri Moscato, and P. Bottex Rosé France.
Just a reminder to be sure to pick sommelier Louis Koppel’s brain when visiting BTG. He’s forgotten more about wine than I will ever know.
Dining and Cooking