The Best Wine Flights in Salt Lake City: How BTG Wine Bar Brought World-Class Wine Culture to Utah's "Restrictive" Capital

There's something deeply subversive about a basement wine bar thriving in a city once known more for its liquor laws than its liquor selection. Step down into BTG Wine Bar beneath downtown Salt Lake City's historic Eagles Building, and you're entering a space that shouldn't really exist here—which is exactly why it's become essential to the city's dining scene. The subdued lighting catches on wine glass chandeliers, casting amber shadows across dark wood banquettes where guests lean in over flights of three two-ounce pours, tracing their fingers along tasting notes. A couple at the bar debates the merits of Oregon Pinot versus Burgundy while sommelier Louis Koppel—a walking encyclopedia of wine knowledge—explains why the minerality they're detecting comes from volcanic soil. "I wish we had a place like this in my city," one visitor from Montreal wrote after discovering BTG during a convention week. "Very surprised that my perfect wine bar turned up to be in 'restrictive' Salt Lake City."

How Fred Moesinger Built Utah's Wine Education Movement

Owner Fred Moesinger didn't set out to revolutionize Salt Lake's wine scene when he opened BTG Wine Bar in 2013. He just wanted somewhere he and his wife Aimee Sterling could relax with a proper glass of wine. But Moesinger—who'd been working at Caffé Molise since helping construct the original restaurant in the 1990s and officially taking ownership in 2003—understood something crucial: wine intimidated people. The mysterious language of tannins and terroir, the unspoken rules about what to order, the fear of looking foolish in front of a sommelier. So when he opened BTG (By The Glass) just two doors down from Caffé Molise, he built it specifically as Utah's first genuine wine bar—a place where novices and wine snobs alike could explore without judgment.

The concept proved prescient. By 2018, both Caffé Molise and BTG needed more space, and Moesinger found it in the 1915 Eagles Building at 404 S West Temple. The Neo-Renaissance structure—designed by Swedish immigrant Nils Edward Liljenberg with its grand staircase, arched windows, and Egyptian-style pillars—had housed the Fraternal Order of Eagles until the Depression, then served as everything from an American Legion post to The Bay nightclub. Moesinger and Sterling spent over a million dollars on renovations, carefully preserving the building's historic character while creating 15,000 square feet of restaurant and wine bar space. BTG settled into the basement level, where the old Eagles boxing ring once stood, and that speakeasy feeling—the sense of discovering your own secret hideaway—became part of the bar's DNA.

Today, BTG stands as a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence recipient celebrating 12 years of operation, with a wine program that's earned recognition despite operating in what many still call one of America's most challenging liquor law environments. But that's precisely the point, Moesinger says: "We are advocates for the responsible appreciation and consumption of wine."

The Wine Flight Experience That's Changing How Salt Lake Drinks

Walk into BTG any evening after 5pm (it's 21+ only), and you'll find Louis Koppel either at the bar, moving between tables, or leading an impromptu wine education session. The sommelier—who previously helped build Spencer's Steakhouse's extensive wine cellar—maintains BTG's 75+ wines by the glass alongside manager Jesse Garrett, constantly rotating selections based on customer feedback, national press, and what they can navigate through Utah's state availability system. The argon gas preservation system means every pour, whether it's your first glass from a bottle or the fiftieth, tastes as fresh as opening day.

The wine flights are where BTG truly shines. Nearly 30 different flights populate the menu—"Bubbles," "Think Pink," "A Glance at France," "Mixed Tape," "Malbec Around the World"—each featuring three two-ounce pours carefully selected to teach your palate something new. One regular customer describes stumbling out with notes on "wines we really liked, the ones that we thought were good and a couple that were OK, but we likely wouldn't order again" after working through multiple flights in one evening. "We had a great time getting the download on dozens of wines, all of which he knew intimately," another guest wrote after an eight-year patronage culminated in discovering Koppel's sommelier expertise. "He was able to recommend a couple of flights mixing wines from all over the world into a superb tasting experience."

The brilliance of BTG's approach is that wine comes in three pour sizes—2 ounces, 5 ounces, or full bottles—starting as low as four dollars for a 2-ounce taste of Portuguese Vinho Verde and ranging up to $200-per-bottle splurges like Domaine Levet Cote Rotie. "This allows people to compare and contrast, and see what they like," Moesinger explains. "See if they can pick out the differences between a cabernet sauvignon from California or a cabernet sauvignon from Washington, and to see which ones they like. Guests also enjoy trying to tell the difference between a $100 bottle and a $20 bottle."

But the food separates BTG from standard wine bars. Sure, you can stick to the bar bites menu—and should, because those eggplant meatballs are legendary. Vegetarian "meatballs" in a shallot tomato-cream sauce that one food writer swears are among the best meatballs he's ever had, eggplant or not. The butternut squash ravioli gets consistent raves: "Best ever!" according to one visitor, while another calls it simply "amazing," praising the handmade pasta tossed in garlic-brown butter sauce with balsamic reduction and Asiago. "Order the Butternut Squash Ravioli—you won't regret it," advises a Valentine's Day regular.

The real insider knowledge? BTG guests can order the full Caffé Molise menu until 10pm. That means access to the Pollo Marsala with wild mushrooms in Marsala wine-cream sauce, the Pappardelle al Sugo with its slowly-simmered beef and pork ragu, and any of the other Northern Italian specialties that have kept Caffé Molise a Salt Lake fixture for over 30 years. The synergy between the two establishments—Fred's culinary expertise combined with wine knowledge that matches Louis Koppel's expertise—creates what one reviewer called "a bar that is more than a bar."

Downtown Salt Lake City's Wine Education Hub

BTG's location in the historic Eagles Building positions it perfectly for downtown Salt Lake's diverse traffic. Two blocks from the Salt Palace Convention Center, one block from the Courthouse TRAX stop, walking distance from City Creek Center and multiple downtown hotels—it catches business travelers, convention attendees, date night couples, and locals celebrating everything from birthdays to anniversaries. The outdoor patio (a recent addition that Salt Lake summers demand) fills with guests sipping rosé while a jazz band plays, and the private banquet room on the building's upper floor hosts wine dinners where winemakers from places like Longoria Wines, Badia a Coltibuono, and other international estates share their craft with Utah wine enthusiasts.

These regular wine dinner events—typically four courses with four wine pairings for around $120 per person—represent Moesinger and Koppel's commitment to wine education. At a recent dinner featuring natural wines from four countries, sommelier Louis Koppel walked guests through pink, white, orange, and red selections while chef Earl Moesinger (Fred's brother) created dishes specifically to pair with each wine's characteristics. It's this hands-on approach that gave rise to BTG in the first place, and it's what keeps the bar's regulars coming back. "The staff at BTG Wine Bar is very well versed in the cuisine at Caffé Molise," Moesinger notes. "Conversely, the staff at the restaurant is very comfortable with the wines available at BTG Wine Bar."

The community connection extends beyond wine education into partnerships with local producers. The Caffé Molise Rosso—an exclusive blend of mostly Zinfandel with Syrah and a field blend splash—is produced specifically for the restaurant and bar. Creminelli Fine Meats supplies the cured meats for cheese boards. The approach mirrors the broader philosophy: celebrate what Utah offers while educating palates about what the wider world of wine can bring.

Planning Your Visit to BTG Wine Bar

BTG Wine Bar is located at 404 S West Temple in downtown Salt Lake City, beneath Caffé Molise in the historic Eagles Building. The entrance is on 400 South just west of West Temple, marked by the original 1915 antique awning. The space opens daily at 5pm (last call varies: Sunday-Thursday until 10pm, Friday-Saturday until midnight). Reservations are strongly recommended—this intimate basement space fills quickly, especially on weekends.

For first-timers, start with a wine flight. If you're unsure which one, flag down Louis Koppel or ask your server—the entire team knows the list intimately and takes genuine pleasure in helping guests discover new favorites. Don't skip the eggplant meatballs or butternut ravioli, but also know you have access to the full Caffé Molise menu. Parking is available on-street in front of the bar or in paid lots east and south of the building. The Courthouse TRAX stop is one block east.

Expect to spend around $50-75 per person for a couple of flights and shared appetizers, more if you're diving into full entrees or splurging on reserve list bottles. The vibe is dim, relaxed, mellow—date night perfect but also ideal for groups of friends who want to linger over wine and conversation. "Super romantic too," one regular notes, while another calls it ideal for "girlfriends gathering" or "business meeting" depending on the occasion.

One crucial detail: You must be 21 or older just to enter. BTG is a bar first, and Utah law doesn't allow minors even with parents present.

Why BTG Wine Bar Matters to Utah's Food Scene

Twelve years into its run, BTG Wine Bar has become more than downtown Salt Lake's go-to wine spot—it's become proof that sophisticated wine culture can thrive even in markets with challenging regulations. The Wine Spectator Award validates what locals already knew: this is the real thing, a wine program that could hold its own in San Francisco or New York, executed with genuine hospitality and education-first philosophy. "Amazed, that it is in a rather 'restrictive' city like SLC," one visitor wrote. "Visited three times in one week."

That's the ultimate compliment—not just that BTG exists, but that it's worth returning to repeatedly, worth telling people about, worth celebrating as evidence that Salt Lake City's food and wine scene has fully arrived. Fred Moesinger and Aimee Sterling bet on that arrival back in 2013, and with Louis Koppel's wine knowledge and a historic building that's seen boxing matches, fraternal gatherings, dance clubs, and now wine education, they've created something that feels both timeless and urgently contemporary. A basement speakeasy where the secret being kept isn't that you're drinking, but that you're learning—about wine, about food, about what makes a place worth gathering in even after you've had too many flights to count.