Although the alcohol laws of Utah are amongst the most restrictive in the United States, they haven’t managed to deter winemakers from producing wines of note or keep breweries and distilleries from thriving.

With just a handful of wineries throughout the state, the choices are limited but with only one day available for visiting local wineries, we were more than grateful to have Utah Wine Tours as our guides. Proprietors and lifetime residents Rick & Wendy picked us up from our hotel and we proceeded to spend 4 fascinating hours with them guiding us through the capital in a comfortable SUV, providing a history of the area as well as taking us to wineries to sample the ‘local’ offerings.

Rick and Wendy are a delightful couple and their sparkle and charm added a lot to the tour. Both were born and raised in Utah and they are proud of the state they call home. They are also very knowledgeable about it and provided a terrific driving tour of the local sites as we made our way to the various stops.

Our first foray into Utah wine was a bottle of “Boaz”, a Ruth Lewandowski red blend made up of 60% Carignan, 20% Grenache, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Winemaker Evan Lewandowski uses the name Ruth not as an homage to a family matriarch but because it’s his favourite book in the Bible. In his words, “…there is no better depiction of death and redemption than the book of Ruth (who just happened to be from a town called “Moab”).  Much of my philosophy of farming and, in turn, winemaking is derived from this cycle of death and redemption (both in the physical realm we can see and the spiritual realm we often do not). Death is, indeed, the engine of life.” And while the grapes he currently uses for his wines are from California, he firmly believes that the climatic conditions make world-class wine-growing not only possible in Utah but inevitable. We fully expect him to be leading the charge.

Our next stop was the Hive Winery. Far from what one would expect visiting a typical winery, they specialize in non-grape fruit wines, ciders and honey wines also known as meads. This was also a first for us and a very interesting tasting as they produce a staggering 40 different wines, 9 Hard Apple Ciders and 8 Brandies. If you are used to drinking viniferous wines (made from grapes), as we are, you need to stop and re-calibrate your palate to appreciate fruit wines and mead. The standard metrics of balance, length, intensity, complexity and expressiveness go out the window with fruit wines and if you fixate on finding them you will miss the experience. These are wines of vivid fruit flavours and as such are less suited to accompany food and better thought of as cocktail wines. We were particularly impressed with the Mead and found that it could make for a nice, lighter styled dessert wine.

Our final stop was the tasting room for Dionysian Cellars which makes 6 red wines: a Syrah, Tempranillo, Malbec, Grenache and two blends, along with 1 sweet wine: a Maenad. We enjoyed the entire line up of their wines, the standouts being the Syrah and the Tempranillo. Digging deeper into their history, their wines are produced in Arizona so again not a true local wine in terms of where the grapes are grown but an impressive winery building a very reputable name for itself. The fact that they’ve chosen Salt Lake City to house one of its tasting rooms speaks to the growing demand for quality wine in the State.

Pouring for us was owner and winemaker Darin Evans’ sister Kristin Evans Bentley, who had to jump in at the last minute to do the tasting for him while he was travelling out of State. Darin’s good friend and sometime helper Mike took us back into the barrel room, showed us around and told us about the winery’s history as well as some of the future plans. His easy and relaxed way combined with Kristin’s great sense of humour made the tasting a lot of fun.

We wondered about Utah and whether it could become more of a wine-growing state. In many ways the climate seems right, but probably only for the heartier grapes, those that can withstand the summer heat spikes and the winter frosts. Climatically it does not seem to be too much different than Washington State (high arid desert, hot summers and freezing winters); but perhaps the soil in Utah may not be as amenable to grape farming. Irrigation would no doubt be a must and we hope that the current small-scale success with viticulture in Moab may catch on elsewhere in the state.

Although limited, there are a couple of wineries making and producing wine in Utah, most notably Castle Creek, the first winery of the modern era. As they are based in Moab we didn’t get a chance to taste their wines directly but they produce Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon and are prominently featured on many local restaurant wine lists.

And where there’s good wine you can usually find good food to pair it with; in this regard Utah is no different. We sampled some of the best the State had to offer in terms of local, sustainable eats and were thoroughly impressed throughout our journey from Salt Lake City all the way to Springdale, just outside of Zion National Park.

While in Salt Lake City, Wendy and Rick took us to Pago for lunch and we enjoyed it so much we returned the same night for dinner! Founder Scott Evans has embraced the farm to table trend and created a restaurant experience rich with quality. The menu reflects local organic ingredients, which, in turn, means constantly varied choices depending on the season. The restaurant’s name comes from the Spanish word for single vineyard and their philosophy on wine mirrors their passion for food. The wine list features small production sustainable wines from around the world, a significant number of which are available by the glass. The restaurant itself sits in an historical building constructed in 1910 that is simply decorated utilizing the original brickwork and reclaimed wood creating an atmosphere of cozy comfort.

We followed up our introduction to Utah’s dining scene in Salt Lake City with two fantastic dinners in Park City. The first was at the Brass Tag which is located in the Lodges at Deer Valley. A very warm traditional ski lodge feel greets you was you walk into the lobby that is framed by towering wood beams and a large fireplace. Walking upstairs to the restaurant, the aromas reach you long before you enter the restaurant. Their menu is described as “brick oven cuisine” and we sampled the shrimp skillet and mushroom/squash hash which were both excellent. As much as you would expect a heavier menu at a ski lodge, they locally source the majority of their ingredients and truly cater to all tastes which is evident with the many vegan and gluten-free options made available. Again a terrific wine list accompanied our meal and our gracious host spoiled us with a bottle of the 2013 Ridge Zinfandel—not a local Utah wine but a Californian wine we happen to be big fans of and it did not disappoint!

Our other memorable dining experience was on Park City’s Main Street at a restaurant called Tupelo. Continuing this common thread of a focus on fresh, seasonal ingredients, owner Matt Harris is a local celebrity chef with a resume to match having worked at such prestigious restaurants as Jean Georges Vongerichten and Pano Karatossos. The Koosharem Valley Trout on beluga lentils was easily one of the best seafood dishes we’ve ever tasted.

As we made our way to Moab, getting away from the bigger cities didn’t mean getting away from quality dining experiences. Our first stop was for lunch at the Eklectic Café, where, as the name suggests, you can enjoy a wide range of breakfast and lunch items from pancakes to burritos to Indonesian satays, all in a charming historical building right on Main Street. Thankfully the unconventional setting isn’t in any way a distraction from its menu; instead creating a delightful atmosphere with which to enjoy their innovative healthy menu made almost entirely from scratch.

For dinner we ended up at the Sunset Grill, the oldest operating restaurant in Moab with a notable history and a view to match. Sitting near the top of a Mesa, it was the former home of geologist Charlie Steen. Although geology isn’t well known for producing multi millionaires, he happened to be prospecting for Uranium during the 1950’s when the government was stock-piling it to be used in the war effort and to generate electricity at nuclear power plants. In true rags-to-riches fashion, his search left him virtually destitute when finally his perseverance paid off with a massive discovery. He instantly became one of the richest men in the country. Since 1993 it has operated as a restaurant offering a traditional steak and seafood menu which you can enjoy in one of 4 dining rooms or 3 patios while being treated to stunning panoramic views.

After a long day of hiking in Zion National Park, nothing much beats going to Zion Canyon Brew Pub in Springdale, Utah at the park entrance. It is Southern Utah’s first microbrewery and has quite a diverse selection of handcrafted beers including a lager, pale ale, amber ale, stout, as well as seasonal Hefeweizens, and even a pumpkin beer. The beer was delicious; we ordered the taster flight and were particularly impressed with their red ale and their porter.

Our guide from Zion Adventure Company, Diana Hall, sent us to local favourite Oscar’s for dinner which features burgers and Mexican food. Don’t let the casual outdoor ambiance and menu fool you…they are serious about their food and we can guarantee you won’t leave hungry! Between the two of us we had the Mahi Mahi fish tacos and a chicken burrito. Both were absolutely delicious although we could have easily split one and still been more than full given the portion size. But clearly we weren’t the only ones enjoying ourselves as it was absolutely packed with locals and had a lineup out the door. We ended up having a lovely conversation with the locals at the table next to us. Typical of pretty much everyone we met in Utah, they are very friendly and very welcoming people.

Utah’s focus on locally sourced, organic ingredients is something we’re seeing regularly on our travels (and at home) making us believe it is no longer just a ‘trend’ in cuisine. In our opinion, nothing showcases a destination more than the local food. Enjoying the pleasures of the table is a universal concept that people of any origin can relate to and one that brings strangers and friends alike together. We were very impressed by the foodie scene across the State and more than pleasantly surprised by the wine. We’re very interested to see whether Evan Lewandowski’s prediction that in time Utah will become a world-class wine-growing region comes to fruition, and you can bet AdVINEtures will be following it closely.