Howdy all,
I’m flying into Bozeman towards the end of the year and staying at Big Sky. Any recs for a good bottle shop up there? TIA. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Scott
I can’t answer for Bozeman, but sometimes it’s amazing what you can uncover. I was in Basalt, CO a couple of years back and found an amazing little shop containing numerous bottles that I would have been happy to purchase at the asking price.
There’s absolutely nothing in Big Sky so your best bet is in Bozeman. But I have serious doubts you’ll find anything noteworthy in Bozeman either. Good luck. Slight thread drift, but love Big Sky. Prob more crowded over the holidays but when I was there, felt like we had the whole mountain to ourselves, in some cases we were literally the only ppl on the chairlift. Have fun!
In Big Sky itself, Hungry Moose deli is your best bet. Has a few good bottles, moderately high prices, and beware of older bottles for provenance/storage issues.
Best bet is Belgrade Liquors in Belgrade, up the road about forty miles. For Montana, an good selection, reasonable prices. Be wary of older bottles.
Robert
I am originally from Bozeman. The wine shop I usually frequent in Bozeman when I go back is The Wine Gallery. The owner is usually there and is very knowledgeable. He has a very good selection with quite a few small production stuff that I am actually quite amazed to find in such a small town. If I remember correctly, it probably leans to being U.S.-centric but with a decent chunk of European/overseas stuff to pick through. There is also a relatively new store of which the name escapes me that had a decent selection of quality wine…I think it was on north 19th (could probably find it via an internet search). I would definitely pick stuff up in Bozeman before you head up to big sky as you won’t find as much to choose from and it will cost twice as much (it is a ski resort after all). I actually flew back for Christmas to see the fam but will not get a chance to ski. Have fun!
P.S.
Never heard of Robert’s rec on Belgrade liquors but easy enough to check out. I say this because even though people refer to the airport as the Bozeman airport it is actually just on the outskirts of Belgrade. There is about 10 miles between Bozeman and Belgrade.
there’a a restaurant in Big Sky (forget the name) that has a bunch of really cool older CA cabs in a room underneath the bar. Literally, they have to lift a trapdoor behind the bar to access. We ate a group dinner there a few years back and the owner introduced me to his older collection. Wish I could remember the name but there can’t be all that many restaurants there.
Just looked up Belgrade Liquors on line very quickly. Still with a large selection. I have found recent vintage Cayuse on their shelves previously.
Be wary of older bottles. The store is on the right side on the route from Belgrade(Bozeman) airport to Big Sky Resort, but recessed back from view.
I have been going to Big Sky since 1985. The restaurants are always changing chefs. I believe this is a result of its being a seasonal, transient resort that
is distant from metropolitan places. So quality and dependability of reviews from one year to the next are not reliable.
There are many restaurants at Big Sky where you would not choose to eat.
Last year the Peaks restaurant at the Summit Hotel was excellent dining, with an interesting, low priced wine list.
I haven’t been to the Grille at Moonlight Basin in three years, but the dining was good, the wine list unimaginative.
Rainbow Ranch, just out of Big Sky, has always had fine dining, and had had a remarkable wine list. Unfortunately, the facility burned to the ground
in 2008, but they have rebuilt. Last year, their wine list was reconstructed, and good, but no longer remarkable. Perhaps it is further resurrected this season. I would guess this is the restaurant to which Justin referred, in that their wine cellar is in the basement, below the bar.
Also be aware that technically, it is not legal to bring your own bottle of wine into a Montana restaurant. Wine must be purchased from the restaurant itself.
This rule was always poorly enforced, but enforcement is now currently total in Missoula, Montana, where I live. I don’t know the status in Big Sky currently.
Robert
I’m pretty sure it was not Rainbow Ranch. Funny thing is that the older wine collection was not included on the wine list. Just some older wines as part of the house stock. I had to wade through the bottles to find something I wanted.
We stocked up at Belgrade Liquors on our way to a fishing trip in Ennis MT. Plenty of nice bottles, I imagine you will find what you need there.
Though you’re probably not heading east to Livingston, there’s a cool shop, thegourmetcellar.com, in town. They have a nice selection of cheese, too.
Thanks for the tips, much appreciated.
We can live without corkage service, we’ll be eating in most nights anyway. This trip is more about the mountain than the stomach. Merry Christmas!
Perhaps Buck’s T-4? http://www.buckst4.com/dining_menus.html
They have, among other things, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti “Echezaux” (2003) ($675) and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti “Romanee St. Vivant” (2004) ($1495), and a fair number of wines you might not expect to find in Montana. But it’s not behind a trap door - they have a lot of the wine on display (although perhaps not the really oddball stuff).
i bought a bunch of 2000 Bordeauxs at the Bozeman Costco when they were released a decade or so ago. Not sure what they have, but Costco usually has a nice selection of wines.
Cinnamon Lodge burned down. Food is still good, although I’m not usually drinking wine when I eat there.
Second the rec for Hungry Moose in Big Sky, although turnover is low and storage is not optimal. they have some good bottles though. Big Sky has had a good year so far, enjoy the snow!