Drinking Wyoming: Bin22 An Affordable Wine And Tapas Bar In Jackson

Cowboy State Daily’s 'Drinking Wyoming' is presented by Pine Bluffs Distilling.

JACKSON — Bordeaux, France, is considered the wine capital of the world for its high-quality vintages, but Italy produces the most wine, at one-fifth of the world’s entire supply.

Cyprus, Greece, on the other hand, has the world’s oldest manufactured wine, a sweet dessert wine called Commanderia, with roots that trace back to 2000 BC.

Chasing the thousands upon thousands of interesting wines from around the world is a demanding job. But it’s one that the guy in charge of picking wines for Bin22 at 200 W. Broadway in Jackson, Wyoming, relishes.

“I want to see what wines I haven’t tried before,” Neil Loomis told Cowboy State Daily. “What kind of areas are hot right now.”

That has taken him around the world — France, Spain, Italy — and off the beaten path, too.

“We bring in a lot of wines from all throughout Europe,” Loomis said. “But we represent the world. We bring in wines from the southern hemisphere too, from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa as well.”

And with Bin22’s reputation — it’s one of seven restaurants in Gavin Fine's Fine Dining Restaurant Group — Loomis has plenty of winemakers knocking on his doors.

“Every wine broker wants to make sure that they taste with us,” Loomis said. “They know that representation could go to many different liquor licenses, depending on how we decide a wine would work for the company.”

Restaurant Wine At Retail Prices

One of the really cool features at the Bin22 wine and tapas bar is the bottle shop.

Customers headed to the wine and tapas bar literally walk through the establishment’s entire wine list — about 2,000 bottles with 400 selections, which Loomis has curated from around the globe.

These bottles are not priced as you’d expect for the upscale and expensive tastes of Jackson Hole, either. In fact, they’re all sold at retail prices with no restaurant markups.

That means you can carry an affordable bottle of wine to your table to enjoy along with your food.

There isn’t even a sly corkage fee awaiting you for the restaurant to actually open the bottle.

“We’ve got a few selections that are kind of up to the $1,000 range,” Loomis said.

That one is a Romanée-Conti, in the same group as the $23,000 bottle of wine at The Prime Rib in Gillette.

“But most of our selections, like our bread-and-butter point, is kind of that $25 to $30 range,” Loomis said.

That makes the wine bar experience one of the most affordable elegant, fine-dining experiences in Jackson.

The small plates range from $14 to $35 depending on the particular dish, and are meant to be shared.

The cheese and meat trays are particularly fun, with fig jam and spicy mustard, as well as pickles and peppers to liven things up. Many of the cheeses and meats are imported from Europe, so that can be a fun exploration in and of itself.

There are plates for heartier appetites, like the steak plate, ahi tuna and house-made meatballs.

Mozzarella for the various Caprese salads is made fresh in-house, and the breads taste like freshly baked European loaves.

The restaurant tries to source as many ingredients as possible locally. That includes fresh greens from Vertical Harvest in Jackson, which grows a variety of salad greens, herbs and other produce.

That makes their salads next-level great — a taste of spring, even when nothing is really yet in season.

Most people go in a large group and share the small plates, so everyone can try a little of everything. But it’s equally fun for one person or would make a great date night for a couple.

Tables are communal, meaning strangers might end up sitting right next to each other. That’s on purpose to encourage new people to meet and talk to each other.

Wine Guides

Bin22 staff will practically take customers by the hand to help them find the right bottle.

That even includes samples of wine at times to help pinpoint what is more appealing to the customer.

They’re also quite knowledgeable about the wines and willing to help educate customers, despite the fast-paced environment typical of food service.

“Sanscerre is like the original region of Sauvignon Blanc,” Cooper Tremblay told Cowboy State Daily. “It’s classic France. If anyone knows anything about Sauvignon Blanc, they’ll probably talk about Sancerre.”

To Tremblay, though, that’s not what’s important about the wine.

“It’s just a nice, light drinking white,” he said. “I think it goes really well with fish, as well cheeses. You can drink it by itself, too. It’s just lovely.”

For red wines, he likes the Ailala, which he describes as “approachable.”

“It’s going to be a little more fruity, but not like hit you in the head with tannins,” he said. “It’s smoother, kind of spicy drinking. Both of them are really tasty and really approachable at pretty reasonable price points.”

Wines are also available by the glass at Bin22. Those come with the usual restaurant markup, but the choices rotate all the time. That can be a convenient way to try a new wine before committing to an entire bottle.

And that’s the other cool thing about the Bin22 model. Once you find a wine you like, it’s pretty easy to pick up a bottle — at retail prices — to take home.

Having so many great wines to try all in one spot, along with delicious food, makes this a fun and affordable adventure in Jackson.

And it’s a great way to explore the best of the best in the world of wine without ever leaving Wyoming.

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.