Dornan’s is one of my favorite sneaky spots in the summer to impress friends with good food and drinks. After anywhere near the park, it’s a great place to grab some easy pizza and a pint. The views are stunning and the atmosphere is casual enough for any attire.
Most of my friends understand when I disappear to walk around Dornan’s wine shop. Although my dad is usually eager to join me, my mother warns, “don’t let him over shop; we don’t have room to take it home!”
My dad is a wine-o like me, and we have fun talking about different wines, places I’ve been and producers I know. He is living vicariously through my little adventures.
Jennifer Dietz has been the curator of Dornan’s wine shop for the past few years. She is watching over one of Wyoming’s most extensive cellars and planning for the future.
This included more wine dinners, carted to a younger, more curious audience, and private cellar tastings. She has a lot of ideas and loves chatting about wine.
I stopped by for a visit on a snowy evening, surprised at the different feel of the place. First, it was quiet, not just the calm of a restaurant, but the quiet of being by the park. With the snow dampening sounds from the highway a mile or so off and the Christmas decorations, it had a peaceful vibe.
I am defiantly going to stop by for a burger after some of my winter park missions. And I can buy wine next door and have it in the restaurant. I don’t know why I had not gone after a skin before; we sometimes forget about these things as locals!
Dornin’s wine cellar is impressive: multiple back-dated vintages, first growths, and small vintage allocated wines. So if you are looking for something special for that wine-o friend of yours, this is the place to look. The cellar reminds me of old damp, dark cellars of Europe, with boxes everywhere. Chateau Palmer, Ducru- Beaucaillou, Cheval Blanc, are just a few cases stacked along the wall of Bordeaux.
Dietz has a few wine dinners planned, the first on Jan. 22. This is a dinner is with Kysela Pere et Fils, a wine importer from the East Coast. The host is fun and knowledgeable about all their wines. With a worldly portfolio, they will be tasting sake with Japanese fair and Spanish wine with a Spanish tapas, and French with traditional French food.
It will be a lot of fun and hopefully an introduction to some new unknown worldly libations.
Dietz’s husband, Shean, is the chef for these events, guaranteeing the food will be spectacular.
They offer discounted rooms if you want to make a night of it, and that sounds like a great little winter getaway from Jackson.
There are a few more events scheduled for the season. The best way to keep up on these is through the newsletter or online. If you want to subscribe to the newsletter, e-mail Jennifer Jennniferd@dornans.com. Or stop by and chat; the staff is terrific!
