Small-production wine exemplifies Utah’s specialty import advantages
July 24, 2025 (Salt Lake City, UT) — Wine enthusiasts and visitors to Utah can discover one of Italy’s most obscure white wines through an unexpected channel: the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services (DABS) Control State system. Lasorte Cuadra Silos Valle d’Itria IGT, a critically acclaimed field blend from Puglia, is now available at state wine stores including Store 41, Salt Lake City’s premier wine retail destination. Operating with a distinctive warehouse-style layout featuring extensive floor-to-ceiling wine displays, Store 41 has built a reputation for an exceptional selection and curation approach among Utah’s wine enthusiasts.
While restrictive in many ways, Utah’s state-controlled alcohol system creates unexpected opportunities for wine discovery. The system’s 90% special order fulfillment rate and small winery discount program enable access to specialty imports that might never achieve economic viability in conventional three-tier distribution environments. Companies like Terrestoria Wine Imports leverage these advantages to bring boutique wines direct from Italy and Spain to Utah at accessible price points.
Lasorte Cuadra’s Silos, which retails for $24.99, represents a remarkable pandemic-era success story. Founded during COVID-19 by Roberto Lasorte, CEO of acclaimed Chianti Classico producer Querciabella, and Stephanie Cuadra, founder of Salt Lake City-based Terrestoria Wine Imports, Lasorte Cuadra emerged as a regional preservation effort in Puglia’s Valle d’Itria zone. With under 7000 bottles produced annually and approximately half destined for the US market primarily through Utah, this wine exemplifies the kind of boutique discovery that Utah’s unique system enables.
Challenging common preconceptions about southern Italian wines, Silos combines 60% Verdeca, 20% Bianco d’Alessano, 10% Minutolo, and 10% Maresco—ancient white grape varieties that serve as the foundation and muses for the Lasorte Cuadra family’s pet project. Harvested from a tiny parcel at 450 meters elevation on a limestone plateau between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, this field blend achieves naturally low alcohol (around 12% ABV) and delicate herbal character in stark contrast to Puglia’s reputation for robust and high-alcohol reds.
For producers like Lasorte Cuadra, with 50% U.S. market exposure and limited scale advantages, Utah’s system provides a safe haven and critical market access against the backdrop of global trade uncertainty. Utah’s small winery discount policy creates timely, tangible protection against federal wine tariff threats. The 49% vs. 88% markup differential provides pricing flexibility, while the state’s control structure offers multiple advantages including direct importing, greater purchasing power and regulatory stability. Wine tariff preparation strategies point to crisis intensity across the supply chain, with importers halting shipments, retailers stockpiling inventory and small producers bracing for the worst. Meanwhile, the combination of the state’s regulatory outlier status, evolving demographics and unprecedented focus on service illustrate how atypical markets can enhance rather than limit access to exceptional products—making Utah a surprising sanctuary of stability in an industry gripped by chaos.
For more information about Lasorte Cuadra wines:
Terrestoria Wine Imports
Salt Lake City, Utah
www.terrestoria.com
