2009 Nov 16 Beijing Uncorked - the City's Best Wine Venues
Whether you’re a seasoned wine connoisseur or just looking to wet your palate, Beijing is ripe with excellent venues that host regular wine events. Here are our picks for Beijing’s best vino opportunities for all tastes and budgets.
The ASC Fine Wine Bar
The sleek and sophisticated venue of this well-known local distributor boasts over “500 prestigious bottles of wine” and hosts one-on-one wine tasting with renowned wine experts, corporate events, private parties and networking socials. Tastings are every Thursday night. Contact Michael Hussman (6418 1598 ext 162, m.hussman@asc-wines.com).
Mon-Fri 9am-10pm. 7/F, Block D, The Place, 9 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District. (6587 3803) www.asc-wines.com 朝阳区世贸天阶9号光华路D座7层
Big 9 Wine Club
Discreetly hidden on the south side of the City Hotel, this wine club and bar sells and serves a good range of French, Italian, Australian and Spanish wines to a mostly Chinese customer base. Online ordering is possible at their Chinese language website www.big9.cn.
1/F Southside of the City Hotel, 4 Gongti Donglu, Chaoayang District. (6500 7388). 朝阳区工体东路4号城市宾馆大厦1层南侧
Boutique Wine Cellar
Beijing’s burgeoning burgundy crowd will suit this basement bar that only buys from boutique vintners. Weekly wine tastings and a willingness to educate the uninitiated separate this cozy venue from competitors.
Daily 10.30am-3am. 7 Sanlitun Beili (behind 3.3 Shopping Center), Sanlitun, Chaoyang District (6416 2375) 朝阳区三里屯北街7号3.3购物中心后
Beijing Wine Club
Organization of wine enthusiasts hosts monthly wine events ranging from blind tasting to wine quizzes, all with manageable snippets of wine education thrown in. Events are RMB 150. Contact (info@beijingwineclub.com, www.beijingwineclub.com).
Enoteca
This classy, unpretentious wine bar has reasonable prices, good food and a glass ceiling endowed with an expansive view of The Place’s sky screen. The wine list offers diverse and unusual selections, with bottles starting at RMB 98. Stop by Fridays, order a bottle from 15 selected wines priced at RMB 200 and feast on the free flow of tapas from 8pm-12am.
Daily 10am-2am. The Place, 9 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District. (6587 1578) 朝阳区光华路9号世贸天阶
Hao Feng Cellars
Hao Feng’s wine cellar hosts weekly tastings on Thursday with their in-house wine expert. Henderson Center.
3/F Henderson Center, 18 Jianguomen Nei Dajie, Dongcheng District. (6518 0788) 汇豪阁3层, 建国门东南东二环中路内东城区建国门内大街18号
La Baie des Anges
Winner of the 2009 Reader Bar & Club Awards for Best Wine Bar. Run by two French connoisseurs, La Baie des Anges is hidden just enough to show off your knowledge of Beijing’s hutongs and reasonable enough not to break the bank. Glasses start at RMB 40, and bottles at RMB 190. A Beaujolais wine tasting, featuring RMB 40 glasses, will be held here on Nov 19.
Tue-Sun 6pm-2am. 5 Nanguanfang Hutong (just south of Hutong Pizza), Houhai, Xicheng District (6657-1605) 号（胡同批萨南边）
Palette Vino
Oenophiles recommend this wine shop for its gregarious and knowledgeable staff, wide selection of bottles divided by grape variety – including some vintages imported directly by the owners such as Clos du Val – and pleasant adjoining wine bar, where you can sample your purchases. They now offer a full menu from 5-10pm, and appetizers all day.
Daily 11am-10pm. 5 Dongsi Shiyitiao, Dongcheng District (6405 4855) 东城区东四十一条5号
Sapori d’Italia
With its provincial and homey feel, Sapori d’Italia showcases Italian cuisine and wines ranging from RMB 100-800. They also have a wine club where members can enjoy regular tastings from their sizeable cellar.
Daily 11am-11pm. 11 Xiushui Nanjie, Jianguomenwai, Chaoyang District. (6593 2079). 朝阳区建国门外秀水南街甲11号
Scarlett
Chic, intimate wine bar has daily set menus and drinks specials.
Daily 6pm-3am. Hotel G, 7A Gongti Xilu, Chaoyang District. (6552 2880) 朝阳区工体西路甲7号北京极栈内
Sequoia
Offers weekly Friday night tastings at 6.30 pm at the Sanlitun branch. Ranging between RMB 50-100, one of the best deals in town with four to five wine samples and simple light snacks. Contact Frank Siegel (137 0117 8073, frank.siegel@gmail.com).
Daily 7am-8pm. 44 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District. (6501 5503) 朝阳区光华路44号
Wine Club @ One East
Take a tour through some of the world’s finest wine regions with One East on Third’s Head Sommelier, Julia Zhu (see p14), who provides by expert commentary. Top it off with tasty canapés. RMB 150+15% per person.
Thursdays. One East. 2/F, Hilton Beijing, 1 Dongfang Lu, Chaoyang District. (5865 5030). 朝阳区东方路1号希尔顿酒店2层
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This bar boasts over 100 bottled brews from around the world, as well as an intimate, romantic atmosphere. Stumble Inn also hosts “Tightarse Thursdays,” when the Beijing International Darts Club battles it out and patrons get their Carlsberg and bottled Tsingtaos for the special prices of 20 and 10 RMB, respectively. Daily 10am-2am. S3-31, 3/F, Sanlitun Village South, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District (6417 7794) 朝阳区三里屯路19号三里屯Village南区3号楼3层S3-31Pass the Mic - Croon and Caterwaul the Night Away
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