In this special time, while some of us have fallen into routines like doing indoor workouts, watching films, or playing video games, others have taken the opportunity to relax into the simple and time-honored pastime of getting sloshed on wine.
From a consumer standpoint, there hasn't been a better time to brush up on your wine drinking, with outlets around Beijing moving their goods online for delivery and discounting products to entice you to stay at home and pour a glass or two in the evening.
As such, we've compiled some of the best vendors who have kept our spirits up, our cheeks ruddy, and our lips perpetually purple over the past several weeks.
The Opposite House recently launched their Uncorked at Home series, offering two wine packages – natural wines (RMB 498) or pinot wines (RMB 698) – with three bottles in each. Orders come with a bunch of goodies, including a wine tasting notebook, a bottle opener and stoppers, as well as access to tasting videos from their expert sommelier. Delivery is free within the Fifth Ring Road and if you order before midday, your wine can be at your door that very same afternoon. Browse and order via WeChat (ID: TOHUuncorked).
Hulu has been a wine-lovers best friend these past couple of months, first clearing their stock at silly prices and then keeping novice and veteran winos alike coming back for their rotating selection of well-priced bottles. Sold in twos or threes, their curated selections are priced depending on how fancy you're looking to get, for example, the above selection costs RMB 498 while two bottles of top-notch bubbly (AR Lenble Brut and Egly-Ouriet Brut) will set you back RMB 998. However, you can also get two bottles for as low as RMB 188. Add them on WeChat (ID: ilovehuluforever) to browse a full list.
No Beijing wine list would be complete without Cheers, and even during this special time the wine shop with a smile is able to bring us some of the best deals available. Their stock is forever rotating and includes everything from sparkly to Moscato and even spirits, so it's best to browse monthly and weekly deals via Cheers' official WeChat account (ID: CheersWines).
The Good Food People have built a reputation for stocking China's hotels with some of the finest Spanish food and wine available. Since the pandemic, they've opened up their catalog to the general public, offering a whole range of Mediterranean goods for great prices, for example, two bottles of Rasgón Tempranillo for RMB 98 or Patas Arriba for RMB 198. Browse all their imported food and drink via WeChat (ID: thegoodfoodpeople), where you can also find recipes for gustatorial inspiration.
Fine wine importer and distributor Sommelier International have been bringing wines from some of the most famed wine producers in the world since 2013. As such, they have one of the best selections going, including bottles from Spain, France, Germany, Argentina, and Australia, from vineyards like Fritz Haag, Pike & Joyce, Altos Las Hormigas, and many more. Currently, they're offering big discounts on close to 100 of their bottles if you buy a mixed case of six for RMB 599. Read more about that deal and how to order via their WeChat (ID: le-somm).
Since 2012, fifth-generation owner of Bordeaux-based Ponty Winery, Helene Ponty, has made it her mission to bring fantastic French wines to Asia. So far, she's succeeded in collating one of the best French-focussed selections in China and fulfills all orders from Ponty's Beijing-based warehouse. Although you're likely to spend a little more here than at some of the other outlets on this list, you won't be disappointed with the quality of the wine, the product of a small family business dedicated to handcrafted wines. Keep an eye on their official WeChat account (ID: PontyWinery) for monthly discounts and coupons.
READ: Where to Enjoy the Sunshine Now That Beijing's Best Terraces Are Opening Up
Images: Kelsey Knight (via Unsplash), courtesy of the vendors
Awaken from your coma sunshine, 'social distancing' and 'self-isolation' are the recurring buzzwords of 2020.
Yet I don't feel the urge to leave a completely inane comment on every article that's been posted on this site the past few months, including on restaurant reviews written by other users.
I wonder what goes through his head.
Maybe he's not very computer literate. Does he think that each article is actually a conversation, in which case it would be rude of him not to respond?
Fascinating.
What do the rest of you think?
Or you can just buy a bottle of cheap baijiu for less than ten kuai, dribble in a few drops of grape soda and slobber to the neighbors, "Voulez vous get messy merde-faced avec moi?"
I'd question your 'computer literacy' on this; the comments section on news website articles are, strangely enough, designed to encourage comments. He's made one, what's the problem? A bizzare thing to take umbrage at.
... just to every single person who reads the Beijinger.
But you have single-handedly roused the comments section from years-long slumber so there's that.
I wonder what goes through his head.
Maybe he's not very computer literate. Does he think that each article is actually a conversation, in which case it would be rude of him not to respond?
Fascinating.
What do the rest of you think?
Or you can just buy a bottle of cheap baijiu for less than ten kuai, dribble in a few drops of grape soda and slobber to the neighbors, "Voulez vous get messy merde-faced avec moi?"
Just amusing myself. Why have a space for comments if none are welcome?
I think of the comments section like a public urinal. Whatever I pass here need not be uttered aloud to those around me.
I wonder what goes through his head.
Maybe he's not very computer literate. Does he think that each article is actually a conversation, in which case it would be rude of him not to respond?
Fascinating.
What do the rest of you think?
Or you can just buy a bottle of cheap baijiu for less than ten kuai, dribble in a few drops of grape soda and slobber to the neighbors, "Voulez vous get messy merde-faced avec moi?"
