The first two times I went to Big 9, it was emptier than a bottle of Veuve Cliquot at my friend E-Salt’s house after New Year’s. Imagine my surprise as the place bubbled over with 40-plus people one recent Friday night. Yes, the wine was free, but it was nice to see such a good mix of foreigners and locals trying more than a dozen wines.
Before I go on, please read the following out loud:
“Wei? Wei? Wei? [Pause] Wei? Wei? [Longer pause] Wei? Wei? Wei!? Weiiiii!? [Pause] Weiiiii!? [Etc].”
That’s how the night started, with a woman at the bar giving a demonstration on bad phone manners. To further stress the point, her friend was simultaneously doing the same, giving us a kind of stereo effect.
Anyway, from there things only got better…
My notes are a bit scant. I tried some Alsace Gewurtztrameiner, which had some peach, grapefruit and honey on the nose. I expected it to be sweet, but it was a bit tart, a sort of sour apple thing that left me a bit disappoitned. The best wine tried was the Indis Shiraz – the first bottle was “out of balance” but the second had cherry and other fruit flavors. My favorite at this place so far is the Indis Shiraz Rose, at 145 per bottle…
You can find Big 9 just around the corner from the City Hotel, near The Den.
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