Category Archives: Peter Wright

More bottle for your buck: Value vino in Shanghai

As a big wine drinker, it is pleasing to see an increasing number of Shanghai bars, restaurants, retailers and wholesalers hold wine tastings and wine promos or offer value-for-money wines by the glass. Winopete’s Shanghai picks for value are:

1. Sasha’s (corner of Hengshan and Dongping Roads, in the French Concession area) holds a wine buffet every Friday, when it’s an all-you-can drink deal from a selection of about a dozen wines from 5.30 p.m. – 9 p.m. for just RMB148. A lot of the wines are drinkable lower-end labels, with one or two nasty Nelly’s, but most weeks there are a few roses among the thorns to keep the pickier plonkheads happy (e.g. Pedroncelli 2002 Merlot, Jim Barry 2004 Shiraz and a great Chateau Monteils Sauterne for ‘sticky’ fans).

2. Enoteca Wine Lounge (53-57 Anfu Road) and Enoteca 2 (58 Taicang Road, near Xintiandi) stock about 70 wines and champagnes. Many of the wines are imported directly from France, Argentina and Chile. Bottles of vino start from RMB83 / bottle, with better ones from around RMB150. The food is also very decent, with sandwiches, salads, tapas and cheese platters all featured on the menu. Enoteca opened just less than a year ago and their success has led them to open a new store near Xintiandi (official opening of Enoteca 2 to be held on 28th February). A wine buff’s paradise! Check their website at http://www.enoteca.com.cn .

3. More than 30 wines are available by the glass at Otto Cafe (85 Fumin Rd). Highest-quality vacuum technology is used to keep the wine fresh for 2-3 weeks. Wines by the glass are available in different sized pours: 50 ml from RMB28, 100 ml from RMB48 and 150 ml from RMB68. For bottles, reds start from RMB258 (Jean Leon Tempranillo), with whites starting from RMB228 (Torres Vina Sol). For details, please see their website at www.otto-cafe.com. Go at lunchtime and you can enjoy a cheap, very acceptable meal at around RMB100.

4. American Steak and Eggs (99-3 Xikang Road, behind the Portman Ritz-Carlton Hotel) has a very decent Argentine wine, Signos Shiraz 2005, on special at a paltry RMB15 a glass or RMB65 a bottle! (Don’t be cheap, get a bottle!) The wine is fresh and there’s no fine print to bite you in the balls. They also have a drinkable Signos Chardonnay Chenin Blanc 2006 at the same price. For other wines by the bottle, they have another 10 reds and five whites (some French, Chilean, Australian and Italian), all priced at RMB135, which is still an excellent price for Shanghai. From the wine list, Winopete’s picks are the Peter Lehmann Weighbridge Chardonnay or Shiraz, or the Redbank ‘Long Paddock’ Chardonnay or Shiraz.

As to numbers 5 and 6, I’d tentatively pick Villa Venue near Hongqiao airport and Vino Villa in Jinqiao. I have not yet been to either of them, but have heard good reports so far. Villa Venue is a new establishment that doubles as an art gallery. As for Vino Villa, on the Pudong side of Shanghai, it has a very mixed clientele of both locals and expats, with many good value wines available, according to an oenologist friend who lives out that way. Will hike out there soon.

I wish I could produce a list of 10 good value wine drinking spots in Shanghai, but I can’t. Maybe you Beijingers have it better? Let me know!

Tasting time: Shanghai

Leave a reply

– By Peter Wright

[Upcoming wine events in Shanghai]

Commanderie de Bordeaux wine tasting and dinner
A lavish dinner and French wine tasting will be held this Sunday 20th January at Kathleen 5‘s (325 Nanjing Xi Lu) from 6 PM by the Shanghai chapter of Commanderie de Bordeaux, a society of keen French wine drinkers. Wines to be served will include three vintages of Chateau Angelus, plus 14 St Emilion wines, including a couple of Pomerols. Cost for non-members is a paltry RMB1300 (members RMB1100). Please RSVP to: CDBSHANGHAI@yahoo.com.cn.

Summergate Los Vascos wine tasting
Summergate will hold a tasting of DBR Lafite Los Vascos Chilean wines on 23rd January at Laris (6F, 3 on the Bund) from 7-9 PM. Cost is RMB180, or RMB160 if pre-booked with Michelle Chung (michelle.chung@summergate.com). Wines to be tasted are a Sauvignon Blanc 2007, Chardonnay 2006, Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Cabernet Sauvignon Grande Reserve 2004 and Le Dix de Los Vascos 2003.

Ruby Red NZ wine master class
Keeping Shanghai’s wine lovers occupied, Ruby Red earns a spot on your calendar by scheduling a master class on New Zealand’s wines and wine regions on 26th January. The class will be held at Ruby Red’s office (No 41b, underground cellar, Tian Shan No.2 Borough, Zun Yi Rd) starting at 7.30 PM. Of course, there will also be some New Zealand wines for tasting. To reserve your seat, phone 6234 3031 or e-mail: info@rubyred.co.nz

ASC Louis Jadot wine tasting
Some great Burgundy wines will be all the rage on 31st January at Vino Venue (1970 Hongqiao Road) from 7 PM, courtesy of ASC. Wines to be tasted are: Bourgogne Chardonnay 2005, Pouilly-Fuisse 2006, Puligny-Montrachet 2005, Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2005, Beaune 1er Cru Theurons 1999 and Clos Vougeot Grand Cru 2001. Cost is just RMB128 per head. Please RSVP to: susanchen@asc-wines.com. Checking out Vino Venue, a new place that combines wine and art, should also be interesting.

Shanghai: The two best wine deals in town

1 Reply

By Peter Wright

As a big wine drinker, it is pleasing to see an increasing number of bars, restaurants, retailers and wholesalers hold wine tastings, wine promos or offer value-for-money wines by the glass. However, two places stand out way ahead of the pack. They are:

(1) Sasha’s (corner of Hengshan and Dongping Roads), which holds a wine buffet every Friday, when it’s an all-you-can drink deal from a selection of about a dozen wines from 6.30-9 PM for just RMB148. A lot of the wines are drinkable lower end labels, with one or two nasty Nelly’s, but most weeks there are a few roses among the thorns to keep the pickier plonkheads happy (e.g. Pedroncelli 2002 Merlot, Jim Barry 2004 Shiraz). Note, the wine selection changes each week.

(2) American Steak and Eggs (99-3 Xikang Road, around the corner from Big Bamboo and the Portman) has a very decent Argentinian wine, Signos Shiraz 2005, on special at a paltry RMB15 a glass or RMB65 a bottle! The wine is fresh and there’s no fine print to bite you in the balls. They also have a Signos Chardonnay Chenin Blanc 2006 at the same price, but I haven’t tried it yet.

Grape Wall of China 2.0: Peter Wright

1 Reply

Grape Wall of China will soon begin including contributions from ten people involved in the Greater China wine scene as academics, winemakers, distributors, educators or consumers. To kick things off, I will post a profile each day. (For more China wine info, join the Grape Wall of China group on Facebook and/or sign up for my free e-newsletter by emailing beijingboyce@yahoo.com with “sign me up” in the subject line.)

Today’s profile: Peter Wright
Main focus: Shanghai wine scene

Photo of “Winopete” to come

“Peter Wright – aka ‘Winopete’ – is one of the most tightwad tipplers in town andÂ spends more time than he should hunting for bargain booze, but is always partial to a good drop, good pub grub and a comfortable place for a chinwag. He writes a popular newsletter on Shanghai’s nightlife scene.”