In the last few years, the number venues touting themselves as 'the hottest new wine bar' in Shanghai has moved deep into the double digits.
With an emphasis on natural wines, organic wines, New World wines, Old World wines, low-intervention wines – you name it – it's definitely become a thing.
Who knew Shanghai's COVID era would spawn a wine bar obsession?
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A couple of years ago, we compiled a roundup of recently opened wine bars that had done it right (a curated wine list, expertly executed dishes and elegant design), converting us – along with the entire population of Shanghai – into Parisian wannabes.
(Or simply winos...)
READ MORE: A-Z Rating of Shanghai's Newest Wine Bars: Part I
READ MORE: A-Z Rating of Shanghai's Newest Wine Bars: Part II
READ MORE: A-Z Rating of Shanghai's Newest Wine Bars: Part III
Some push a high-end date night ambiance; others a casual weekday sipping vibe. A few on the list we opt for pre-dinner; a handful we tend to visit more for a nightcap.
We're just here to present the info – you pick your poison.
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Since then, a handful of newbies have graced the scene, so here are seven more wine bars that earn the That's Shanghai stamp of approval.
Alors
Alors is a modern Chinese wine bistro that opened in early summer just down Gate 1 in Tianzifang, backed by wine expert Franklin Chiang (Next Bottle), chef Bingjia and designer Ting Ting.
The trio all previously studied in France, and have built a connection between French and Chinese cuisines, wine and culture – right here in Shanghai.
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The wine program is 100% French, with 70% natural wines and 30% conventional wines – plus no shortage of champagne, naturellement.
Most of the current lineup of 150 distinct bottles falls in the RMB480-680 range – and a full meal with wine could set you back just RMB300-500 a head, depending on how much you imbibe or abstain.
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Alors is undoubtedly a wine bar, yet the food is truly the highlight, and Zhejiang native chef Bingjia the star of the show.
As a neighborhood hangout, Alors is designed to be a place you can revisit time and again, which is why the menu is purposefully kept small and changes every few weeks.
Roasted Pigeon (RMB108), Image by Sophie Steiner/That's
Dishes are ephemeral, spotlighting Chinese ingredients prepared and presented using French techniques, encouraging repeat visits to see what chef Bingjia is up to next.
The roughly 15-item menu is served in tapas-style sharing portions, meant to feed four when ordered in its entirety.
Alors, 120-1-1, Bldg 3, Lane 200, Taikang Lu (Gate 1 Tianzifang), by Jianguo Lu 泰康路200弄3号楼120号-1-1室（田子坊1号门,直走,右手边).
INT.
New-age bistro and wine bar INT. soft opened in April 2023 behind Mikkeller in Jing'an.
As the high-end version of the Interval series (INT. is short for Interval) – owned by Hong Kong's Twins Kitchen group (孖人厨房) – INT. is the first of its kind, bringing to Shanghai Chinese flavors and Cantonese cooking techniques, coupled with Italian undertones (plus natural wines).
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The wine program is a culmination of co-owner Josh’s passion for low intervention, natural and Old World Italian and French wines – one that has developed over the last decade, compiling stories and bottles from all the global wine trade shows and boutique wineries he has visited.
There are 60-80 unique labels on offer, going for RMB78-118 a glass and RMB438-688 a bottle.
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The 23-item menu is meant to augment the wine offerings with a myriad of cooking techniques that span East to West – from Western-style sous-vide to charcoal grilling, pickling to traditional Cantonese broth-making – honoring the almost fully locally-sourced roster of ingredients.
While the spot is branded as having “Italian DNA” that aligns with the rest of the Interval restaurants in Hong Kong, we feel it’s more contemporary Chinese fusion, and heavier on the Chinese than the fusion.
READ MORE: 13 Venues Pushing Boundaries with Contemporary Chinese Cuisine
Image courtesy of INT.
This nascent, promising category in the dining scene honors local products over imported ones and plays with the melding of legacy Chinese heritage dishes coupled with international influence – a culinary movement that exemplifies what Shanghai is all about.
INT., Room 114, Bldg. 9, No. 60, Lane 273 Jiaozhou Lu, by Wuding Lu, 胶州路273弄60号114室, 近武定路.
Juke
Juke, a neighborhood eatery headed by chef and popup master Michael Janczewski (Bastard) and Ting Ting (previously of Da Vittorio), opened back in December 2022 in the old Pirata digs on Dongping Lu.
The 18-seater serves a tight menu of neo bistro fare that focuses on Mediterranean flavors with an Asian twist. But, the unorthodox wine menu is deserving of the foreground.
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Known as The Acre Project, wine list co-creators Mathieu le Pape and Sebastien Dallee first selected a handful of winemakers using the criteria that they can only be producing on 25 hectares or less.
That’s super small in the world of wine – thus assuring that each bottle is a handmade work of art, rather than a mass-produced, widely-distributed offering.
So the focus is on the actual winemakers, emphasizing the people behind the grapes.
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Bottles and by the glass pours are competitively priced – think Southern Italian Bianci with high florality for RMB90/glass; juicy, structured 100% Pinot Noir for RMB68/glass.
Like the food, you get your money’s worth.
Juke – coming from the old English word meaning ‘to trick’ or ‘fake out’ – rings true in the playful nature of the menu.
Expect the unexpected: a lashing of smoky olive oil; pickled celtuce ribbons; clarified tomato and butter water; mapo tofu gravy; hand-ground polenta; miso paste hidden beneath layers of caramel; and dots of activated charcoal spiked with kumquat, to name a few.
Bites aim to deceive the senses and challenge the notion of what you may assume.
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The communal feel of the restaurant comes from the tight square meter-to-guest ratio. You’re essentially having dinner with those at the wood-rimmed, marble table next to you, so don’t arrive anticipating an intimate chat.
That being said, it is ideal for scoping out the dishes being consumed by those around you, snagging a recommendation or – if you’re very, very charming – a bite.
It’s familial, after all.
Juke, 11 Dongping Lu, by Henghshan Lu 东平路11号, 近衡山路.
The Merchants
Protein-centric The Merchants is all about going back to the foundational base of cooking – curing, smoking, fermenting, roasting over open flames and using only natural, ethically-sourced products.
A longstanding institution in Beijing that began as a wine merchant nearly 10 years ago – hence the name – the group found their way to Shanghai from the capital in September 2022.
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The venue’s focal point is the open kitchen’s mesmerizing Applewood-flame grill, on which the majority of the items are prepared, and a wall-length dry-aging fridge that backlights chunks of rosy-marbled steaks, hook-skewered trout, and noosed chickens of all shapes and sizes – all on display like showgirls in a red-light district window.
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The wine program is as diverse as the menu, with over 300 varietals spanning Europe to China, mostly ranging in price from RMB500-1,000 per bottle.
There’s everything from skin contact orange wines to Syrah rosés to an ample selection of naturals, with an emphasis on Burgundies.
There are also 12 wines available by the glass for RMB70-160 – including some of their own wines from their Merchants Winery – for those who want to create a pairing menu without committing to a full bottle.
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The whole experience is all very ASMR-centric – the hiss of searing dry-aged meat, the crackle of crisping skin, the smoky perfume of seafood charring, all paired with luscious wine sips from designer glassware.
It’s a performance for the senses, one that justifies the higher ticket price.
The Merchants, 52 Yongfu Lu, by Fuxing Zhong Lu 永福路52号, 近复兴中路.
Mozzarelle e Vino
Opening in December 2022 in the Henghsan 8 lifestyle development, Mozzarella e Vino is a neighborhood European lounge focused on – as the name suggests – all things cheese and wine.
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Behind the new spot is Dr. Cheese, a local Chinese cheese brand venturing for the first time into the restaurant space.
The company launched in 2019, led by Jason Chen, the previous GM of DMK – a large German dairy brand – with a focus on importing cheese from Holland.
In short, Mozzarella e Vino is the place for cheese lovers, by cheese lovers.
On the wine front, there are more than 100 labels to choose from, predominantly hailing from Italy and France, plus 14 wines by the glass (RMB48-98).
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The restaurant’s bread and butter are their Charcuterie Boards (RMB128/small, RMB198/large), with preset selections of cheese, cold cuts, pickles, mixed nuts and dried fruits.
With offerings like Insigny Mimolette, Dutch Gouda and British salami and prosciutto, it’s hard to pass these up, especially with a glass of wine in hand.
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The cheese counter also displays the 60 imported and local cheese, including Brie, Mimolette, Manchego, Emmental and Comté – to name a few – as well as 20 different cold cut selections.
Meanwhile, the wall-length wine display cellar encourages diners to learn about pairings through trial (without the risk of error).
Mozzarella e Vino, #101A, Bldg 6, 8 Hengshan Lu, by Wulumuqi Lu, 衡山路8号锦和越界6号楼101A单元，近乌鲁木齐路
Suzie's Garden
Adding to powerhouse restaurant group Vos Families already impressive roster of lauded wine bars (SOiF, Ottimo, LeDAiLY, theWarehouse, Suzie, ma-ia-ki), Suzie’s Garden opened this past May in a 1937 heritage building on Fumin Lu, just south of Yan’an Lu.
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Wine is at the forefront of the concept, with the in-house sommelier providing suggestions from the lineup of more than 400 unique bottles, curated for pairing with the Mediterranean-leaning menu.
Yonex Zhang, the wine mastermind behind all Vos Families venues, pulls inspiration from the wine concepts across the rest of the group: Suzie’s Burgundy and Italian fine wines; Ottimo’s new world wines; SOiF’s natty’s and boutique winery bottles; ma-ia-ki’s sparkling and sake selection, and more.
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Together, this culminates in a cellar that showcases everything from classic bottles of large estates to rare finds from niche vineyards hailing from all over the globe – attracting a wide audience of wine experts and entrants alike.
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Vos Families group chef Freddy Raoult is behind the European Mediterranean menu, and it is notably lighter than sister restaurant Suzie’s indulgent French selections.
Expect wine-worthy pairers like marinated seafood, FIReNACE charcoal and wood fire oven grilled proteins, a smattering of pasta and pizzas, and vegetable sides.
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The sprawling garden translates to a serene oasis, one where you can pretend to be on holiday in Europe; the only nagging reminder you’re actually in Shanghai arriving in the summer in the form of unrelenting humidity that makes the back of your knees sweat as much as your rosé glass.
But summer is a long way off, and – while it may not seem it – spring is just around the corner; ideal terrace time, and Suzie’s Garden daytime-into-nighttime offerings translate to a place you won’t want to leave.
Suzie's Garden, 38 Fumin Lu, by Yan'an Zhong Lu, 富民路38号, 近延安中路.
Yuan You Tao | 园有桃 | Where The Peaches Grow
Yuan You Tao (园有桃), or Where The Peaches Grow, as it's so poetically called in English – opened quietly on Xinle Lu about a year ago.
It is the lovechild of five partners: Chef Holly Lian (Crave Café) and Ruomi Gan (Mimilato) on menu R&D and design; Lin Zhenyi (Mimilato) on branding; Xie Shu Yu on front-of-house management; and sommelier Yannick De Brouwer (previously of RAC, Crave Café) on – well, obviously – wine.
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The wine is all about pairing refreshing vintages with spice: orange wines, natties, and sparkling – those without strong tannins.
With over 250 bottles to choose from, the majority fall in the RMB400-1,200 range, and are sourced from around the globe.
Being a fully regional Chinese menu, they also offer huangjiu – aged Chinese yellow wine – with plans to create wine and food pairing menus in the future.
When it comes to the food, half the team is Hunanese, while the other half attended culinary school in Paris, so they decided to bridge the gap by embracing the flavors of their childhood, presenting them in a way that fits the modern lifestyle-centric Shanghai dining scene through hints of Western influence – via ingredients, cooking techniques, and wine pairings.
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When it comes to well-worn Hunan offerings in Shanghai, there’s Di Shui Dong – aka The Dirty D – with its squatter toilets, screaming ayis, cigarette smoke, and all; and there’s Guyi – with its white tablecloths and tome of a menu.
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Yuan You Tao falls pleasantly in the middle – with moderate portion sizes, an approachable menu for those with or without Hunan cuisine knowledge, and an Instagram-able café space replete with a curated wine cellar.
It's a shining example of what we love so much about Shanghai's budding contemporary Chinese dining scene; the team isn’t trying to reinvent or alter Chinese cuisine (there’s so much to be explored already within regional delicacies) – instead they are serving up a plate of spice-laden nostalgia to the Shanghai crowds, best enjoyed with a cool glass of funky natural wine.
Yuan You Tao (园有桃), 167 Xinle Lu, by Donghu Lu, 新乐路167号, 近东湖路.
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