On Top of the World at Roosevelt House, Shanghai

After a week of recovering from our trip to Shanghai, it is time to start unwinding the wine selection of the city. As I explained in a previous post, my expectations were not high. China is a country for beer and local rice-wine (not something that caters to my champagne-loving taste buds). Luckily I was just living in the past. Apparently I forgot one of the most significant features of Shanghai, it changes and evolves faster than any other city in the world (as far as my experience goes). With an apple so big the natural place to start it the Roosevelt House, home to one of the most extensive wine cellars in the world

Roosevelt Wine Cellar located on the Bund (no 27) in the historical Roosevelt House boasts the largest wine cellar in the world with wines from over 4000 unique producers. We were unfortunate as there was an event the night we decided to visit, however the top floor restaurant and rooftop bar also serve the same wine list as the actual wine cellar. Not so unlucky after all. We sat down on the terrace with a marvelous view over the Yangze river. It is a unique sight and one of the best places in town to gaze at the contrast between the two sides of the city: the French style historic Puxi and the futuristic new center of Pudong. I think I spent more time trying to catch the perfect photo instead of drinking wine.

The view from the top of Roosevelt House

The wine list was vast, perhaps even too vast to review here to the detail. There was a clear preference to old world wines, especially from France (as mentioned in the post: five things you should know about shanghai and wine). The Champagne-list was impressive, but not great value for money as one can imagine (It is mainly the exchange rate killing us at the moment). They had their own private label champagne though that was closer to the price level we were ready to pay. I was also happy to see some half bottles on the list as sharing a full 0,75l pre-dinner can have hazardous consequences.

We tried ordering a half bottle of a cava that we had not before heard of, however it was, to our disappointment out of stock. The waiter tried replacing it with a bottle of Freixenet Gordon Negro (yuk), so we quickly turned to the relatively extensive list (10-15) of wines by the glass. We ended up with glasses of Sauvignon Blanc and a White Burgundy. Both decent and moderately priced (10-12 euros). It was hot and humid, so I was happy that the wines were properly chilled.

White Burgundy on the roof terrace

Even though we only got a glimpse of the actual bar and scratched the surface of the wine list I could tell this is the place to come for wine in Shanghai. I would recommend coming as a group so that sharing a bottle/few bottles is not too much, the most interesting wines are not sold by the glass. The wine cellar also has a restaurant, so one does not have to go out for food. All in all, I have been to better wine bars (around the world) with a selection more suitable to my taste as well as a price tag that my wallet can handle (and I was a bit phased at the Gordon Negro offered by the staff), however looking at what the local competition is, Roosevelt is at the top of my list for wine bars to visit in Shanghai.

Coffee Bar Review: Seesaw Coffee (Réel location), Shanghai

Our recent travels have taken us to Shanghai and even in a country where tea is the ruling drink there is some decent coffee. Most of the coffee here verges on undrinkable so I was almost set on just having the coffee I brought with me. After doing some research I did however find some promising places. The first on my list was the mini-chain of Seesaw Coffee. From what I gathered online they had three branches but when stepping into the one at the Réel mall the staff informed me that they now have five locations. The location at Réel is on the fifth floor is often, as often is the case with upper floors in malls in Shanghai, calm and surprisingly empty. They have succeeded in making the cafe feel fairly cozy and nice despite being in a mall. They fit well with the shops on the fifth floor as well as there are several stores selling small design accessories and such there as well.

Coffee

Cafe

Cappuccino

Looking at the coffee they serve an impressive array of different beans, when I visited there were six different beans to select from for hand brews. One could also select the method and they also offered three coffees as cold drips and of course espresso based beverages (two different blends to choose from). I have on different occasions sampled three of the beans made as filter (V60), some cold drip as well as espresso based coffees. The quality is consistent and while not world class they are very adapt at making coffee. The Ethiopian was the best I tried, while the Kenyan was slightly to dark and the Yunnan coffee more interesting than great. The cappuccino was very good and the Panama cold drip was also pleasant. They roast their own beans (at another location close to Jinan Temple) and the roasting is done fairly well but I would prefer it slightly lighter as I believe the main improvement in the quality would be if they picked up the roasting quality level a bit they would be even better.

Filter Coffee

Coffees

Filter coffee

The food selection is very limited, basically no proper food just pastries. For those who do not like cheesecake the selection is meager (it can vary from nothing to one or two different cookies). For the lover of cheesecakes it is however great, usually a large range of them and very good ones. I am not really a fan (of cheesecake) but some of them are really excellent.

Service was very friendly, eager to show the selection and while English was not superb it was good enough for us to communicate and get a lot of information on the coffee. There is free wifi but as often is the case in China it is a bit slow and a lot of services such as Google, Facebook, twitter and others are not accessible, still it is possible to sit and slack and lounge. All in all a very good place (perhaps the best) in a city that has an average quality of coffee almost as bad as in Italy.

So how does it rate:
Coffee quality: 3.5
Ambiance and service: 4
Food: 2
Vs local competition: 5

Five Things You Should Know About Shanghai and Wine

I have been in Shanghai (and other parts of China) tens of times. It was my previous job as a chemicals buyer that brought me to the region and to be honest I saw more industrial estates than actual culture. So it was wonderful to get to know Shanghai again with a different pair of glasses – a wine enthusiasts eyes. My expectations were not low per se, but I was expecting big brands and high price tags to be the common denominator. I am glad that I was at least partly living in the past. Shanghai is a melting pot with expats and student from around the world mixed with the growing liberal and curious local upper and middle classes. Wine has already made its way to the city life and it will not take long for it to boom. Perhaps it aleady has.

The view from the top of Roosevelt House

White Burgundy on the roof terrace

M had done some homework and had selected around six to seven different wine bars to try out. We did not have time for all of them, but I will list them in the end, so anyone with an interest can go and check them out. However, there are some differences to the western wine-culture so here are the five things you should know about Shanghai and wine.

1. There is a clear preference to French wine. This may come with the history of French influences or the large expat community, but every wine bar in town is serving a wide range from France. Other wine countries include Australia and New Zealand, due to their geographical “closeness” and Italy with Prosecco as the less expensive bubbly on the market. Spain and Portugal were not widely represented, nor was America or South America and South Africa.

2. The prices for wine are in general high. This comes from a bunch of logistical and political reasons, duties etc. But mostly due to wine being a drink for foreigners. It is not often understood what is a reasonable price level for a tourist. Would you be happy paying 10-20 Eur for a mediocre glass of wine? We live in Stockholm where prices are also high, but due to the Swedish currency being weak, the prices in China are elevated for us. Don’t get me wrong, we found many places with some reasonable pricing, but in general one should not expect Shanghai to be cheap.

3. Smoking is allowed inside. If you were intending to have a nice relaxing moment with you glass of wine breathing in the beautiful aromas, you can forget about it. There will be at least a few people smoking cigarrettes next to you. It is not something I am used to, but knew in advance, so it was not such a big deal when someone took out their lighter on the table next to us. If you want to avoid the smokers, I suggest to find a nice rooftop terrace with a breeze.

4. Bars are (usually) open every day of the week, but have a plan B if your selected hangout is not open (or has suddenly moved). Sometimes the internet is wrong (or has old information).

Wine decorations

The bar at Dr. Wine

Trendy interior at Dr. Wine

5. Local wine is expensive, but that has nothing to do with quality. Local wines cater to local tastes. The wines are often sharp in taste, high in alcohol and have an oxidized character to them. I am not saying there is no good local wine, I have just tasted a few. But be prepared for a different palate than what we Eurooeans are used to. China has a lot of potential for future vinegrowing and I believe some day we will see great things happen. But today is perhaps not yet that day.

(6.) And here is an extra treat for you: The local saying “kam pai” (kam bei) does not really mean cheers in the same way that we understand it. In reality it means bottoms up. So if someone raises their glass to you and says these words, you are expected to empty the whole glass with one gulp.

Here is our list of wine bars to try out and visit. I will review the ones we had time for in future posts. Roosevelt Wine Cellar, Dr. Wine, Project Wine, Le Vin, Napa Wine Bar & Kitchen and Wine Must.