A slew of new bars and restaurants have opened in the Sanlitun district of Beijing, reinforcing its position as the city's prime nightlife zone.
What makes the district so appealing is the broad mixture of options, from hole-in-the wall local bars serving cheap bottles of Yanjing beer to fine-dining establishments that will put a serious dent in your wallet. At least three new wine bars - a rarity in the capital until recently - have opened, reflecting the increasingly sophisticated and cosmopolitan tastes of the population.
Widely travelled locals and expatriate oenophiles are the target audience for renowned nightlife entrepreneur Leon Lee's latest venture, Bar Veloce (Building B, 1949 The Hidden City, Courtyard 4, Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang District; tel: +86 [10] 6586 1006). This is located in a compound that houses Duck de Chine, arguably the best Peking duck restaurant in Beijing.
Lee, an American, hired former Aman resorts sommelier Krishna Hathaway to draw up a list of lesser-known, but largely affordable wines, with a wide by-the-glass selection. Bar Veloce focuses on vintages from Italy and the Mediterranean, including Greece, and also offers a small menu of salads, cold cuts and panini.
Says Lee: "We wanted to open something that was different and interesting, a place for people who really appreciate wine, and the selection has been groomed very carefully. We will aim to have 65 wines on offer and about 15 that can be ordered by the glass; you can ask to taste those before ordering."
A short stroll away, on the fringes of Sanlitun proper, is Everwines (10 Xindong Road, East Avenue Block A, B1-102 103 Chaoyang District; tel: +86 [10] 8442 5008), a wine-bar-cum-store owned and operated by the giant Spanish wine group Torres. It offers a choice of 300 wines. The bottles are displayed shop-style, with a 50 yuan (HK$62) charge for those who want to enjoy their drinks at the bar, or in the sunken courtyard.
It is a great spot to share a bottle with friends - popular items are the Celeste (269 yuan), made from tempranillo, or Te Mata Estate Sauvignon Blanc (218 yuan) - before heading out into the seething streets of Sanlitun.