Somm Wine Gallery
Add: 2F, 284 Anfu Road, near Wukang Road / 安福路284号2楼，近武康路
Tel: 5425 1760
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 4pm-1am [Sat-Sun] 2pm-1am
Price: 130-400 RMB/tasting flight, 150-600+ RMB/glass, 800-3400+ RMB/bottle
Visited: Oct 2015
Other than French pastries, I also developed an interest in French wines during my three years in Paris. It was only natural to get accustomed to drinking regularly, since good wines are so easily accessible (both in terms of availability and price) compared to Shanghai. I can now recognize some familiar names and have a better idea of what I personally like, but of course I’m still far from being a connoissuer and wish that I can continue to learn about French wine even after leaving Paris…so when two friends opened a French-focused wine tasting bar here in Shanghai, I knew I was going to spend quite some time there.
So here’s Somm Wine Gallery, a stylish space quietly nestled on the second floor of 284 Anfu Road. Beautiful window panes, sleek and comfortable HAY chairs, mood lighting…all very nice,but the focal point here is most definitely the Enomatic wine dispensing system, which guarantees wine quality for 3 weeks (some up to 1 month) after opening. Don’t want to finish a bottle of Montrose 2007 (2,000 RMB) by yourself? Well here you can try it by the glass (360 RMB/12cl) or an even smaller tasting size (180 RMB/6cl).
Displayed on the wall are a few selected bottles tasted by Kelvin and Cruise, the two owners of Somm. There are some very impressive names up there, and each has a special story behind – take the time to read them if you are interested.
The collection at Somm is impressive, including some low production garage wines as well as bottles from the world-famous five First Growth Wines of Bordeaux, such as the 1975 Mouton Rothschild. This specific case was acquired at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong and delivered straight from the Mouton Rothschild cellar, with wine label designed by Andy Warhol.
For those who don’t know where to start, Somm has designed several tasting flights (130-400 RMB) for you to try. A few themes: Summertime, La Vie en Rose, When Bordeaux meets Burgundy…and also Carte Blanche, where you simply let the sommelier decide.
Somm has a larger selection of red wine, though on this particular afternoon I was in the mood for white and tried a glass of “Domaine Philippe Pacalet, Puligy-Montrachet, 2010” (300 RMB/glass, 150 RMB/tasting size). The tasting notes says white flowers, brioche notes, acacia, almond, white truffle with a touch of curry…whatever, I simply found it round and buttery and absolutely gluttonous – love at first sip.
For those who are hungry, Somm offers some small bites like cheeses, charcuterie, foie gras with caramelized onions, cured salmon, etc. I haven’t tried these yet though.
Ended the night with their last reserve of 1961 Château Rieussec, a Premier Cru sweet white wine in Sauternes now owned by Château Lafite Rothschild. Wines like these, they sure don’t come by everyday…at least not for me. If you are looking for cheaper bottles to drink the night away, there are many options around Shanghai, but if you want to get a bit more serious on tasting and learning about the finer wines, Somm is where you should be.
