This Sanlitun Soho Shop is Vying to Become Your New Wine Haven

Part wine shop, wine bar, and restaurant, Alan's newly opened Sanlitun Soho location aims to serve all the needs for your next semi-formal date night.

The wine chain's latest branch opened at Sanlitun Soho

Aside from its multipurpose concept, approachable ambiance, and an extensive roster of bottles – numbering well over two hundred, with plenty of mid to upper mid-range options from Italy, France, South Africa, and other locales available – Alan's is also noteworthy for its business model. That's because this new Sanlitun branch is far from the only Alan's location, the Chinese chain instead boasting a whopping 100 locations across China, another Beijing branch being situated in Gaobeidian. Clearly, the market for slightly upscale, but not overly snobby, wining and dining has reached a new level of scalability.

The second floor restaurant strikes a balance between casual and upscale

But that, of course, begs the question: Is Alan's as bland and forgettable as most other chains? The answer is a resounding, albeit quite surprisingly, no. When we stopped in during a recent South African wine tasting night as part of the newly opened Sanlitun Soho location's soft opening, it didn't even occur to us that there would be other Alan's locations. Not that the place oozes personality more than other businesses, by any means, but rather than giving off a stiff corporate vibe, it instead boasted elegant and understated atmosphere akin to other approachable Beijing wine bars that are standalone, like Wine Daily and the older Yu Shi. It's the kind of ambiance that amply does the trick if you have out of town guests in need of entertaining, or if you'd like to take your significant other out for a spontaneous few glasses of red and a reasonably priced steak or other entrees.

The food at Alan's is pretty good, though the real reason to come is of course the wine

Speaking of which: the kitchen and white linen tables on the second floor certainly set the place apart from other wine slinging chains like Cheers, which don't serve food. The beef bourguignon (made with Angus beef and priced at RMB 128), Australian Angus grain-fed ribeye (RMB 268), 180g codfish (RMB 268) and, along with a range of pastas and risottos (RMB 68-128), all make for satisfying enough choices, though they're nothing to write home about by any means.

The first floor has a bar and a shop with shelves of bottles for those looking to pop in and uncork at home

The real draw here is, of course, the bottles. Many by the glass options ring in at RMB 60, making for the proceedings pretty sturdy in terms of sipping and nibbling, especially given the inviting semi-casual vibe. The options in the first-floor wine shop (the shelves for which sit opposite a bar with a handful of stools for patrons looking to sample) run the gamut in terms of regions, price points, and ages, though our visit zeroed in on offerings from the award-winning South African vineyard Milton Grove Pinotage. That brand's Shiraz has an alluring smoothness with warm spicy notes, while their Pinotage sports a fruity aroma, bitter finish, and instantly immersive mouthfeel. Best of all was their more upscale Cabernet Sauvignon, which boasted a big bold flavor that made the others seem meek.

Overall, Alan's makes for a pretty solid destination for a semi-formal night out that won't break the bank. The convenient location of its Sanlitun branch, along with the hundreds of bottles available for purchase and a sturdy food menu all provide it a variety of draws, and we could see this promising chain opening another central Beijing location soon enough.

Photos courtesy of Alan's

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