The Science of “Bistronomy” in China

An analysis on the popular trend of wine bars and creative bistros among the young and wealthy in China.

Polux by Paul Pairet

China border has yet to open since the COVID-19 started in early 2020, which leaves millions of middle class craving for a taste of the west. Food and beverage imports figures reached a record high for the last two years to fulfill the market needs. In the restaurant business, more and more fun and creative concepts have landed in the big cities in China and have proven themselves extremely successful for the past two years.

Almost all these bistros, no matter Chinese, Italian, French or fusion, have one single focus - wine. To be more specific - natural wine. So what’s the catch?

If you look at the crowds at these newly-opened bistros, most with blurry lights, small tables, and a wine selection area for you to pick your own bottle, the customers base tend to be majority female, fashionable, not necessaries know much about wine. But if you look at the wines they pick - majority with a cute and fun label, from a winery that only produces a few thousand bottles a year. Something Loire Valley, something Languedoc, something niche.

SOiF, Shanghai

And yes, fusion style bistros with a touch of Chinese cuisine are definitely the most popular among the new wave. Scallion tartine, Xi’an hand-pulled pasta, marinated pork ears, truffle rice cake…

So where do real wine experts go for a sip? It seems that the natural wine bar crowds and the wine nerds do not necessarily enjoy the same type of wine, which pushes for the variety of the bistros and wine selection that fit into all types of customers, from Michelin Star chef owned bistro, to local creative concepts, foodies here always have a place to go for something special, something different.