Any of you who like wine should check out this new place on Xing An St near G’day cafe. Lots of wine, with several house wines at NT$160-180 a glass. Very good value! No food and no credit cards yet, so that suxx, but I was told that in-house food and a credit card facility would gradually be introduced. Nice bar snacks though to go with the wine (cheese, ham, pretzels). This place seems more suited for drinkers seeking a quiet hang-out, rather than for those seeking a wild party.
Wow, this sounds very promising. Did you try any of the wines? How was the quality? Do they give you a healthy pour? (Some wine bars like to pretend they are wine tasting places and give you a thimble full for NT$250.) It sounds nice and mellow. How about music, no obnoxious techno sound? Is it smoky? Must check this place out soon, thanks for the alert.
Interlocutor, the pours are decent but as they use big glasses at first it may not look so much. Music is jazzy, soft pop, light classics mostly. They only have a limited CD/tape selection at present, but will play your request if they have it. A very efficient, slightly noisy, air-con unit takes care of any cigarette smoke. Taipei definitely needs a place like this.
Is their wine menu stocked mostly with French and Australian? Or do they have Californian’s, Chileans, Italian etc ?
ZhongShan stop is a bit of a trek for me just to see but if they have good selection, I’ll make an effort.
Isieh,
They have wine from Australia, Chile, Argentina, France, US, Italy, Spain and Germany. The Taiwanese bartender told me they were also looking for some South African wines. There seemed to be a lot more reds than whites, from what I recall.
Apart from lots of nice wine, the Picasso and Van Gogh prints give this place a touch of class. Can’t say that about the wall mural though. At least it’s not too hard on the eyes when the lighting is turned low.
Thanks for the tips. I’ll make it a go. Who would’ve thought you could get your own “Wine Country” here. :bouncy:
[quote=“yggdrasil”]Isieh,
They have wine from Australia, Chile, Argentina, France, US, Italy, Spain and Germany. The Taiwanese bartender told me they were also looking for some South African wines. There seemed to be a lot more reds than whites, from what I recall.[/quote]
More reds than white is in keeping with global wine production. Many countries do only a 20-25% white varietal production. In keeping with demand.
This new wine bar sounds interesting. The idea has been tried before without huge success, hope this one takes off. Good food is a key, you guys are right.
I’m living in Argentina now, and am very much up on the Country’s (almost) unique varietal, Malbec. Malbecs are dry, robust, and fullbodied. I find them to be a bit less heavy on the tannin, and on the (pretentious) desginer finishes of a lot of Cabarnet’s made in the U.S., Oz, and… even here in Argentina.
South African wine can be brilliant! It would be great if this new place started stocking RSA wines. The wine country outside of Cape Town is one of the most beautiful wine growing settings in the world, and the wines are still excellent value for money, and getting better and better, quality-wise.
I’d still wager that Aussie, and Kiwi wines are the best bet in the ROC. Proximity. Great quality, reasonable price, and agressive regional marketing.
I agree with the poster who asked about how generous the pourings are. When I left Taiwan in late '01, wine was still a trendy/yuppie thing so prices were high (but thank god for Costco), and yeah, you would get a tiny little glass for a couple of hundred NT.
Hope for you guys that wine prices have gotten real. The excellent bottle of 2002 Finca El Portillo Malbec from Mendoza (the country’s Nappa Valley) that I just finished cost me all of NT$85. Sadly, not availible in the ROC., and if it were they’d be charging…
Sure, rub our noses in it! Seriously, selection is no longer a problem, but prices are still a little on the high side. Nothing that a little trip to Chateau-Neuf-du-Pape and the Rhone Valley in August won’t cure though! 
CK
Forgot to mention that I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there’s an NT$200 discount when ordering any bottle of wine after midnight. That’s not too shabby! The TV’s a bit on the pokey size for watching sports broadcasts though. Perhaps better for this place though to show Discovery-type programmes with the sound off.
Was in Bacchus Wine Bar last night. They have some nice new Australian and Spanish wines in stock. Also heard that they are getting closer to hiring a cook.
Didn’t know where to put this but does any one have any comments about shopping at Sommelier Wine Experts @ Tianmu? They have a site at www.sommelier.com.tw. I stopped there this weekend while visiting Tianmu. I only saw 1 American wine label there – it’s a French wine shop with smattering of other South American, Italian and Australian wines.
Never been, so no idea about prices, etc., but I know Michael, who is the resident expert and he’s a sound bloke who really knows his stuff.
Man. I’ve just staggered out of a very long night at this Bacchus Wine Bar. Lotsa foreigners getting drunk on house Chilean and Australian wine. I lashed out on a bottle of reserve Chianti and Napa Valley Chardonnay. Was then given 2 plates of cheese, ham and pork spread to share with my friend. Hey, this place is well worth a visit for any wine heads out there. It’s slightly off the beaten track though, down Xing An Street, near G’day cafe. Had a good lookin chick behind the bar too!
Stopped in one night last week to check this place out and was very pleased. The atmosphere is nice and mellow, good for hanging out and sipping wine. If you are hungry they will order next door at the G’Day caf
Glad to read you liked Bacchus. Just wanted to correct you on one point. The guy you mentioned happens to be a friend of mine, and is not the owner. He is just helping out with a bit of PR, but I believe he drinks there a lot. Maybe he spouted off to you a bit (my condolences!)
Anyway, hope more winos like you and I will visit this place.
(Hic)
Jambobwana
Wow, the house wines here (Chilean, Australian and Italian) are just NT$160-180 a glass. No 10% service charge!! Great value and taste good too. This is one cool, little place! It’s clsoe to the Fuhsing/Minsheng intersection.
Was in Bacchus a few nights ago and the owner told me they would hold a party this Sunday night. Sounds a great choice to me, considering Sunday nights are usually quite dead in Taipei.
Was in Bacchus earlier this week and had some nice wine from ‘Downunder.’ Had a very nice Cape Mentelle (Western Australia) shiraz which was a powerful, rich drop. At NT$1400 for the bottle, it weren’t cheap, but it was great! The cheese plate that came with the wine was really good too! Also found out that the Cape Mentelle winery is owned by Veuve Clicquot, the French champagne producer.
This place provides very good cheese plates too! A necessity with wine.