New organic wine bar on Shanghai's Bund signals larger trend

(Bill Perry)

Debates over the alleged superiority of organic wines continue, but the concept continues to be marketable throughout the world.

Can replacing standard wine with organic really lessen hangovers? Pascal Ballot think so.

This is the premise behind his new venture, the House of Wine (HoW), which is located on the top floor of the landmark Three on the Bund building.

HoW will mainly carry organic French wines, and also serve a bar menu composed of light French fare.

Ballot, of the Three on the Bund restaurant group, told CNNGo that "organic wine doesn't make you hurt as much the next day." He says hangovers are caused by preservatives and chemicals added to standard wine.

The venue is set to open its doors November 20, and CNNGo says it is the first wine bar to be installed on the historic waterfront Bund neighborhood. However, the Ming Tang Organic Dining and Wine Bar, located on the Bund's Cool Docks area, is technically the first.

That aside, the HoW launch is a sign that the organic wine trend, which took the US by storm over the past few years, could be an effective tool for an emerging niche market in Asia.

Wine enthusiasts living in Asia can enjoy organic wine at a growing number of places. A few notable venues are listed below.

HoW is located on the 7th floor of 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong Lu, Tel +86 21 6323 335

Ming Tang Organic Dining and Wine Bar claims to be the Shanghai's first organic concept restaurant and has an extensive organic wine list.

Ming Tang Rm. 102, Bldg. 2, 505 Zhongshan Nan Lu, Tel. 6152-6668, www.mingtang.com

Lebard, a restaurant in Tokyo's Shinjuku neighborhood serves chicken dishes and organic wine, which is priced at about JPY 500 ($6) a glass and JPY 2800 a bottle ($33.56).

Lebard , 160-0004 3F, Chuo Togo Bldg. 1-9-6 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-000, Tel 03-6380-6998

Pure, at the Taj Hotel, Lands End in Mumbai offers a wide selection of organic wines.

1 ^st floor Taj Lands End Mumbai, Bandra West Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050 Tel. 022 6668 1234

eWinesAsia sells bundles of organic wine by the case and ships throughout Asia. Buy it here:   http://www.ewineasia.com/index.php/mixed-cases/6-bottles/organic/

CNNGo's slideshow of HoW: http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/drink/rotating-door-three-bund-22573, and the site's recommendation of wine bars in Shanghai:  http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/drink/shanghai-wine-bar-breakdown-795636