Done up in rich woods with old wine barrels doubling as tables, Big 9 is the human-sized home Beijing wine culture has been missing. Featuring a range of wines from France, Spain and Australia, Big 9 keeps prices low and the selection intimate by skipping the middleman and importing directly. The owner believes wine should be shared between friends, not business entities.

Heretofore confined to expensive hotel bars and pre-arranged tastings, Beijing's wine culture has found a human-sized home here. Featuring a full range of wines, Big 9 keeps prices low by skipping the middle man and importing directly. Numerous bottles sell for under ¥150, the best of the bunch being a full-bodied Robert Grillou 2005 Merlot for ¥128. It's an interesting gambit in the Summergate/ASC dominated Beijing wine world, but owner Jin Xiaomin believes wine should be enjoyed between friends, not business entities. Big 9 is also a real bar, serving up glasses of whatever's already open (¥30-100). The interior, decked in rich wood with wine casks as tables, feels like an Outback hunting lodge, exactly the right note for us civilized Westerners scuffling about in the wild, wild East.