While whisky has long been the spirit of choice for many Taiwanese, wine is now becoming a bigger market player here. As new fine dining establishments open, especially those serving types of cuisine that traditionally call for wine pairing menus, people are starting to be more open to drinking it. With wine pairing dinners, special wine events, and personal visits from various winemakers around the world, Taipei is becoming more recognized as a destination for fine wine.
Among the most popular offerings available include Old World and Australian wines. If you are in Taipei and looking for a spot to purchase Old World wine, check out one of these five locations.
Sommelier Wine Expert
With locations in Tienmu and Xindian districts of Taipei, Sommelier Wine Expert is one of the best stops in the city for budget friendly Old World wines. They've been in business since 1999 and the General Manager, Gregoire de Boisse personally selects all the wines the stores carry.
You can also find wines from other regions like Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and South Africa, but this is a great place to start for good Old World wines around the $30 US range or less. Sommelier Wine Expert also typically runs monthly wine parties where you have the opportunity to sample a number of their wines for sale along with a European style buffet.
Sommelier Wine Expert (Tienmu)
- 1F., No 3-81, Tianmu W Road
- Shilin District, Taipei City, 111
- 02-872-3531
- Hours: Mon to Fri -- 10:30am to 10pm; Sat to Sun -- 11am to 10pm
Sommelier Wine Expert (Xindian)
- 1F, No 32 San Min Road
- Xindian District, New Taipei City, 231
- 02-2911-7124
- Hours: Sun to Thurs -- 11am to 10pm; Fri and Sat -- 11am to 11pm
Tatung Atherton Co
Tatung Atherton is a good stop for mid to high end Old World wines in Taipei. Atherton was instrumental in bringing wine to Taiwan after being sought out by the Tatung Co. Owner and managing director is Sue Min Derbalian who has a wholesale company in California that sells wine to some of the top restaurants in the United States.
Sue Min has a strong fondness for Burgundy and was the first to introduce Taiwan to the Chardonnay grape from that region. She personally visits France multiple times a year and has wines shipped in a refrigerated container through the Suez Canal to ensure quality.
Tatung Atherton Co
- 22 Chung Shan North Road, Section 3
- Taipei, 10451
- 02-595-5252
Jason's Market Place
While not one of the cheapest spots in town, Jason's Market Place is one of the bigger and better grocery stores for tracking down western products, which includes wine. They have one of the larger spirits selections in general in Taipei and depending on the branch, their selection of wines is pretty impressive.
Please see the Jason's Market Place website for store locations and operating hours in Taipei.
Carrefour
With outlets all over the city, Carrefour is a French based grocery store that has become very popular in Taiwan. You can find one in nearly every part of town -- sometimes two -- and their beverage selection is staggering in some of the bigger stores. If you are a fan of Beaujolais, Carrefour is definitely the place to be each year on the annual November release date.
Please see the Carrefour website to see store locations and hours.
Evergreen Laurel Collection
The Evergreen Group is a shipping company that is known worldwide and operate many well-known brands, including EVA Airlines. In 2001, the Evergreen Laurel Collection was born to replace the existing wine division. Having a lot of operations in Taiwan, they were instrumental in introducing higher-end Old World wines.
The company supplies Old World wines from regions in France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal, and Italy. They also offer a number of New World wines if you are looking for a well-rounded wine shop.
Visit Evergreen Laurel's website for store locations and hours. The site has limited English, but does provide a map of regions sourced and lists some of the wines they currently carry.
Erin De Santiago - Erin is a freelance travel, food/wine, & Disney writer in Taipei, Taiwan, who has traveled within 40+ different countries to date.
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