Besides Ryan's pedigree, Cuvee can also draw upon the vino expertise of Summergate's Andrew Gardiner (the other partners have calculated the risks of exposure and prefer to remain silent for now). While the list currently offers a significant portion from the fine wine distributor, the Australian has actively engaged labels from all distributors to serve customers with the best selection of wines possible.
"When I started Senses, there were four people to buy wine from here we are purchasing from 18 different vendors. Those 115 spaces (on the list), we went through everyone's lists, narrowed it down to 300 then to 115. We didn't care if they had one or 15, we just took (the ones we wanted)."
Punters who come to Cuvee can walk into the cellar and pick what they want prices are listed on the bottles themselves, and they can then decide if they wish to take it home or consume it on the premises.
If a whole bottle is too much, then aficionados can also select from one of 10 wines by the glass (five red, five white). The selection is updated regularly, and the wines see enough traffic for a fresh bottle to be opened regularly.
Ryan is also toying with the idea of installing an Enomatic machine for top cuvees by the glass. The machine, which costs nearly 50,000 yuan, keeps wine fresh by pumping the bottles full of inert argon gas. Colorless and odorless, it does not allow wine to react with oxygen and thus oxidize.
One of the features of the chic, slick bar is the 24 wine lockers in a temperature-controlled (air-conditioned) room for members to keep their drops on the premises. While the contents are not insured, the lockers are not intended for punters to store their very best but rather to put aside a small selection of special labels for sharing with the rest of Cuvee's wine-loving community.
