Bund's first organic wine bar opens as Laris closes

The reports are in, after six years on the Bund and more Thursday Martini nights than we can remember, David Laris' eponymous creation, Laris, at Three on the Bund is closed.

Moment of silence please. 

Although SmartShanghai reports that Three on the Bund staff are tight-lipped about whether the venue is truly closed or just “under renovation” as the sign outside suggests, they got in a few words from David Laris who described the situation as the culmination of a "two-year process of being unhappy." 

The blog post goes into the details of the ups, then mainly the downs, of the Laris-Three on the Bund relationship, ending with the closure of the venue this month. 

Although down a venue, the Laris empire is busy at work with Downstairs at URBN hotel, Fat Olive and Purple Onion all busy. Fat Olive is opening a second venue in Sinan Masions.

In response to the closing, Ronan J. Henaff, COO of Three on the Bund released a stament saying that, although Laris closed as of November 14, they are working to "prepare the venue for all the exciting new changes."

He continues, "We believe whole heartedly that bold visionary moves are the principle driving spirit behind Three on the Bund and our continued prominence in this ever changing and ultra competitive landscape." 

A new addition

Nevertheless, Three on the Bund will be opening a new venue November 20, House of Wine (HOW). It's no relation to Brian Tan’s House of Flour or hof.

HOW is Three on the Bund’s attempt to get on the Shanghai wine-bar trend, filling a fairly large gap, as there are none currently on the Bund. (Wine? Yes. Wine bar? Not so much.) 

Marketed as a “boutique Shanghai wine bar,” this venue atop Three on the Bund shares a floor and view with New Heights, and focuses on a niche market -- organic French wines.

“HOW strived to provide local and foreign wine lovers with quality wines while supporting the winemakers who fight to preserve the land and ecosystem they cherish,” says the man behind the project, Pascal Ballot.

With the success of many other mid-priced venues, glasses of wine starting at HOW start at RMB 55 and bottles at RMB 250 and up.

It’s easy to play up HOW’s cozy feeling -- which is difficult to do on the Bund -- with exposed brick and a snack menu made up of imported French cheese and foie gras, but Ballot has another selling point. 

“Organic wine,” he says, “doesn’t make you hurt as much the next day.”

According to Ballot, it’s the additives in most wines that contribute to a lousy morning after. The organic wines at HOW, he claims, avoid this issue.

Marketing? Probably. But no doubt the local masses will put this claim to the test.