The festive season is Champagne season, and many of Asia's wine bars have the lists to match. This guide covers how to read a Champagne label before you order, then the bars across the region whose listings point to serious sparkling lists, grower Champagne or good by-the-glass programmes. Details come from venues' own channels and our listings, updated weekly. Festive menus, hours and prices change at this time of year, so confirm with the venue before booking.
Read the label before you order
A few facts from the Comité Champagne, the region's trade body, make any list easier to navigate.
- Ageing. The Comité's appellation factsheet sets a minimum of 15 months in the cellar for non-vintage Champagne and 36 months for vintage Champagne, from seven authorised grape varieties.
- Who made it. Small letters on the label give the producer's category. NM (négociant manipulant) is a house that may buy grapes; RM (récoltant manipulant) is a grower making wine from its own vines, the bottles often sold as “grower Champagne”; CM is a co-operative; RC is a co-operative member selling under its own label; MA is a buyer's own brand.
- Sweetness. The Comité's education site lists Brut Nature (under 3 g/L of sugar), Extra Brut (under 6 g/L), Brut (under 12 g/L), Extra-Dry (12–17 g/L), Sec (17–32 g/L), Demi-sec (32–50 g/L) and Doux (over 50 g/L). Demi-sec is the one to ask for with a sweet dessert.
Singapore
Convivial at Boat Quay is the obvious first stop: its listing describes a Champagne-focused bar from national sommelier champion Yeo Xi Yang, with more than 200 Champagnes and a Gold Star sparkling list. For grower bottles with dinner, Big Wine Freaks on Bukit Pasoh lists a 500-plus label cellar strong in grower Champagne and Burgundy, around 40 wines by the glass, and corkage-free BYO (up to two bottles per diner) with its S$148 Chef's Choice menu from Monday to Wednesday, per its published terms.
If you want to compare several sparklers without committing to a bottle, temper. at Mondrian Duxton lists 1,200 labels with more than 250 by the glass. Park90 on Pan Pacific Orchard's Level 11 Garden Terrace lists a daily 4–6pm happy hour and a monthly wine flight, a useful early start before a festive dinner. Singapore's flat duty means the premium for a better bottle is proportionally smaller; our guide to why wine costs so much in Singapore explains the maths.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong charges no wine duty, which helps French-led lists run deep. Terroirs by LQV above Lyndhurst Terrace lists around 2,000 French references and two terraces, and its sibling LQV Wan Chai on Swatow Street combines a bar and shop with more than 1,000 French labels and about a dozen by the glass. For a smaller room, La Cave on Third Street is a tiny French bar whose listing names Champagne alongside Burgundy, Rhône and Alsace.
Bangkok
Verlan on Sukhumvit 26 is a modern French bistro with an all-French list that its listing describes as strong in grower Champagne. Riedel Restaurant & Wine Cellar in Gaysorn Village pours 40 wines by the glass from a preservation system out of a 250-label list, which suits a group that wants to try a few styles.
Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya
D's Bistro & Wine Bar in Damansara Kim, from the DC Restaurant team, is listed as strong on grower Champagne and Burgundy, with a rotating by-the-glass list that often includes rare bottles. For value, Corks Out in TTDI lets you open any of its 250-plus shop bottles in the bar at retail price with no corkage, according to its listing.
Jakarta and Bali
In Jakarta, Cork&Screw Country Club in Senayan pitches itself on Champagne by the pool and wine under the stars, with a list of around 300 labels. In Bali, Hidden Gem Restaurant & Wine Lounge on an Uluwatu hilltop claims 40 wines by the glass with sunset views, and Cork French Tavern in Sanur sells its 150-plus imported labels at retail price to drink in or take home.
Manila, Hanoi and Taipei
In Bonifacio Global City, Wine Story Uptown is a fine-wine cellar and lounge listed as strong on Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, with tastings and a French menu. In Hanoi, Etêsia lists up to 40 by the glass including Coravin pours from a Burgundy-heavy list of about 350 labels, and Samé Bistrot & Wine is a sommelier-led French bistro listed with rare by-the-glass pours such as Japanese Koshu. In Taipei, Justin's Wine & Bistro in Xinyi lists Champagne by the glass, 20-plus wines by the glass daily and a 600–700-bin list priced near retail, with published corkage of NT$1,500 per bottle.
Festive booking tips
- Book early for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, and ask whether a set menu or minimum spend applies that night.
- Ask for the by-the-glass sparkling list first; it is the cheapest way to compare a house style with a grower bottle.
- Check the letters on the label: RM for a grower, NM for a house.
- If you are bringing your own bottle, confirm corkage and BYO terms in advance, as they can change over the holidays.
- Shop-and-bar formats that sell at retail price can make a celebratory bottle better value.
For tastings, fairs and Beaujolais nights around the region this season, see our events page, and browse all our guides on the guides page.