China’s Pioneer Wine Bar to Close Shanghai Flagship as Market Shifts

Wine Universe By Little Somms — often described as the pioneer of China’s modern wine-bar scene — has announced it will close its Shanghai flagship next month, marking the end of an era for a venue that once helped ignite the wine-bar boom in Shanghai and beyond.

The bar said on November 24 via its official WeChat account, “Wine Universe By Little Somms (BLS),” that the Shanghai location will cease operations on December 10, 2025. The team thanked customers for seven years of support and said it would begin a clearance sale starting November 27, while food service would stop immediately.

“Looking back at our seventh-anniversary photos, the emotion is still warm in our hearts… After much deliberation, we’ve decided that Wine Universe · Shanghai will temporarily bid farewell,” the announcement read.

A Leader That Helped Define a Category

Founded seven years ago under the BLS Hospitality Group, Wine Universe was created by a team of local sommeliers and chefs. From its small Shanghai base, the group expanded into multiple cities with new F&B concepts, wine retail, e-commerce ventures and lifestyle offshoots.

“Within the wine trade, Wine Universe holds almost symbolic status. The wine-bar trend in China started with Wine Universe,” said Hong Boyong, CEO of Shanghai’s Pran Cellar, a key supplier to wine bars nationwide. “Some places may have appeared earlier, but none had its influence.”

He noted that Wine Universe set itself apart as one of the first truly professional wine bars led by well-known sommeliers who left their jobs to open it, and among the earliest to pour fine wines by the glass — something still rare today.

But Hong said such high-investment concepts have become increasingly difficult to sustain.

“Economic conditions are tough, and fewer people are willing to pay for ‘emotional value,’” he said. “Even Michelin restaurants are lowering prices. For wine bars, margins are thin on fine wines, experienced drinkers are fewer, and the model becomes harder to maintain.”

A Sector Under Pressure — and Evolving Fast

Shanghai’s wine-bar scene surged before the pandemic, when sought-after venues were packed nightly and expat and high-spending customers drove per-head checks well above RMB 1,000. But the pandemic and economic slowdown cooled demand quickly, triggering a wave of closures. Wine Universe’s Chengdu outpost already closed in 2024.

In contrast, the past two years have seen the rapid rise of smaller, lower-cost, lower-mark-up wine bars that tap into China’s broader “consumption-downgrade” trend.

According to Claire Xu, China representative for Charles Heidsieck and Biondi Santi, today’s popular Shanghai wine bars show two clear trends: more niche wine selections with lower mark-ups and more Chinese-leaning food and everyday dining experiences.

“Many popular wine bars now keep wine mark-ups under 50%, and people can have a meal for RMB 200–300,” she said. “Wine Universe’s pricing was clearly above this range.”

Hong said surviving today requires keeping overheads low. “The places that last usually have two things: low rent and labour, and owners who run the shop themselves — and a strong circle of regulars.”

By comparison, Wine Universe maintained a full kitchen team in a venue that was not positioned primarily as a restaurant. “High costs and lower footfall make it impossible to reduce wine mark-ups,” Claire said. “People who want to drink fine wines have many alternatives — Michelin restaurants with better food or BYO-friendly venues — all of which divide the same audience.”

Despite the closure, Xu believes Wine Universe’s impact should not be diminished.

“It pushed the wine-bar category forward in China and shone for many years. From an industry perspective, it was absolutely a success. Its pricing made sense in its time.”

She noted that most of the earliest wave of wine bars have already disappeared. “Wine Universe accomplished its mission. The closure may not necessarily be due to losses — the group may simply be pivoting to new ideas.”

Wine Universe’s Shenzhen bar remains open. According to BLS Hospitality Group, it continues to operate several sub-brands nationwide, including Pairedd By Little Somms (Chengdu, Shenzhen, Hangzhou), Le Maquillage Léger By Little Somms (Shenzhen) and Wine Galaxy By Little Somms (Shanghai).