alc% MORE THAN WINE

alc% MORE THAN WINE occupies Level 69 of the Shangri-La Nanning tower on Minzu Avenue, one floor above the hotel's Lobby Lounge, and pitches itself as a more focused wine-and-spirits destination than the lounge below. The crowd is adult, well-dressed, and oriented toward serious drinkers -- wine collectors, whisky enthusiasts, and Nanning's business and expat community -- with a smart-casual-to-dressy dress code rather than a casual bar feel. A live band plays most open nights, leaning toward soul, jazz, and soft pop covers that suit a room built around slow drinking rather than dancing. The drinks programme centers on an extensive whisky, wine, and champagne list, with cocktails built to order around those spirits rather than a menu of pre-set house drinks; by-the-glass pours sit alongside bottle purchases for guests who want to work through a label over an evening. The bar opens Tuesday through Sunday from 8:00 PM to 2:00 AM and is closed on Mondays, with the room filling up later than a typical bar -- the busiest stretch runs from around 10:00 PM once the live band's main sets begin, and weekends draw a noticeably larger crowd than midweek nights. There is no published cover charge, and reservations are not required for walk-in seating at the bar or lounge tables, though groups hoping for a table near the band or the skyline windows on a Friday or Saturday night are better off arriving before the 8:00 PM opening or asking the hotel concierge to hold a spot. Bottle purchases from the wine and whisky list function as an informal equivalent to bottle service for guests settling in for a full evening, though there is no minimum spend enforced at the door.