Another price increase for wine, it's getting silly now.

[Henryford]

2 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

I admit it isn't great. But I'm lucky in that I can't really tell a good wine from a poor one, within reason. I was at an event in Australia where Jacob's Creek was a sponsor, and I told the bartender this, and he poured me three glasses of different wines to sample. I chose the cheapest as my favoutite. Having a poor palate has saved me a fortune over the years ?
Mind you, I'd draw a line with these......

 

I bet the "experts" couldn't tell the difference. It's all show and bluster.

[brewsterbudgen]

 

I admit it isn't great. But I'm lucky in that I can't really tell a good wine from a poor one, within reason. I was at an event in Australia where Jacob's Creek was a sponsor, and I told the bartender this, and he poured me three glasses of different wines to sample. I chose the cheapest as my favoutite. Having a poor palate has saved me a fortune over the years [emoji1]

Mind you, I'd draw a line with these......

[/url]  

Me too. Having a poor taste in wine works well. Bring on the 5 litre Mont Clair boxes!

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

[Shaunduhpostman]

Makro Roi Et has the best deal I've seen in Thailand on regular non-fruit juice wine. 70 baht cheaper than World Wines was, no longer being sold by TESCO. 300 baht for 75 cl's or either a generic red or white from Australia, don't remember the name its got an 18th century looking painting of a lady riding a bicycle. Slightly strange taste, tolerable, as though there's been vitamin tablets added to the wine, goes away after the first glass. I'm happy with it, but as seemingly all things I find in supermarkets here that I really like they end up being a one off and are never sold by the supermarket again. I have a theory that if things sell too well they won't re-order because its too much of a pain to keep re-ordering.

[xylophone]

"I bet the "experts" couldn't tell the difference. It's all show and bluster".

 

You might want to read this. I have been in the company of "Masters of Wine" at wine tastings and it is truly remarkable how these folks can identify wines, grape varieties and regions; and yes some make mistakes, but it the main the experts are very good.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/katiebell/2013/06/24/worlds-toughest-test-the-master-sommelier-diploma-exam/#6760022f3d85 

 

It’s not enough to know every wine region, village and district in the world, candidates also need to know which years were better than others for each region. The blind tasting of six wines requires not only identifying the grape varietal, but the region it came from and the year it was made. That’s merely scratching the testing surface though; during the service portion examinees have to recall facts about sake, spirits, distilling methods, apertifs and of course ideal food pairings.

[xylophone]

1 minute ago, Shaunduhpostman said:

Makro Roi Et has the best deal I've seen in Thailand on regular non-fruit juice wine. 70 baht cheaper than World Wines was, no longer being sold by TESCO. 300 baht for 75 cl's or either a generic red or white from Australia, don't remember the name its got an 18th century looking painting of a lady riding a bicycle. Slightly strange taste, tolerable, as though there's been vitamin tablets added to the wine, goes away after the first glass. I'm happy with it, but as seemingly all things I find in supermarkets here that I really like they end up being a one off and are never sold by the supermarket again. I have a theory that if things sell too well they won't re-order because its too much of a pain to keep re-ordering.

I think that's "Rolling" or "Chasing Clouds" and I believe it is wine mixed with fruit juice...…..stated on the back label on the top with wine description.

[Shaunduhpostman]

2 minutes ago, xylophone said:

I think that's "Rolling" or "Chasing Clouds" and I believe it is wine mixed with fruit juice...…..stated on the back label on the top with wine description.

Yep, Rolling...thanks. Pretty sure its real wine tho, maybe I'm mistaken. I just checked to see if I couldn't find the empties and double check, but haven't bought the stuff in two weeks so no empties around anymore.

 

Makro has another cheapish one called Charles Strong that tastes better to me, but I think its back up around the 400 mark, 399, actually I think. 

[Shaunduhpostman]

Rolling appears to be a legit wine, as in made with grape juice. Given the list prices listed on this site, 300 baht is a great deal. Makro was also selling Hoegaarden wheat beer  for 250 (Now back up at 280, still cheaper than most places) for a large bottle which is also 80 baht cheaper than everywhere else. :

 

https://www.cumuluswines.com.au/range/rolling/

 

I'm not sure Rolling would be getting any attention from what appear to be serious wine reveiwers if they were an imitation wine:

 

http://australianwinejournal.blogspot.com/2010/05/rolling-shiraz-2008.html

[AtoZ]

On 8/23/2018 at 8:59 PM, fforest1 said:

I have noticed MontClair has started to use these 2 liter bags for their wine....I guess it must be cheaper than bottles?

 

They were priced at about 680 baht.....680 baht for wine does not seem to crazy except just 6 months ago they were selling boxes of 5 liters for 1000 baht.....The new container and seeming low price is just a trick for idiots who dont know how to add...lol

 

 

$30 AUD and it taste like shit

 

I felt like connoisseur drinking these fine wines in OZ.. 20 % of the price for 400% more quality

https://bws.com.au/product/901253/stanley-shiraz-cabernet-cask-4l

https://bws.com.au/product/87460/berri-estates-dolce-bianco-cask-5l

[Talung66]

And with the AUD down even more now you can add a really silly 

[Talung66]

225baht 4 liters in dan murphys

https://www.danmurphys.com.au/product/DM_772655/sonata-estate-fresh-dry-white-cask-4l

Edited August 25, 2018 by Talung66

[xylophone]

53 minutes ago, Shaunduhpostman said:

Rolling appears to be a legit wine, as in made with grape juice. Given the list prices listed on this site, 300 baht is a great deal. Makro was also selling Hoegaarden wheat beer  for 250 (Now back up at 280, still cheaper than most places) for a large bottle which is also 80 baht cheaper than everywhere else. :

 

https://www.cumuluswines.com.au/range/rolling/

 

I'm not sure Rolling would be getting any attention from what appear to be serious wine reveiwers if they were an imitation wine:

 

http://australianwinejournal.blogspot.com/2010/05/rolling-shiraz-2008.html

They have a range of wines...…...some are real wine and the cheaper ones here are mixed with fruit juice.

 

Really doesn't matter though, if you like it.

 

Charles Strong is also a fruit wine and I have tasted it and it is ok. Seen it for 299 baht in Tesco Lotus

[Shaunduhpostman]

3 hours ago, xylophone said:

They have a range of wines...…...some are real wine and the cheaper ones here are mixed with fruit juice.

 

Really doesn't matter though, if you like it.

 

Charles Strong is also a fruit wine and I have tasted it and it is ok. Seen it for 299 baht in Tesco Lotus

Yes, I was able to find the Charles Strong bottle I had and check it, you're right. Perhaps you're right about Rolling as well. I definitely thought, this is too good too cheap to be right. Though they don't exactly talk up the fact that some of their wines are actually mixed pseudo-grape wines, it doesn't seem likely you can get real wine for 300 baht in Thailand or some god forsaken place like Roi Et. So many of the fruit wines had this almost standard looking indicator on the lower right corners of labels, so I was looking for that, not finding it and thinking I had real wine. Now I see that we have to read the entirety of the fine print to find whether a wine is grape wine or not. What a life in 2018. Dionysus/Bacchus  probably has a special place in hell for people like me who don't take drinking seriously enough to read the fine print and then drink fake grape wine. Haha...

[CanuckThai]

1 hour ago, Shaunduhpostman said:

it doesn't seem likely you can get real wine for 300 baht in Thailand....

I was at an Italian restaurant for lunch in Khao Yai last week, 300 baht (plus tax and 10% grat surcharge) for a glass of generic red house wine (fruit or grape who knows)....

[Shaunduhpostman]

4 hours ago, CanuckThai said:

I was at an Italian restaurant for lunch in Khao Yai last week, 300 baht (plus tax and 10% grat surcharge) for a glass of generic red house wine (fruit or grape who knows)....

300 for a glass, yes, I believe it. Sorry to say that but thats what things have come to. But I was referring to  .75 liter bottles of "Rolling" at 300 baht as too good to be true.

Edited August 25, 2018 by Shaunduhpostman

[Henryford]

$10 for a glass of wine is crazy, not doubt it was small 125cc.

[xylophone]

15 hours ago, Shaunduhpostman said:

What a life in 2018. Dionysus/Bacchus  probably has a special place in hell for people like me who don't take drinking seriously enough to read the fine print and then drink fake grape wine.

On the positive side Shaun, as long as you enjoy the wine you are drinking, then you are probably saving yourself a small fortune over here!

 

If you can drink the fruit wine and it seems to suit your palate, then you are a lucky man!

[xylophone]

10 hours ago, Shaunduhpostman said:

300 for a glass, yes, I believe it. Sorry to say that but thats what things have come to. But I was referring to  .75 liter bottles of "Rolling" at 300 baht as too good to be true.

As I have posted a few times before, I have bought and can still buy Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot for about 308 baht a bottle – – real wine and a good everyday drinker.

 

This particular supplier only supplies the restaurant and hotel trade, so I got in with a friend of mine who is in that business and I order some wine through him on occasion and when these specials come up, I am in there like a robber's dog. 

 

Such opportunities are out there if you make the effort to seek them out and capitalize upon them, and I am now doing that with three distributors and will never have to buy an expensive wine here again, even though I do have another source from whence I can buy some very good top-class Australian, French and SA wines at much reduced prices, for the occasional treat.

 

Not boasting but just stating that there are options available to everyone whereby one does not have to buy crap, or pay a lot of money for a very average underrated drinker.

[giddyup]

15 minutes ago, xylophone said:

On the positive side Shaun, as long as you enjoy the wine you are drinking, then you are probably saving yourself a small fortune over here!

 

If you can drink the fruit wine and it seems to suit your palate, then you are a lucky man!

As I always say, my taste buds peak at $3.99.

[CanuckThai]

 

4 hours ago, Henryford said:

$10 for a glass of wine is crazy, not doubt it was small 125cc.

Yip, $10+ usd ($14 cad) with tax and builtin gratuity (300b + 17%).  No tears, but definitely not a deal or definable (grape or juice) wine for the money.   My new rule from this point on, if ordering wine, is full bottles uncorked at my table.  

 

 

 

 

Edited August 26, 2018 by CanuckThai

[xylophone]

13 minutes ago, CanuckThai said:

 

Yip, $10+ usd ($14 cad) with tax and builtin gratuity (300b + 17%).  No tears, but definitely not a deal or definable (grape or juice) wine for the money.   My new rule from this point on, if ordering wine, is full bottles uncorked at my table.  

 

 

 

 

I often phone the restaurant and ask if I can bring my own good bottle of wine along. If they want a corkage charge I will go no higher than 200b, if they won't oblige I go elsewhere and now I have around 3 restaurants in which I can consume my own wine (no corkage) and the wait-folks get a good tip or the owner gets at least one good glass of wine!!

 

Seems a win-win and they get my regular custom.

[SidJames]

I haven't found any place that will do that for less than 300baht.

Mum Aroi asked me for 500 & they have never seen me again especially as their wines are awful

[Shaunduhpostman]

On 8/26/2018 at 11:09 AM, xylophone said:

As I have posted a few times before, I have bought and can still buy Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot for about 308 baht a bottle – – real wine and a good everyday drinker.

 

This particular supplier only supplies the restaurant and hotel trade, so I got in with a friend of mine who is in that business and I order some wine through him on occasion and when these specials come up, I am in there like a robber's dog. 

 

Such opportunities are out there if you make the effort to seek them out and capitalize upon them, and I am now doing that with three distributors and will never have to buy an expensive wine here again, even though I do have another source from whence I can buy some very good top-class Australian, French and SA wines at much reduced prices, for the occasional treat.

 

Not boasting but just stating that there are options available to everyone whereby one does not have to buy crap, or pay a lot of money for a very average underrated drinker.

No, its not boasting, actually it is a heads up that it is difficult but actually possible to drink wine at sort of semi-reasonable cost. I guess you must really like other aspects of life in Thailand otherwise I don't know why you would bother with this place Xylophone. If I am not mistaken Vietnam is good if you like wine, Vietnamese like it and respect it. Buying wine shouldn't be work. I would think you could have a much better wine drinkers life over there. But of course Thailand may have other aspects that  make it worth your while if for nothing other than a good place to carve out a wine sellers niche, particualrly if you know how to source it at reasonable prices. When I was in Jakarta working for a year, many Jakartans who enjoy their wine, or back then they did, got around a similar outrageous wine tax by creating wine cooperatives. Wine was considered the worst kind of alcohol by the Quaran or other Islamic protocols, so seeing as Indonesia has been leaning more to fundamentalist end, people are shying away from wine probably. Anyway,  there were these clubs that you'd join and get wine at OK but still more expensive prices than you would in any wine producing country. An Indonesian co-worker of mine offered to get me bottles at what was the price for wine in Thailand, way cheaper than noraml prices in Jakarta. I just felt that, no, better not start, next thing I know I'd be paying 50 dollars a bottle for 5 dollar wine because Johannes was not around when I needed a bottle. I settled into a routine with Bali Starck which is a very nice beer brewed in Bali by a German ex-pat, Bali Starck, they made a dunkel and a wheat beer then and now have a few others, probably one of the top beers in Asia and for not much more than a Singha. Anyway, that might be a way for people to go here, do a wine club and buy wine wholesale at cost.

 

I'm just now realizing what may be up with the surging wine prices and the virtual non-availability in Isan. The fact that this very nice Gallo Chardonnay I enjoyed last night which cost 457 baht and yet is listed as a 45 baht wine by the manufacturer on their website says it all. Thats four five, forty five baht suggested retail price and certainly available for less at most supermarkets in the U.S. I figure that wine could easily be available to all for 80-90 baht here if it weren't for all the loads of taxation and gouging by middlemen. For the buzz alone it surpasses beer singha and at speculative 90 baht a pop in Thailand thats cheaper than two large bottles of beer singha and coupled with how it was actually fantastically nice, then we can see how the Thai alcohol industry has a problem if not for the tax on wine. 

[xylophone]

29 minutes ago, Shaunduhpostman said:

I guess you must really like other aspects of life in Thailand otherwise I don't know why you would bother with this place Xylophone.

That's about it Shaun...……...a good sensible post and friends and "family" keep me here plus the cost of living is as expensive or cheap as I want it to be!

 

Also seeking out "bargains" is a bit of a hobby so I enjoy it. 

[xylophone]

On ‎8‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 2:32 PM, Shaunduhpostman said:

Rolling appears to be a legit wine, as in made with grape juice. Given the list prices listed on this site, 300 baht is a great deal. Makro was also selling Hoegaarden wheat beer  for 250 (Now back up at 280, still cheaper than most places) for a large bottle which is also 80 baht cheaper than everywhere else. :

 

https://www.cumuluswines.com.au/range/rolling/

 

I'm not sure Rolling would be getting any attention from what appear to be serious wine reveiwers if they were an imitation wine:

 

http://australianwinejournal.blogspot.com/2010/05/rolling-shiraz-2008.html

Just ad a closer look at these Shaun and I was right...………..their wines priced at around 399 baht pb have fruit juice added and it states that on the back label, whereas those priced around 600 baht and up do not, and different description on the back label.

 

Cunning stunt if you ask me!!!!!!

[Shaunduhpostman]

I think I am developing a new pet peeve

13 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Just ad a closer look at these Shaun and I was right...………..their wines priced at around 399 baht pb have fruit juice added and it states that on the back label, whereas those priced around 600 baht and up do not, and different description on the back label.

 

Cunning stunt if you ask me!!!!!!

Ugh...I think I can safely say that at this point I have developed a new pet peeve: fruit wines mixed with grape. In a few weeks tho' I'l be in Bangkok before going to Indonesia for my annual break from Thailand. I am looking forward to getting a few bottles of good value real wine to enjoy in my hotel room. Can you recommend good shops for wine in Bangkok? I have always gone to Villa but seeing as you are so keen on wine you might have some better suggestions, especially with regard to sales or better prices and/or selection in general.

Edited August 28, 2018 by Shaunduhpostman

[bkk6060]

On 8/26/2018 at 2:19 PM, xylophone said:

I often phone the restaurant and ask if I can bring my own good bottle of wine along. If they want a corkage charge I will go no higher than 200b, if they won't oblige I go elsewhere and now I have around 3 restaurants in which I can consume my own wine (no corkage) and the wait-folks get a good tip or the owner gets at least one good glass of wine!!

 

Seems a win-win and they get my regular custom.

Does not sound like a win win to me.

From your words you end up giving a bigger tip or buying the owner a 400 b glass of wine. So??

If your point is saving money on a 200 b corkage fee, it seems a loss and additionally potentially missing out on a fantastic meal experience.....

[xylophone]

4 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Does not sound like a win win to me.

From your words you end up giving a bigger tip or buying the owner a 400 b glass of wine. So??

If your point is saving money on a 200 b corkage fee, it seems a loss and additionally potentially missing out on a fantastic meal experience.....

Hmmm...…..a misunderstanding here:-

 

First of all most restaurants want to charge around 500 b corkage fee and I won't pay that, 200 b maybe.

 

So an owner who lets me take my on wine with no corkage (I don't buy the owner anything) can have a glass/taste of my wine, which is almost always a cut above the stuff they sell and I ensure that the staff get a good tip (more so at my regular restaurant).

 

For me the beauty is being able to take a nice bottle along to enjoy although the better restaurants won't usually let me, although a couple have if I explain that it is a v good wine and I want to match it with their good food.

 

 

 

 

[Ling Kae]

I would like to give all readers a tip on a good wine I recently bought from Best Supermarket in Pattaya Klang.

 

It was a 2 Liter bottle called Maldino Rosso. It is 14.5% alcohol content and tastes absolutely beautiful and it cost 479 baht.

 

Since the price increases this is probably the best deal I can find right now. All the other 2 Liter bottles were at 630 baht, enjoy.

[fforest1]

1 hour ago, Ling Kae said:

I would like to give all readers a tip on a good wine I recently bought from Best Supermarket in Pattaya Klang.

 

It was a 2 Liter bottle called Maldino Rosso. It is 14.5% alcohol content and tastes absolutely beautiful and it cost 479 baht.

 

Since the price increases this is probably the best deal I can find right now. All the other 2 Liter bottles were at 630 baht, enjoy.

I have seen this and agree its the best deal around....

[fforest1]

Well if wine prices start getting to crazy maybe they will start importing some Mad-Dog 20/20.....lol