Thai Red Wine

[uptou]

i get the impression that the thais are getting more & more interested in wine.

i seem to see quite alot of different thai wines popping up,but can somebody recommend one that they've tried?

(i'm not talking from a,"mmmmmm,it has a delicate taste of chillies",conosiuer point of veiw,or that sickly sweet stuff that feels like its melting your teeth,& could possibly bring on diabetes in a very short time)

also are there certain areas with the climate in thailand that would suit wine producing?

i did some grape picking in nz for awile,& ive heard that cool nights & warm days are benificial to wine growing,so possibly in the north.

watching the movie sideways a couple of years ago made me realise how much i missed the stuff........plus i'm getting bored with the beer.

[GuestHouse]

I had some Thai red wine at a fund raising held hear at the Thai Embassy in Rome last weekend.

I assume it was the best stuff they were promoting; you can assume that I was trying to be polite when I didn't spit it out in disgust. It was quite nasty - sweet, and at the risk of going into all that wine talk, pretty shallow flavour/aroma.

Comparrable with a Euro1.2 box wine my wife might use in cooking.

[WaiWai]

There must be some good ones but haven't had any luck so far.

Can anyone recommend a good local red.

The Tibetans make some reasonable red wines.

[Jimjim]

There are a lot of wineries near Muak Lek, which is about 2 hours up the road from Saraburi towards Korat. This seems to be the hub of wine-making in Thailand as far as I can tell. I can't suggest any certain one but if you love wine you may want to make a trip up there. I once took a short tour with a group of my students. This area is also known to have the best steaks in Thailand and is definitely known for that.

[Meerkat]

There are a lot of wineries near Muak Lek, which is about 2 hours up the road from Saraburi towards Korat. This seems to be the hub of wine-making in Thailand as far as I can tell. I can't suggest any certain one but if you love wine you may want to make a trip up there. I once took a short tour with a group of my students. This area is also known to have the best steaks in Thailand and is definitely known for that.

Yup, the Khao Yai region seems to be where it's happening (there are IIRC two other wine growing regions in the country too). As you say, just off Route 2 from Saraburi heading north.

The wines vary - the biggest problem is that the vines are still quite young, so it'll take a few more years before the best the area has to offer comes along. In the meantime I've found a few good wines up there. PB Valley does a nice Shiraz (2001). Granmonte makes a great Chenin Blanc, which is now our house pour. They do one good red too, but I've forgotten which one it is (the others I've tried weren't up to it). Actually, whilst the reds are good, they could still do with another year or two in the bottle.

Granmonte was awarded 6th most promising vineyard globally a couple of years ago in one of the wine-trade rags, so there's certainly a future for the region. They have a good restaurant there too, VinCotto (I think there's also one at PB Valley).

I've tried some wines from one of the other regions, but they were, to quote Monty Python, "not a wine for drinking, but a wine for laying down and avoiding"!

None of the Thai wine represents good value for money, sadly, as the taxes are so high. We buy partly as I like the idea of supporting local wineries, and partly because the only stuff I can find near me is Jacob's Creek. Ugh.

Oh, and I find it a bit sad that both vineyards have decided to cork bottles rather than go with the much more efficient screw-tops that are often used nowadays. Misplaced snob-value I suppose. I've had more "corked" bottles from there than I would usually expect - no doubt in part caused by the the heat drying the corks out. It's no good storing them correctly at home if they've been stored incorrectly at source.

The steaks there are also good! Chokchai Farm is the largest cattle rearer in the country, and the steaks I've had from them are some of the best I've had anywhere - certainly better than anything else domestically-produced I've found in Thailand. Just don't eat at their restaurant though: whilst they know how to cook a lump of meat, they butchered (in the other sense) everything else on the plate. I've heard a similar complaint about their restaurant in Bangkok too. The farm is also a great place to take the kids - they can milk a cow, make ice-cream, ride horses - that kind of stuff. There's also a boutique resort there, sleeping in air-conditioned tents.

[grtaylor]

Yup, the Khao Yai region seems to be where it's happening (there are IIRC two other wine growing regions in the country too). As you say, just off Route 2 from Saraburi heading north.

The wines vary - the biggest problem is that the vines are still quite young, so it'll take a few more years before the best the area has to offer comes along. In the meantime I've found a few good wines up there. PB Valley does a nice Shiraz (2001). Granmonte makes a great Chenin Blanc, which is now our house pour. They do one good red too, but I've forgotten which one it is (the others I've tried weren't up to it). Actually, whilst the reds are good, they could still do with another year or two in the bottle.

Granmonte was awarded 6th most promising vineyard globally a couple of years ago in one of the wine-trade rags, so there's certainly a future for the region. They have a good restaurant there too, VinCotto (I think there's also one at PB Valley).

I've had the PB Shiraz too, and enjoyed it! However, as you say, vastly overpriced given that it is a local product.

G

[quiksilva]

I'll second the Granmonte Chenin Blanc and their Shiraz isn't half bad either but ca razy prices considerring no import tariff.

Quite a nice Sunday drive in and around that Khao Yai valley.

Edited May 10, 2007 by quiksilva

[easybullet3]

why is thai wine so overpriced? (considering that usualy its quite cheap quality)

[grtaylor]

why is thai wine so overpriced? (considering that usualy its quite cheap quality)

Its something to do with the way tax on alcohol is calculated here - don't quite understand it though . . . . .

G

[sabaijai]

Obviously those that think all Thai wines are nasty haven't yet tried the better Khao Yai vintages. I've tasted some very good Monsoon Valley and Granmonte reds. The MV 2003 Premiere Shiraz is a real treat if you can find it. Comparable to good vin de table/vino da tavolo from France/Italy, in fact I'd wager most wine aficionados would guess these wines were French or Italian.

The tax on domestic wines is around 200% I believe. Imported 400+%.

Another thread on Thai wines here.

[pete_r]

We visited the PB Valley winery too and they did mention that the high tax on alcohol, even locally produced, was a problem.

[polecat]

The Khao Yai winery does an excellent Tempranillo. Too expensive for a throwaway (750 baht?) but definitely worth a bash if you are genuinely interested in Thai wine. An acquaintance who writes regularly for Wine Report confidently says it would stand up perfectly well against good Spanish wines in competition.

[Bjorn]

i bought a bottle once, and the wine was just terrible, Couldn't even fnish one glass. Whatever you do, don't buy a bottle of local wine. Maybe a perfect gift for your mother i law?

[grtaylor]

i bought a bottle once, and the wine was just terrible, Couldn't even fnish one glass. Whatever you do, don't buy a bottle of local wine. Maybe a perfect gift for your mother i law?

That is a vast generalisation! Until I tried the PB Shiraz, I might have agreed with you - but not anymore. Their Shiraz won a Silver medal at a blind tasting wine competition in Vienna. . . . .

G

[rychrde]

One of the few things I miss in Thailand is good wine at good prices. Re Thai wine, the best value for money is the Sawasdee label, part of PB. Have found bottles for 300 baht or less. It tastes fine and is great with food.

Yes, some Thai reds are a bit sweet, but then again, you find sweet reds in the Med too.

When I was up in Chiang Mai I got into their fruit wines - some were superb and unfortunately can't rem the winery. One guy sells them regularly and he told me the problem with growing grapes in Thailand is the large quantities of pesticides used. The fruit wines don't need this 'help' as all local fruits.

rych

[torito]

The clima is not good for grapes in here. Grapes are a templade wheather type of fruit.

The best value for money is the Chilean wine....the cheap one is still good quality.

[roblin]

i like chateau de loei. the real problem is the resturant who have no clue about storing and serving wine. who wants to drink 4degree cold red wine?

[alexth]

Thai booze it's simply disgusting, wine, whisky, you name it

[Jim's_a_Thai_Fox]

Hi,

I've a friend who wants to bring in wine from Europe, a red called 'Karma Wine' that has been bred to suit spicy or 'piquant' Thai food.

It has elephants on the label, so it's gonna be a big winner in LOS.

Any advice I can pass along to him about how he can sell his wine here once he's got it here?

Cheers

James

[alexth]

He'll have to be prepared for a LOT of taxes, that's what I know.

[Plus]

I recently went to Wan Nam Kiaw's winery called Village Farm (villagefarm.co.th).

They call themselves a boutique winery, not big enough to supply to supermarkets. It's pricey but their best wines are very drinkable.

The best option is to go there on a weekend, stay at the resort, enjoy peace and quiet, drink some wine, food is also excellent.

They count lots of big shots among their patrons, from former Prime Ministers down. While Sudarat apparently had a good time there, Anand and Surayud were more discreet judging by their photoalbums.

The vinyard is still young and the wines will probably get better for a few more years before they level off but even now it's a vast improvement over their first vintage, 2002, that I tried at some wine tasting in Bangkok.

[sabaijai]

i bought a bottle once, and the wine was just terrible, Couldn't even fnish one glass. Whatever you do, don't buy a bottle of local wine. Maybe a perfect gift for your mother i law?

Obviously you've never tasted the better vintages from PB, Monsoon Valley or Granmonte.

[Old Man River]

I recently went to Wan Nam Kiaw's winery called Village Farm (villagefarm.co.th).

They call themselves a boutique winery, not big enough to supply to supermarkets. It's pricey but their best wines are very drinkable.

The best option is to go there on a weekend, stay at the resort, enjoy peace and quiet, drink some wine, food is also excellent.

They count lots of big shots among their patrons, from former Prime Ministers down. While Sudarat apparently had a good time there, Anand and Surayud were more discreet judging by their photoalbums.

The vinyard is still young and the wines will probably get better for a few more years before they level off but even now it's a vast improvement over their first vintage, 2002, that I tried at some wine tasting in Bangkok.

I went with a group there last year and spent the night. We all had a great time. Worth a visit.

[Ijustwannateach]

The taste is not bad for some of them. But I have a friend who's involved in the regulation of alcoholic beverages in Thailand, and she says that levels of lead and other toxins can be pretty scary- you should make sure that what you buy is really inspected and not just slipped onto the market.

(beer drinkers aren't immune from Thai brand trouble- there's a tendency, apparently, for them to put too much cyanide in the beer- a pinch is used to clarify lagers, which is normal, but some breweries here reckon incorrectly that if a little bit is good, a lot more is better)...

[Old Man River]

The taste is not bad for some of them. But I have a friend who's involved in the regulation of alcoholic beverages in Thailand, and she says that levels of lead and other toxins can be pretty scary- you should make sure that what you buy is really inspected and not just slipped onto the market.

(beer drinkers aren't immune from Thai brand trouble- there's a tendency, apparently, for them to put too much cyanide in the beer- a pinch is used to clarify lagers, which is normal, but some breweries here reckon incorrectly that if a little bit is good, a lot more is better)...

There are, primarily, two types of Thai wines. One is made from various fruits where the investment is small and production facilites could well be far from hygenic. The other wines are made from traditional wine growing grapes where investment costs are high and production facilities based on international standards. There is much less a chance that these wines would contain impurities.