Cost of imported wine and spirits set to be slashed in Thailand

[trainman34014]

Don't forget at the moment this is just words; when you see the price of wine falling significantly in your local Supermarket it will be time to rejoice but until then no wetting yourselves with excitement as, for the most part, they are best at 'talking' and not 'doing' !

[DTL2014]

the taxes on wine are criminal we all agree.They are on cars too.The health benefits of wine which are broadly known to contain antioxidants and is good for the heart.makes you wonder how the taxes got to this level in the first place.

[Winegeeker]

10 hours ago, xylophone said:

Yes, I've just done likewise, because I buy from a couple of importers and distributors here and every so often they have promotions and stock clearances, and I am on the list for those, so obviously I buy when they are available.

 

I have given the name of a couple of my suppliers to folks on ASEAN NOW so that they can benefit from the promotions, and as an example, just last week I bought some beautiful Italian wine at a 35% discount from retail price, and a superb older Australian Cabernet Sauvignon at 50% discount – – so bargains are out there if you look for them.

 

In addition I have snaffled some great wines on clear out/promotion from the likes of what was Tesco/Lotus, and just recently Big C.

 

However any reduction in the price of a bottle of wine would be most appreciated!

Was that the Gaja Sito Moresco @1500 baht, was a great deal, i got 6 bottles

I was a importer in USA so the difference here in price is ridiculous, it’s worst on low end prices and only about 10% for high end. Low end i find is about 4x the price of USA, i guess there is a minimum tax per bottle, so a wine I was selling for $6 in usa is about $20-25 here but a wine i was selling for $70 i can get for about 80 if I buy from Distributors with discount 

[xylophone]

30 minutes ago, Winegeeker said:

Was that the Gaja Sito Moresco @1500 baht, was a great deal, i got 6 bottles

The wine I bought apart, from The Brygon Reserve Cab Sauvignon (2011), was Torre Rrachine Nero D'Avola 2018, and it had been made with grapes that were slightly "raisined" (Appassimento), giving it body and the style of Italian wine (Sicilian actually) I like.

[OneeyedJohn]

22 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

While they are at it reduce the tax on falang imported food

The price of a tin of corned beef and a jar of Colmans mustard - just outrageous.

[mikebell]

22 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

While they are at it reduce the tax on falang imported food

Here here. Despite the steadily strengthening baht making imports cheaper I have NEVER noticed a reduction in any of my favourite foods.  The cereal I eat daily was at 159 baht - now the same brand can be bought at 220!

[spidermike007]

19 hours ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

So you think Silverlake don't use foreign expertise?

No. I do not think so. Do you have any evidence to the contrary? Have they invested money into an illustrious winemaker, like any good winery would around the world?

[spidermike007]

12 hours ago, Scoop427 said:

It’s time the “wealthy people” started paying for the ride

I cannot even make any sense of what you said. Care to elaborate? 

[spidermike007]

On 9/20/2021 at 11:29 AM, xylophone said:

Would love to see the price of wine come down as it is one of the things that I enjoy here, but the prices compared to other countries are criminal!

 

And it may put an end to the practice of adding fruit juice to wine in order to get around tax/excise duty!! 

It could not only help to attract wealthier ex-pats and tourists, it could stimulate an entire industry. The five stars could greatly expand their wine lists, hire real sommeliers, and hold wine tastings. It could encourage wine festivals, which would improve the extremely bankrupt cultural here, add fun and interesting events to a cultural calendar that is now on par with Burkina Faso, and it could expand the industry dramatically.

 

The shortfall in taxation would more than be made up for in volume. It makes sense all the way around. But, it would require vision, courage, and some adults in the room. Possible? Yes. Probably? Likely not. 

[rbkk]

2 hours ago, OneeyedJohn said:

The price of a tin of corned beef and a jar of Colmans mustard - just outrageous.

I can see your hot under the collar!

[metisdead]

Inflammatory posts and the replies have been removed. 

[xylophone]

<<<< Deleted post edited out >>>>

 

I did find this (below) and it mentions Thai winemakers only, and also backs up my previous post whereby I said it would be difficult to produce good wine in this country because of the high heat and humidity (especially at night time).

 

There is a Silver Lake Winery in the US, and I'm wondering if this is being confused with the one near Pattaya?

 

Having said that, many wineries from around the world seek advice from winemakers from other countries and very often a winemaker may well send one of his less experienced wine makers to another country to experience their methods, and this has certainly been the case elsewhere, even in France where winery staff were sent to vineyards in Australia (believe it or not) and of course vice versa, where experienced winemakers visit other countries/wineries to pass on their knowledge.

 

In the 70s (maybe even earlier) there was a particular name given to winemakers who would fly around the world and spend time at various wineries to pass on the knowledge and expertise (and gather some too), and they became known as, "The Flying Winemakers" and many were from Australia and New Zealand.

 

Silverlake Wines

Producing wine in tropical climates has its challenges, with the year high heat and humidity that can lead to fungus and rot and the lack of varieties of grapes able to grown in the region disrupting the normal cycle of the vines growth. But Thai wine makers have persevered and have been constantly improving the techniques for growing grapes in the tropics.

[hotandsticky]

I have visited Silverlake on many occasions as I find it a good place to take visiting friends and family.

 

 

On one occasion I was fortunate to meet the Australian wine grower who was there advising the owners. I can't remember his name but I seem to recall that he also supplied vines to Silverlake. I vaguely recall seeing his details on the Silverlake website but I see that is (understandably) not operational at the present time.

[Jeffr2]

The import duties are supported by a few of the wealthiest families in Thailand. The ones who are the biggest local producers of alcohol. Good luck with this.

 

It's not just wine. Craft beer would also take off if they got rid of the silly requirements for production. Again, strongly supported by those wealthy families.

[Moo 2]

Two years ago back in Oz, my last buy of wine was at Aldi Store, I paid $10.00 for a 4 litre cask of Cabernet Merlot, 12%.  To buy a similar wine in Thailand would be 350 baht for .750ml bottle. Now, in my book we are not talking about a luxury  product. It's just table wine. By the way, $10.00 is 250 baht for 4 litre of wine!! Someone is collecting a lot of money somewhere!?

[Tropposurfer]

Yahoo! Top shelf from here on in lol ???? now to deal with the insane car import BS!

[StayinThailand2much]

On 9/20/2021 at 11:49 AM, rbkk said:

Aussie wines are looking for a market after being blocked access to China (And I'm guessing France!).

About time some quality Australian red wine made it to Thailand. What one can buy here is terrible, and the prices are ridiculous.

[StayinThailand2much]

4 hours ago, Moo 2 said:

Two years ago back in Oz, my last buy of wine was at Aldi Store, I paid $10.00 for a 4 litre cask of Cabernet Merlot, 12%.  To buy a similar wine in Thailand would be 350 baht for .750ml bottle. Now, in my book we are not talking about a luxury  product. It's just table wine. By the way, $10.00 is 250 baht for 4 litre of wine!! Someone is collecting a lot of money somewhere!?

Exactly. Enjoyed awesome red wine in Australia, 10-15 AUD the bottle. What they sell here in Thailand must be the worst Aussie wine, retail in Oz, what 5 bucks? Sold here for 350 to 600 baht!

[Khun Yogi]

On 9/20/2021 at 11:30 AM, RotBenz8888 said:

I doubt the prices in the stores will go anywhere, accept for up. 

Yeap, you are right. When Thailand signed Free Trade Agreements with Aussie and NZ, wine prices went up not down. A bottle of wine from those countries is about 3 x the price in Thailand.!!!!!! And these clowns want to attract high end retirees here ?????

[xylophone]

On 9/21/2021 at 7:36 PM, StayinThailand2much said:

What they sell here in Thailand must be the worst Aussie wine,

You can buy good Aussie wines here, but they are terribly expensive, for example the Penfold range at the upper end, and one of the Penfold's latest releases is called "Max", although that is still at just under a thousand baht a bottle.

 

And I have bought some of the wines from "Two Hands" and they are extremely good – – have recently bought a very lovely Cabernet Sauvignon called "Brygon Reserve Bin 8888 (2011) from Margaret River, and it was great, and I managed to get it for just under 500 baht in a discounted sale, so bargains are around, but you have to look for them.

https://www.vivino.com/wineries/two-hands-wines
https://www.vivino.com/brygon-reserve-bin-8888-cabernet-sauvignon/w/2630095?year=2011  

Some of the lower range Aussie wines are drinkable, and I've also been finding some bargains from Italy some of which are very well made wines.

 

Just to add a rider to the above, quite why on earth Aussie winemakers decided to produce cask and bottled wines with added fruit juice, when all it does is to ruin the reputation of Aussie winemakers, one which they have worked very hard to promote over the years.

 

[SeaMike01]

Dear God I hope they still do this. Wine is ridiculously overpriced here. In Washington State wine sections are huge and fully stocked. It was a total shock to see the horrible selection and extortionist prices in a place that's supposedly going to attract "high-end" tourists. The sooner the better, but I wouldn't be surprised if they completely reverse course.