Wine has now become a real luxury in Thailand

[Lacessit]

8 minutes ago, proton said:

Wolf Blass is good as well at around 400 baht

Wolf Blass is a blender of vintages from small wineries, selling into the budget section of Australia supermarkets. A wine snob would turn their nose up. Having said that, they do make some very drinkable reds.

[MrJ2U]

So overpriced. (Overtaxed.

 

Definitely takes a toll on upper end restaurants and bars.

 

Overcharging is actually going to deter high end tourists.  Forget the weed, most HiSo prefer good drink.

 

Chinese will drink anything. 

 

 

 

 

[Orinoco]

4 minutes ago, xylophone said:

So now I drink half a bottle, followed by a nice glass of Portuguese port,

That should be a mandatory 3 week ban for reminding us all about Port.

you naughty boy you.

[LatPhrao]

While it's useful to get the numbers on how badly we're being screwed for wine in Thailand, the topic and any rationale other than pure greed puts me in a rage.   Several years ago when imported wine became widely available and restaurants began offering wine by the glass  - it was Thais who were filling the restaurant seats and enjoying wine!  Then they laid on the taxes.  Or did the military coup and the overthrow of democracy in Thailand come first.  I forget.    I love Thailand and thankful to be living here, with this single exception which I hate - the insane price of imported wine, the necessary lies by wine producers who are obliged to suggest / insinuate that their wines are 'fruit blended' to evade the taxes. It's a pantomime of the truth. And a prime example of deluded thinking and ends to just the means of greed. I love wine yet I refuse to pay the outrageous prices, so I hold my own tastings of the 399 thb wines to find decent wine for the table, And there are some!   Surely someone in government can see that changing the taxation, lowering the retail price of wine would creative a tidal wave of income greater than what they're able to suck out of their current schemes.   One might wish that the marijuana phenomenon could lead to rational changes for wine.  Meanwhile, nothing but contempt for Thailand government's wine taxes.   End of sermon. 

[xylophone]

Just now, Orinoco said:

That should be a mandatory 3 week ban for reminding us all about Port.

you naughty boy you.

SORRY!!

[Burma Bill]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

shocked by how much more expensive wine is in Thailand

For reference from across the border (no doubt a legacy from old French Colonial days)

The price of 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality in Phnom Penh is 46,541 Riels (405 baht)

 

• In Bangkok the price is 79% more expensive than in Phnom Penh

https://www.expatistan.com/price/wine/phnom-penh

 

My local supermarket displays a vast range of International wines at even lower prices!!

[Lacessit]

27 minutes ago, nchuckle said:

At 600 baht I find the Yellowtail range (Australian)a reasonable compromise of price vs quality,but that’s still double the U.K. price so drink wine very rarely.

Yellowtail is a mass-produced irrigated wine from Yenda, near Griffith. IIRC, made by the Casella family.

The truly great wines in Australia are those that are sold from the cellar door or selected outlets, they will never see a supermarket shelf. They will never make it to Thailand either, the duty would be crippling.

[xylophone]

9 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The truly great wines in Australia are those that are sold from the cellar door or selected outlets, they will never see a supermarket shelf.

Although there are a few which are available at top end "supermarkets" and Tops here in Phuket has some top quality Australian wines, and one which I have tasted is the "Two Hands – Angels Share – Shiraz, and it was big, bold and beautiful.

 

They have a few more top end Australian and French wines, as well as Italian wines, so I know where to go if I need a drop of quality! And as you quite rightly say, the everyday supermarket would not see/stock wines like this.

[Orinoco]

14 minutes ago, xylophone said:

SORRY!!

Got a mate from the uk , when he comes over he brings a bottle of port for me.

I'm never fussed about what house or date.

Nectar from the gods. 

[xylophone]

Just now, Orinoco said:

Got a mate from the uk , when he comes over he brings a bottle of port for me.

I'm never fussed about what house or date.

Nectar from the gods. 

I buy mine from a local importer/distributor and although it is from a port house which is not one of the more famous ones, it certainly is one of the better ports I have tried in my life, and if I recall, I pay about 740 baht for it.

[Chongalulu]

14 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Yellowtail is a mass-produced irrigated wine from Yenda, near Griffith. IIRC, made by the Casella family.

The truly great wines in Australia are those that are sold from the cellar door or selected outlets, they will never see a supermarket shelf. They will never make it to Thailand either, the duty would be crippling.

So irrelevant from the point of view of this thread -and even Thailand itself. For circa 600 baht is there anything appreciably a better choice than Yellowtail?

[Orinoco]

5 minutes ago, xylophone said:

I buy mine from a local importer/distributor and although it is from a port house which is not one of the more famous ones, it certainly is one of the better ports I have tried in my life, and if I recall, I pay about 740 baht for it.

That's a very doable price. 

 

 

Edited August 20, 2022 by Orinoco

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, Baron Samedi said:

With such high taxes on imports, Thais should be able to start their own production at a very competitive price. Any decent Thai wine out there? Just curious...

Monsoon Valley Winery outside of Hua Hin is decent for a local winery.  My GF likes their whites.

[Longwood50]

I think it is just like the hotels and tourist attractions.  They know they are not impacting the Thai's and that they are collecting tax revenue from foreigners.  The cost of beer in Thailand is about the same as the USA.  The cost of liquor is typically cheaper but wine is as much as  3-4 times as expensive. 

It can't be based soley on the alcohol content or the price since Scotch here is about the same as the USA.  They must have a much higher tax rate on wine versus hard liquor. 

I have yet to find a modestly priced Australian Red Wine that is any good.  There are a couple from Chile that are drinkable but hardly what you would call excellent. 

So, I buy a bottle on occasion and some beer and say it is just one of the nuances about living in Thailand.  Conversely the car insurance here is dirt cheap compared to the USA which surprises me given that cars are noticeably more expensive than the USA and I have driven throughout the world and I have found no more harrowing place to drive than Thailand. 

[Baron Samedi]

11 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Monsoon Valley Winery outside of Hua Hin is decent for a local winery.  My GF likes their whites.

How about prices? Are they able to offer 200THB bottles because it isn't imported or are the prices essentially the same as the rest of what you can find on the market? Just wondering how they decided to play their hand ????

[ThailandRyan]

5 minutes ago, Baron Samedi said:

How about prices? Are they able to offer 200THB bottles because it isn't imported or are the prices essentially the same as the rest of what you can find on the market? Just wondering how they decided to play their hand ????

Unfortunately not, you pay between 650 and up.....no discount like you could get in the US for a case. They are pretty popular on the weekends and do serve decent food. The views are spectacular during the growing season. Photos from my visit in July..

Edited August 20, 2022 by ThailandRyan

[ChaiyaTH]

Another BS news article, the prices are not significantly changed at all and I do not think it is that expensive, unless you are drinking to get drunk, in that case many alternatives to wine too.

 

Yes you can get shack wine in europe and usa for a few dollars per bottle, but then you also pay big taxes, huge rent, gasoline and more instead. It is all so relative but people love black and white or opposite extremes.

 

Plenty of restaurants and places where you can get a OK wine for around 140-160 baht per glass, that's not expensive at all.

Edited August 20, 2022 by ChaiyaTH

[sqwakvfr]

1 hour ago, Baron Samedi said:

With such high taxes on imports, Thais should be able to start their own production at a very competitive price. Any decent Thai wine out there? Just curious...

I took a gamble on a bottle of Thai wine at Big C for 199 Baht.  It was awful.  Never again.  I do not believe it was aged properly in a barrel? It tasted like rotten grape juice.  

Edited August 20, 2022 by sqwakvfr

[Lacessit]

47 minutes ago, nchuckle said:

So irrelevant from the point of view of this thread -and even Thailand itself. For circa 600 baht is there anything appreciably a better choice than Yellowtail?

Other posters might like some background on wines from Australia, if you don't there is nobody twisting your arm to read what I post.

My point is it's a mass-produced wine. Paying 600 baht for it is complete BS.

[Lacessit]

56 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Although there are a few which are available at top end "supermarkets" and Tops here in Phuket has some top quality Australian wines, and one which I have tasted is the "Two Hands – Angels Share – Shiraz, and it was big, bold and beautiful.

 

They have a few more top end Australian and French wines, as well as Italian wines, so I know where to go if I need a drop of quality! And as you quite rightly say, the everyday supermarket would not see/stock wines like this.

How much was the "Two Hands" in baht? McLaren Vale does produce some very good Shiraz, I remember one called " Squid Ink." $72 a bottle, hate to think what it would be here.

[Bangkok Barry]

My sister was living in Spain, where wine is so cheap they throw it over people in a sort of Spanish Songkran festival. Beer is also far, far cheaper, with five cans of the local beer costing the same in supermarkets as one can in Thailand.

[Thailand]

Peter Vella House White 1.5 litres around 520 baht presented in a nice plastic bag and served very cold more than acceptable for me.  The red is not too bad either.

 

All a matter of taste and that is mine. ????

 

 

[xylophone]

58 minutes ago, nchuckle said:

So irrelevant from the point of view of this thread -and even Thailand itself. For circa 600 baht is there anything appreciably a better choice than Yellowtail?

In my opinion, yes there are few wines out there in that price bracket, which rate, IMO, better than Yellowtail, although they too come from the Riverina area, so vineyard management with regards to irrigation, the grapes and clones used and fermentation practices all come into the mix.

[xylophone]

17 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

How much was the "Two Hands" in baht? McLaren Vale does produce some very good Shiraz, I remember one called " Squid Ink." $72 a bottle, hate to think what it would be here.

Around 3000 baht a bottle as I recall?

[chalawaan]

4 hours ago, Klonko said:

Rule of thumb: wine retail prices in Thailand = restaurant prices in Europe. I buy wine in the 1000-3000 THB range, but spend less money than my beer drinking buddies, because a bottle lasts 3-4 days maintaining the quality with the Coravin system.

It's probably fair to say you're drinking significantly less than your buddies if a bottle (7 drinks) lasts you four days!

Six beers is easily doable for me socially and I'm still in control (tho I wouldn't drive!)

[perconrad]

1 hour ago, xylophone said:

I buy mine from a local importer/distributor and although it is from a port house which is not one of the more famous ones, it certainly is one of the better ports I have tried in my life, and if I recall, I pay about 740 baht for it.

You xylophone, were so kind last year to reveal to me where you ordered Port and I have just ordered my second batch. It is not easy to find Port in Thailand and certainly not out here in the rice fields.

 

The cheapest Ruby Port the importer/distributor now have is THB 820 incl. Vat.

This time I also ordered their 29 Grapes Reserve Port and the 6 Barrels Reserve Tawny Port, looking forward to taste them.

[Baron Samedi]

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

Unfortunately not, you pay between 650 and up.....no discount like you could get in the US for a case. They are pretty popular on the weekends and do serve decent food. The views are spectacular during the growing season. Photos from my visit in July..

Prices suck but I gotta say it looks like a nice place to relax ????☀️????

[Baron Samedi]

1 hour ago, sqwakvfr said:

I took a gamble on a bottle of Thai wine at Big C for 199 Baht.  It was awful.  Never again.  I do not believe it was aged properly in a barrel? It tasted like rotten grape juice.  

When that happens, the technique is to pour sugar in the bottle and then shake it ????

 

Edited August 20, 2022 by Baron Samedi

[ThailandRyan]

19 minutes ago, Baron Samedi said:

Prices suck but I gotta say it looks like a nice place to relax ????☀️????

It is, it's about a 30 minute drive up into the hills.

[Lacessit]

5 hours ago, Baron Samedi said:

With such high taxes on imports, Thais should be able to start their own production at a very competitive price. Any decent Thai wine out there? Just curious...

See my post on this page 2 as to why Thai wines are bad. I have not encountered one where I could get past half a glass.

 

It's unlikely Thai wines will improve, given xenophobia and face. I don't know if wine making is one of the occupations reserved for Thais.

 

In any case, it's unlikely a really good vintner would up sticks and move to Thailand. Many wineries are family operations going back some generations, no compelling reason to move.