Wine has now become a real luxury in Thailand

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, SteveBull said:

Tops ? I have two of them near me, large stores the size of a large Tesco's/Lotus but both have told me Tops do not have a license to sell alcohol ? Where is your Tops out of interest?

Central in Phuket town has two Tops stores split between two separate aspects of this huge conglomerate. On the one hand there is a Tops supermarket side of things which also sells wine, and the other Tops store which is located in the new huge building, along with many other stores, has a small supermarket side of things and a well-stocked wine section, which has a temperature controlled room, in which they have the really top end wines from France, Italy and other countries.

 

Don't know why Tops say they don't have a licence to sell alcohol, because both of the Tops stores here have a great selection.

[spidermike007]

19 hours ago, Lacessit said:

You refrigerate reds? Good grief.

All good white and red wines need to be refrigerated. Especially here. I have 20 bottles in a refrigerator on vacation mode. Stays at 57 degrees. Otherwise within a couple of months they have lost alot of character. 

 

Don't worry about the junk wines. Only the higher quality wines deteriorate and need protection. 

[Lacessit]

44 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

All good white and red wines need to be refrigerated. Especially here. I have 20 bottles in a refrigerator on vacation mode. Stays at 57 degrees. Otherwise within a couple of months they have lost alot of character. 

 

Don't worry about the junk wines. Only the higher quality wines deteriorate and need protection. 

I would tend to call the appliances being used coolers instead of refrigerators, to me a refrigerator is something maintained at 4 degrees C, with a freezer section.

 

BTW, when are Americans going to get with the program, and go metric? Fahrenheit and gallons went out with bustles and button-up boots in most other countries.

[Excel]

4 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I would tend to call the appliances being used coolers instead of refrigerators, to me a refrigerator is something maintained at 4 degrees C, with a freezer section.

 

BTW, when are Americans going to get with the program, and go metric? Fahrenheit and gallons went out with bustles and button-up boots in most other countries.

Possibly they will do that around the same time as they learn to use roundabouts correctly ????

[WhatsNext]

Before moving to Thailand, i lived in Germany for 15 years. Bottles of wine there are good and plentiful and mostly around 100-120 baht..... Beer is almost cheaper than water at about 10-12 baht per bottle at the Lidl. 

 

My conclusion :

 

Without the women of Thailand no one would be here but some random backpackers that don't like to drink. 

[ThailandRyan]

3 minutes ago, Excel said:

Possibly they will do that around the same time as they learn to use roundabouts correctly ????

Hey now, I go ring around the rosy here all of the time and don't fall down at all....First time I drove in Rome was a true treat, took me forever to get out of the middle.....lol

[ThailandRyan]

2 minutes ago, WhatsNext said:

Before moving to Thailand, i lived in Germany for 15 years. Bottles of wine there are good and plentiful and mostly around 100-120 baht..... Beer is almost cheaper than water at about 10-12 baht per bottle at the Lidl. 

 

My conclusion :

 

Without the women of Thailand no one would be here but some random backpackers that don't like to drink. 

I came for the Temples, culture and beaches like another OP running explains why tourists come here and do not stay in bars until 4am.

[Excel]

10 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

I came for the Temples, culture and beaches like another OP running explains why tourists come here and do not stay in bars until 4am.

Yes I think many of us did but couldn't keep up with the hard drinking Monks consuming Lao khao as if it was going out of fashion and became very disillusioned with their incessant gambling.

[ThailandRyan]

1 minute ago, Excel said:

Yes I think many of us did but couldn't keep up with the hard drinking Monks consuming Lao khao as if it was going out of fashion and became very disillusioned with their incessant gambling.

I got tired, of donating cash in an envelope, a 10 pack of M-180's and waters to the monks while placing packs of cigarettes on a tray for the statues.  Never saw a statue smoke, but the monks smoke like a sieve and the M-180 bottles get filled with Lao Kao, or maybe they are always filled with Lao Kao by the donors...... 

[Lacessit]

33 minutes ago, Excel said:

Possibly they will do that around the same time as they learn to use roundabouts correctly ????

I can sympathise with them, very hard to do when one is driving on the wrong side of the road.

[Andycoops]

I treat myself to a bottle of chateau delicious every weekend, regardless of the silly price.

[Burma Bill]

3 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Fahrenheit and gallons went out with bustles and button-up boots in most other countries.

With respect, the latest from the UK (June 2022) - not EU any more and more in line with the US:

 

The UK government's plan to reinstate imperial measurements will 'bring British culture back', a Conservative minister has claimed. 

Currently, retailers and traders must use metric measurements, like grams and kilograms, when selling packaged or loose goods - although the imperial equivalents can also be displayed................................................ It will pave the way for pounds, ounces, feet and inches to be used more commonly in the country.

 

https://www.euronews.com/culture/2022/05/30/uk-to-revive-imperial-measurements-to-bring-back-british-culture-and-heritage-says-mp

 

I always use Fahrenheit and not centigrade.

[Lacessit]

8 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

With respect, the latest from the UK (June 2022) - not EU any more and more in line with the US:

 

The UK government's plan to reinstate imperial measurements will 'bring British culture back', a Conservative minister has claimed. 

Currently, retailers and traders must use metric measurements, like grams and kilograms, when selling packaged or loose goods - although the imperial equivalents can also be displayed................................................ It will pave the way for pounds, ounces, feet and inches to be used more commonly in the country.

 

https://www.euronews.com/culture/2022/05/30/uk-to-revive-imperial-measurements-to-bring-back-british-culture-and-heritage-says-mp

 

I always use Fahrenheit and not centigrade.

Every cloud has a silver lining, I suppose working with such units improves one's math.

[JimTripper]

I had a neighbor aquaintance who was real into wine in Thailand. It seemed dumb to be and I just wanted a beer.

 

He would sit at an outdoor wine bar and thought it was cool. He also liked golf. He was in the wrong country and eventually moved. He also liked air conditioning, just a fan was not good enough. He also liked western food.

Edited August 22, 2022 by JimTripper

[Burma Bill]

15 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

working with such units improves one's math.

Thank you and yes indeed. No calculators or the like during my early UK school days in the mid-late 1950's. One used one's brain, pencil and paper! Mental arithmetic was essential as no push buttons or touch screens in those days!

[xylophone]

Back on topic and something which @Lacessit might be able to throw some light on....... 

 

I have discovered an everyday swigger here, which actually turns out not to be too bad at all, and it is called, "Riddle Creek Shiraz Reserve, 2020", so I thought I would try and find out a bit about its history, however that has become complicated, and where someone from that part of the world might be able to help?

 

You see some Google searches point to the fact that it is a wine from Victoria (Australia) and that it is made by de Bortoli, whereas another Google search points to it coming from a farm/vineyard in the Riverina with no connection to de Bortoli? The two wines coming from those locations show different ABV percentage, so it would appear that this wine is being "made" in two locations, which doesn't seem right.

 

Anyway, hopefully someone can throw some light on it, because I can't find any meaningful leads on it, other than to say that there are couple of feedback comments which suggest that it is a better wine than it would seem, given that the price range here is anywhere between 370 and 399 baht a bottle and IMO it is well worth a try.
 

[ThailandRyan]

4 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Back on topic and something which @Lacessit might be able to throw some light on....... 

 

I have discovered an everyday swigger here, which actually turns out not to be too bad at all, and it is called, "Riddle Creek Shiraz Reserve, 2020", so I thought I would try and find out a bit about its history, however that has become complicated, and where someone from that part of the world might be able to help?

 

You see some Google searches point to the fact that it is a wine from Victoria (Australia) and that it is made by de Bortoli, whereas another Google search points to it coming from a farm/vineyard in the Riverina with no connection to de Bortoli? The two wines coming from those locations show different ABV percentage, so it would appear that this wine is being "made" in two locations, which doesn't seem right.

 

Anyway, hopefully someone can throw some light on it, because I can't find any meaningful leads on it, other than to say that there are couple of feedback comments which suggest that it is a better wine than it would seem, given that the price range here is anywhere between 370 and 399 baht a bottle and IMO it is well worth a try.
 

Here is more info from Vivino

https://www.vivino.com/IT/en/de-bortoli-riddle-creek-reserve-shiraz-cabernet/w/1526735

[spidermike007]

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I would tend to call the appliances being used coolers instead of refrigerators, to me a refrigerator is something maintained at 4 degrees C, with a freezer section.

 

BTW, when are Americans going to get with the program, and go metric? Fahrenheit and gallons went out with bustles and button-up boots in most other countries.

I have a great Samsung refrigerator with a vacation mode. It stays at 14 all the time. Ideal for wine. And herbs. And tea, etc. 

[Lacessit]

6 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Back on topic and something which @Lacessit might be able to throw some light on....... 

 

I have discovered an everyday swigger here, which actually turns out not to be too bad at all, and it is called, "Riddle Creek Shiraz Reserve, 2020", so I thought I would try and find out a bit about its history, however that has become complicated, and where someone from that part of the world might be able to help?

 

You see some Google searches point to the fact that it is a wine from Victoria (Australia) and that it is made by de Bortoli, whereas another Google search points to it coming from a farm/vineyard in the Riverina with no connection to de Bortoli? The two wines coming from those locations show different ABV percentage, so it would appear that this wine is being "made" in two locations, which doesn't seem right.

 

Anyway, hopefully someone can throw some light on it, because I can't find any meaningful leads on it, other than to say that there are couple of feedback comments which suggest that it is a better wine than it would seem, given that the price range here is anywhere between 370 and 399 baht a bottle and IMO it is well worth a try.
 

de Bortoli is a well known family winemaker in the Rutherglen region. What might be happening is they are blending a Rutherglen Shiraz with an irrigated Riverina bulk wine to improve the bottled product. The Rutherglen region is noted for producing big, bold Shiraz. Almost too big sometimes, the Stanton and Killeen reds were nicknamed Stab'em and Kill'em.

 

The family may well own both properties. If one were to check the farmland ownership registry around Griffith, Italian names would figure prominently.

[toofarnorth]

20 hours ago, Walker88 said:

I'll have a glass of that port, if you don't mind.

With all the rain last night I will take any Port in a storm.

[xylophone]

16 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Here is more info from Vivino

https://www.vivino.com/IT/en/de-bortoli-riddle-creek-reserve-shiraz-cabernet/w/1526735

Thanks TR, however I've already seen and explored that link and it is not the same label as the bottle from the Riverina, nor the same description as it describes the wine as coming from Victoria??

 

@Lacessit came up with a possible answer and it seems plausible although on the back of the bottle that I have, it mentions CV Wines?? Research of that shows that it has an address in the Riverina, but also notes that, "this winery might not be operating" or words to that effect?

 

Never mind, it is a fair wine for the price and I would certainly drink it with Thai food and the occasional spicy pizza.

 

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, xylophone said:

Thanks TR, however I've already seen and explored that link and it is not the same label as the bottle from the Riverina, nor the same description as it describes the wine as coming from Victoria??

 

@Lacessit came up with a possible answer and it seems plausible although on the back of the bottle that I have, it mentions CV Wines?? Research of that shows that it has an address in the Riverina, but also notes that, "this winery might not be operating" or words to that effect?

 

Never mind, it is a fair wine for the price and I would certainly drink it with Thai food and the occasional spicy pizza.

 

If I click on the D&B report link, the CV wines website takes me straight to the de Bortoli  website, meaning it's a fair bet the CV farm is owned by them.

[xylophone]

6 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

If I click on the D&B report link, the CV wines website takes me straight to the de Bortoli  website, meaning it's a fair bet the CV farm is owned by them.

Thanks, and I came to that conclusion after clicking on a few other links, however, strange that one particular wine at 14% ABV comes from the farm/winery in the Riverina, whereas the other one bearing almost the same label is 13% ABV from Victoria..............having said that, the Riverina wine is palatable!!

[xylophone]

On 8/20/2022 at 2:30 PM, xylophone said:

I can't for the life of me remember the name of the Zinfandel which Tesco Lotus cleared out a few years ago (it was selling at around 1400 baht a bottle but was reduced to around 450 baht), but it was very good,

Just remembered what that wine was, and it was "Ravenswood Zinfandel" and I think it was reduced because it had a few years on it, although for me the slight bottle ageing actually added to the appeal.

 

As for the Brunello di Montalcino, that also had a few years on it, but was still very, very drinkable and I was so pleased to be able to pick those wines up for a mere pittance.

[jacko45k]

7 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I would tend to call the appliances being used coolers instead of refrigerators, to me a refrigerator is something maintained at 4 degrees C, with a freezer section.

Many regard coolers  as ice-boxes, or igloos. 

[ChaiyaTH]

On 8/20/2022 at 5:36 PM, 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.  

199 baht wine usually doesn't have a cork meaning it is grape juice indeed, that is locally bottled. You can see the difference on the tax labels too (color).

 

Sometimes even those that do have a cork, can be bottled locally, not 'real' wine too.

Edited August 22, 2022 by ChaiyaTH

[JimGant]

On 8/20/2022 at 8:45 AM, HaoleBoy said:

California wines are hard to come by (something decent).

Rimping has a California section, and they do carry some Napa Valley brands. These, I was educated a few years back, are, on average, the best of California wines. So, every two weeks or so, I pluck a Napa Valley bottle of Cab  (vintner's name unknown to me) for about 2000 baht. Yes, ridiculous, but it sure makes that barbecued steak taste good -- just no comparison to any other country's premium wines, at least that I've found. And cost? Christ, I oversaved in my younger years, denying myself some pleasures that only youth would appreciate. Thus, my overstuffed estate will largely go to worthless nephews and nieces (unless I can find a soi dog foundry). So, anything I can deny my nephew thru a bottle of superb wine, is a plus.

 

Plus, after draining a fine Napa Valley product, I go to Netflix and watch "Sideways," the Paul Giamatti flick of wandering thru California wine country, where we watch his wine knowledge click into a fine story.

 

Yes, no Paul Giamatti after drinking most of the worthless <deleted> here. Thank goodness for the California section of Rimping. Yes, it still feels weird to spend so much for a bottle of wine, especially after my tightwad youth. But, at age 77, and well established, I'd be stupid not to... Cheers.

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, JimGant said:

Plus, after draining a fine Napa Valley product, I go to Netflix and watch "Sideways," the Paul Giamatti flick of wandering thru California wine country, where we watch his wine knowledge click into a fine story.

 

Hopefully you saw my post regarding the movie, "Bottle Shock" which covered the now famous, "Judgement of Paris" winetasting between Californian wines and the best that France could offer.

 

I won't spoil the movie for you, because it is very good and stars Bill Pullman as well as the late, great, Alan Rickman, and is essential viewing for wine lovers I think!

[JimGant]

2 hours ago, xylophone said:

Hopefully you saw my post regarding the movie, "Bottle Shock" which covered the now famous, "Judgement of Paris" winetasting between Californian wines and the best that France could offer.

Ah, will break out my last Napa Valley product and recline, with glass in hand, to enjoy an interesting sounding movie.

 

Movie probably has nothing to do with this, but as I remember, France lost all its vineyards to a severe winter, and then had to import seedlings from Napa Valley. Thus, I guess you could say, a superb French red probably has Napa Valley to thank for. Of course, you'd never hear a Frenchman admit this -- just as he would never say the French army sucked in WWII. Funny folks, them frogs.

[xylophone]

2 minutes ago, JimGant said:

Ah, will break out my last Napa Valley product and recline, with glass in hand, to enjoy an interesting sounding movie.

 

Movie probably has nothing to do with this, but as I remember, France lost all its vineyards to a severe winter, and then had to import seedlings from Napa Valley. Thus, I guess you could say, a superb French red probably has Napa Valley to thank for. Of course, you'd never hear a Frenchman admit this -- just as he would never say the French army sucked in WWII. Funny folks, them frogs.

Sounds like an ideal evening a nice wine and a good movie – – enjoy.

 

Your point about the French vineyards is not quite right but the actual events are as follows: – a vine louse called phylloxera devastated French vines/vineyards starting from about the 1860s and it got gradually worse with around 50% of the French vines being affected, and these vines died off, including some of the most famous.

 

The phylloxera vine louse was identified as the culprit, having come from America in one of many vine cuttings that were being exchanged between countries at that time, and whereas the American vines were resistant to this louse, having been used to it over the years, the French vines, and many others in Europe were not, and so were wiped out.

 

The grafting of vines had been known for some time, and it was suggested that the American rootstock be used to enable the French vines to be grafted to that rootstock, and this was done over a few decades, with some resistance from the French, but without that, it's quite possible that the French vines and wine industry would have been decimated even further.

 

So one could argue that French wines and vines owe their existence to American vine rootstock, whereas on the other hand it could be argued that had the American vines not been imported into France and Europe, then this would never have happened.

 

No point in arguing anything like this with a Frenchman because in their eyes the French make the best wines in the world, and no-one else can match them, whereas we know that superb wines are made in many other countries, and wines which can easily match the best of the French. 

 

The movie you're about to watch deals with this, and furthermore in a winetasting in France in around 1978 (or thereabouts) a Spanish wine made by Miguel Torres, called Gran Coronas, beat the best of the French Reds in another wine tasting and caused further palpitations amongst the French.

 

Have a great evening.