Red Wine - Best Buy?

[laconic]

I am a new farang who also have discovered the crazy wine prices here.

Any good tips on where to buy, and what to buy.

Like a reasonable thai red wine (which I guess is cheaper, or is it the taxing?)

Any tips would be appriciated.

[AyG]

Abandon all hope now. There's no such thing as reasonably priced wine in Thailand.

For local wine, look out for the offerings from PB Winery in Khao Yai. They're a little cheaper than the mediocre Australian imports - from about 350 Baht/bottle, and of barely passable quality.

(And if you ever visit Khao Yai, check out the PB Winery restaurant - it's seriously good.)

Otherwise, I suggest you develop a taste for locally produced rice whisky or imported cheap scotch.

[apetley]

Some of the local 'souvenir' shops sometimes sell locally produced wine.

In Kanchanaburi I have found one that sells some passable stuff at 250 bht a bottle.

One of the local agricultural fairs had a wine stall with some very nice wine at 250 bht a pop too.

Guess that I got lucky finding these sources.

[metisdead]

Well, you can find "reasonable" red wine in the box, I have found the South Africa, Mont Clair I think it is @ 950B for a 5 liter box, not too terrible actually. Look for it in Carrefour, Max Value. And there are the 5 liter jugs of Italian red (table wine) at less than 1000B. If your palate does not suit those scenarios, be prepared to splash out then.

[soione]

Well, you can find "reasonable" red wine in the box, I have found the South Africa, Mont Clair I think it is @ 950B for a 5 liter box, not too terrible actually. Look for it in Carrefour, Max Value. And there are the 5 liter jugs of Italian red (table wine) at less than 1000B. If your palate does not suit those scenarios, be prepared to splash out then.

if u want to drink good wine you have to pay - no other choice

[Rinrada]

First tried it in London at a Thai Embassy "Do"and not bad..

assume it must be at a reasonable $$$ in LOS...figures.......nice with masaman

Monsoon Valley Red:– a dry red. Blended with Pok Dum, Syrah and Muscat grapes.

Fruity aroma with a touch of spice with the subtlety of oak.

Medium-bodied.

Monsoon Valley Shiraz Special Reserve: – made on Shiraz grapes.

A full bodied, dark puple robe. Fragrant, spicy with the hint of cedar. An intense taste of rich plum. Nice smooth finish

[junki3korean]

Go to Laos!

[PaulDee]

I am a new farang who also have discovered the crazy wine prices here.

Any good tips on where to buy, and what to buy.

Like a reasonable thai red wine (which I guess is cheaper, or is it the taxing?)

Any tips would be appriciated.

I found an acceptable table wine called Casanova. Made in Italy, the label

calls it a "cooking wine," but it tastes as good as any red table wine I have

ever kept on hand. A two-liter bottle sells for about 360 baht at Friendship

Market in Pattaya. Haven't looked for it elsewhere. At that price it's worth

a try.

[MaiDong]

I am a new farang who also have discovered the crazy wine prices here.

Any good tips on where to buy, and what to buy.

Like a reasonable thai red wine (which I guess is cheaper, or is it the taxing?)

Any tips would be appriciated.

I found an acceptable table wine called Casanova. Made in Italy, the label

calls it a "cooking wine," but it tastes as good as any red table wine I have

ever kept on hand. A two-liter bottle sells for about 360 baht at Friendship

Market in Pattaya. Haven't looked for it elsewhere. At that price it's worth

a try.

I second that however, I bought mine in Foodland Charan Sanitwong store for just under B400.

I'm not a connoisseur, I even drink my red wine with ice in it! but my older friend who enjoys a nice bottle of wine tasted this wine and thought it wasn't too bad!

I go to central sometimes and it actually makes me angry when I see the prices, I scan the shelves to find the cheapest bottle and can rarely find anything cheaper than B300(£6!!) When I'm back in the UK I buy cheap wine from my local off license for about £2.50 and it's twice as nice as any of the expensive wines I've tried from Central, for example.

Good luck!

[Jingthing]

assume it must be at a reasonable $$$ in LOS...figures.......nice with masaman

No, no, no! Thai wines IN Thailand are very expensive. Not at all reasonable. They are killing their own industry before it really even gets started.

[xylophone]

Searched for years, tasted much (red wine only) and in my opinion the Mont Clair 5 litre cask at 950 baht represents the best vale and probably best quality for the price.

And I know this goes against the grain for many folk, but serving red wine at room temperature in Thailand is not the same as the room temperature which was meant in the Chateaux and gentleman's clubs in England, because in Thailand that temperature would be around 30 degrees, so chilling the red wine actually does have its merits, just slightly so that it opens up in the glass as it goes through its temperature change.

The Mont Clair wine is a combination of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, and although it does not bear any resemblance to the Aussie blockbusters or the wine produced of these grapes in France, it does provide a young and fruity alternative, which lends itself well to slightly chilling.

The best value Australian red was a wine called "Custom Crest" and as I recall it was a Cabernet Sauvignon blend (with what I can't remember, quite possibly Merlot) and it retailed at 350 baht a bottle, however I do believe it has disappeared from the shelves and the owner of my favourite deli told me that the company importing it had gone "bust"................. however if anybody has any information on where I can buy this wine, if still available, then I would only be too pleased to receive that information.

[MeMock]

I third the recommendation of the mont clair 5 ltr cask. Great value for a nice tasting red.

[xenophanes]

First tried it in London at a Thai Embassy "Do"and not bad..

assume it must be at a reasonable $$$ in LOS...figures.......nice with masaman

Monsoon Valley Red:– a dry red. Blended with Pok Dum, Syrah and Muscat grapes.

Fruity aroma with a touch of spice with the subtlety of oak.

Medium-bodied.

Monsoon Valley Shiraz Special Reserve: – made on Shiraz grapes.

A full bodied, dark puple robe. Fragrant, spicy with the hint of cedar. An intense taste of rich plum. Nice smooth finish

These sound excellent- thank you for the intelligence. Do you happen to know where I mught find them in Chiang Mai as I would like to try them. Once more, a million thanks.

[nonthaburial]

Try a bottle of PETER VELLA, which until very recently I could only find in Makro but now on sale in most outlets. Its a bit strange as it said to be Californian but blended and bottled in Thailand. At 299 Baht I find its good value with a very fruity taste.

[Naam]

-locally produced "wines" =

-prices of imported mediocre wines =

-prices of imported drinkable wines =

-prices of imported good quality wines =

[Roota]

Thailand surpassed India a couple years ago and now has the highest duties on wine of any country. But I figure I save so much on other things that I can afford to splash out a bit on a B500-600 bottle, usually Chilean, once or twice a week.

Otherwise, as someone said, whisky is a good way to go. Tax on the standard grades is very low. My favorite, the Famous Grouse, is less than B700/btl.

[frenchFARANGbkk]

In case you don't want to buy 5L, Montclair is also sold as 75 cl bottles and it is in my opinion the most acceptable cheap wine in Thailand. Its from South Africa. Now available in 7/11 anywhere in Chonburi and coming to BKK (but can already be found in any BigC and Lotus supermarkets branch in BKK)

If you want to buy not so expensive wine but good go Chile and Argentina.

For those who don't know "Red table wine" is the worst quality in France and I wouldn't even use it to cook.

French wine suxx compared to Chile, Argentina, California, and Australian wine if you can't buy it for more than 1000 th (french wine that they sell 500thb in Thailand is the one that we pay 50thb in France).

Cheers!

[metisdead]

They also do the Mont Clair in the 2 liter jug as well.

[zz.fugazi]

I also believe Mont Clair is the best value available now in Thailand.

I buy Mont Clair 75 cl bottles directly from the company. They offer free delivery in BKK, and they offer discounts on purchases of 2 or more cases.

http://www.montclair-wine.com/

Send an email to Nathasit or to Harinya at the info email address listed on the above website to get latest pricing.

I buy a variety of their Bin 5 (Cabernet), 6 (Chardonet), and 9 (Shiraz) when ordering.

And, yes, I do have a wine cooler to hold all of it.

The best Thai wine I've tasted so far came from Village Farm Winery in Khao Yai. Unfortunately, it's pretty expensive. Chateau de Brumes Prestige 2004 (list price 1750 Baht).

ZZ

[Roota]

The best Thai wine I've tasted so far came from Village Farm Winery in Khao Yai. Unfortunately, it's pretty expensive. Chateau de Brumes Prestige 2004 (list price 1750 Baht).

Yes, nice stuff. I've talked to a few winemakers in Thailand (though not this one) and asked why they don't sell their products at a more realistic price, seeing as how they're spared import duties. Every one of them said the same thing: if they priced their wines based on production costs (like Thai non-grape wines), they would look cheap and undesirable compared to imported wine. Unfortunately snobbery is still very much a factor in the wine market here.

[DannyS1951]

I will second (3rd., 4th., 5th., whatever) the 5 litre boxes of Mont Clair from South Africa. You can usually find it in Makro as well as other stores at about 950 Baht. I found it a better taste than the 2 litre bottles of Italian table wine in Lotus. A bit more expensive, but a pleasant table wine in standard bottles is an Australian brand called Kookaburra and the wine is called Laughing Red I think.

[DannyS1951]

Forgot - I decant the red into a jug with sealed top and keep it in the fridge along with the white. Warm wine, whatever colour, doesn't really turn me on and a little bit of air in with the red doesn't hurt.

[Who, me ?]

Go for Chilean wine, which will be the best choice on a low budget

You can also go to Carrefour and have a Bushman Gully from Oz at 400Baht

The other option is wine bought in Cambodia....Very good Mouton Cadet @ 400-450.

Hope this helps

[andyc2006]

In case you don't want to buy 5L, Montclair is also sold as 75 cl bottles and it is in my opinion the most acceptable cheap wine in Thailand. Its from South Africa. Now available in 7/11 anywhere in Chonburi and coming to BKK (but can already be found in any BigC and Lotus supermarkets branch in BKK)

If you want to buy not so expensive wine but good go Chile and Argentina.

For those who don't know "Red table wine" is the worst quality in France and I wouldn't even use it to cook.

French wine suxx compared to Chile, Argentina, California, and Australian wine if you can't buy it for more than 1000 th (french wine that they sell 500thb in Thailand is the one that we pay 50thb in France).

Cheers!

On the advice of people in this topic, I tried the Monclair Bin 5. 7-11 sells it in 37.5cl bottles for 150 baht. I've surveyed about 10 7-11's here in BKK, and about 8 of them sell it (as well as Jacob's Creek wines and other Montclair wines). All of the 7-11's near my home (near CentralWorld) sell it.

I thought it was pretty good, especially at 150 baht per half-bottle.

Thanks for the heads-up on it guys.

[thomo]

So the Mont Clair 5L box.

Chilling it a tiny bit sounds alright, but how about pouring it into an empty wine btl as we drink it, to help it air?

Anyother tips and tricks?

[jazzbo]

Yes ... Tipco Grape Juice + a vivid imagination.

[Naam]

"reasonable red wine at a reasonable price" does not exist in Thailand. but you have no problems to find reasonable red wines at unreasonable prices as well as good red wines at prices bordering highway robbery.

[grumpyoldman]

In case you don't want to buy 5L, Montclair is also sold as 75 cl bottles and it is in my opinion the most acceptable cheap wine in Thailand. Its from South Africa. Now available in 7/11 anywhere in Chonburi and coming to BKK (but can already be found in any BigC and Lotus supermarkets branch in BKK)

If you want to buy not so expensive wine but good go Chile and Argentina.

For those who don't know "Red table wine" is the worst quality in France and I wouldn't even use it to cook.

French wine suxx compared to Chile, Argentina, California, and Australian wine if you can't buy it for more than 1000 th (french wine that they sell 500thb in Thailand is the one that we pay 50thb in France).

Cheers!

On the advice of people in this topic, I tried the Monclair Bin 5. 7-11 sells it in 37.5cl bottles for 150 baht. I've surveyed about 10 7-11's here in BKK, and about 8 of them sell it (as well as Jacob's Creek wines and other Montclair wines). All of the 7-11's near my home (near CentralWorld) sell it.

I thought it was pretty good, especially at 150 baht per half-bottle.

Thanks for the heads-up on it guys.

There should be a Wine Connection somewhere near you.

They often have nice deals in their promotional section.

Right now there is El Supremo Syrah from Argentina at 349, I find it to be worlds better than Mont Clair. Also there is a Rooks Lane Australia for 399, both the red and the white good.

[gennisis]

First tried it in London at a Thai Embassy "Do"and not bad..

assume it must be at a reasonable $$$ in LOS...figures.......nice with masaman

Monsoon Valley Red:– a dry red. Blended with Pok Dum, Syrah and Muscat grapes.

Fruity aroma with a touch of spice with the subtlety of oak.

Medium-bodied.

Monsoon Valley Shiraz Special Reserve: – made on Shiraz grapes.

A full bodied, dark puple robe. Fragrant, spicy with the hint of cedar. An intense taste of rich plum. Nice smooth finish

These sound excellent- thank you for the intelligence. Do you happen to know where I mught find them in Chiang Mai as I would like to try them. Once more, a million thanks.

Since you are in Chiang Mai you might want to look into Rimping. For some while now they have been selling 'any 3 bottles for 1000 baht.

I found a few litre bottles of Paul Masson...red.white.rose...so at 330 baht a time i bought 6.

There have been some quite nice Chilean wines as well.

A lot depends on the selection at the time you go of course.

[Oberkommando]

The price of wines in Thailand make my frequent sojourns overseas all the more enjoyable.

Even to lowly Phnom Penh, there are some fantastic wines at great prices. I always bring back as many as physically possible.