Price Of Wine Makes Me Whine

[tgf7]

Hi,

I have lived in BKK for years now and cannot get over the poor quality and high price of just regular...everyday drinking wine. If I have another glass of jug Aussie wine I'll puke.

Anyone know why wine is so much compared to other beverages? Know any places to get good wine cheap??

Tim

[PvtDick]

Import duties, of course.

Give it a few years, if you can wait. There's a Free Trade Agreement now in place with Australia which will see duties on Australian wine reduced to zero in a few years (can't remember how many). There's also an FTA being negotiated with the US, which would see duties on American wine dropped as well.

Otherwise, best place to get wine is just over the border in either Laos or Cambodia. For example, there is a well-stocked wine shop at the Thai-Laos border at Chong Mek (in the no-man's land where you don't need to show your passport to enter) that is very cheap.

[samran]

The reason is duties are calculated based on the volume of the liquid rather than some sort of mark-up on the duty free price.

Can never stop smiling walking through the grog section of foodland or villa seeing a cask of 2 buck chuck what we used to drink as 15 year olds being sold for 1000+ baht.

[konangrit]

Import duties, of course.

Otherwise, best place to get wine is just over the border in either Laos or Cambodia.  For example, there is a well-stocked wine shop at the Thai-Laos border at Chong Mek (in the no-man's land where you don't need to show your passport to enter) that is very cheap.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are import duties not applied to more than one litre of alcohol being brought into Thailand from Cambodia or Laos, Pvt? Seems a long way to go for a bottle of wine.

Edited March 9, 2005 by konangrit

[PvtDick]

Not that I've seen, no. I've come in laden with six or eight bottles a number of times, and no one seems to care.

[chuchok]

I have just had a look at the new Thai Tariff for NZ wine under the new free trade agreement that is yet to be signed.

NZTHAIFREETRADEAGREEMENTTARIFF

Currently wine under 23% attracts a 54% duty plus THB18 per unit.This will drop by the end of the year to 30% duty and next year to 27%.I don't know what the Aussie or yank agreements will be though.

[lampard10]

Ever thought of trying Thai wine..........after all we are in Thailand. It's cheap,readily available and very palatable,although I'm a believer that a good wine is worth paying a little extra for.

[surin]

I have just had a look at the new Thai Tariff for NZ wine under the new free trade agreement that is yet to be signed.

NZTHAIFREETRADEAGREEMENTTARIFF

Currently wine under 23% attracts a 54% duty plus THB18 per unit.This will drop by the end of the year to 30% duty and next year to 27%.I don't know what the Aussie or yank agreements will be though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You will die of thirst waiting for it ...Your fta is way off.

[pnustedt]

Ever thought of trying Thai wine

I've tried Laotian wine - they sell it in tall ornate bottles in the villages on the Laos side of the Mekong. Tastes like fizzy cherryaid, passed it to the sis in law, she loved it

Nobody checks anything at the Cheng Mek border into no man's land, it's still not that cheap tho.

[chuchok]

I have just had a look at the new Thai Tariff for NZ wine under the new free trade agreement that is yet to be signed.

NZTHAIFREETRADEAGREEMENTTARIFF

Currently wine under 23% attracts a 54% duty plus THB18 per unit.This will drop by the end of the year to 30% duty and next year to 27%.I don't know what the Aussie or yank agreements will be though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You will die of thirst waiting for it ...Your fta is way off.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yep,but some of the South Island chards are worth waiting for... ...and relatively cheap too.

[Jockstar]

I have just had a look at the new Thai Tariff for NZ wine under the new free trade agreement that is yet to be signed.

NZTHAIFREETRADEAGREEMENTTARIFF

Currently wine under 23% attracts a 54% duty plus THB18 per unit.This will drop by the end of the year to 30% duty and next year to 27%.I don't know what the Aussie or yank agreements will be though.

You will die of thirst waiting for it ...Your fta is way off.

Yep,but some of the South Island chards are worth waiting for... ...and relatively cheap too.

I agree NZ wine is excellent. Also the Ozzie wines are good. I also quite like South African wine. Wine is expensive for good wines. Hence if i'm buying wine for my self then i usually go for the quantity. You can get a 2 litre bottle of Italian Red for under 500 baht. And it doesnt taste like paint stripper. Will be nice when i goto Oz and can drink some really nice wines again.

[Lourens]

I just came back from South Africa a couple of weeks ago and I can still taste the wine. I appreciate a good bottle of wine and even thought of making my own like I did when I was in Saudi. But you can't even get a decent grape juice in these parts

[carlthailand]

Been to a few bottle shop thingos here and laugh when I see wine I used to get in Australia for $3 selling for 1500 baht. Go the mark up.

Can't wait to get back to Aust for a holiday and drink some REAL nice wines at reasonable prices.

I love my wine but generally stay away from it here due to price.

Nomad

[lampard10]

I travel to Pattaya for my wines (they are even more expensive here) to the Friendship Supermarket. A lot of the decent wines there are buy one or two, get one free. It knocks the price down considerably. And of course I can pass the cut on to my customers who gain out of it as well.

[Marmite the Dog]

I have just had a look at the new Thai Tariff for NZ wine under the new free trade agreement that is yet to be signed.

NZTHAIFREETRADEAGREEMENTTARIFF

Currently wine under 23% attracts a 54% duty plus THB18 per unit.This will drop by the end of the year to 30% duty and next year to 27%.I don't know what the Aussie or yank agreements will be though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But this is Thailand, so there will not only be duty, but excise to pay as well.

[Simbo]

I have just had a look at the new Thai Tariff for NZ wine under the new free trade agreement that is yet to be signed.

NZTHAIFREETRADEAGREEMENTTARIFF

Currently wine under 23% attracts a 54% duty plus THB18 per unit.This will drop by the end of the year to 30% duty and next year to 27%.I don't know what the Aussie or yank agreements will be though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You will die of thirst waiting for it ...Your fta is way off.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yep,but some of the South Island chards are worth waiting for... ...and relatively cheap too.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree NZ wine is excellent. Also the Ozzie wines are good. I also quite like South African wine. Wine is expensive for good wines. Hence if i'm buying wine for my self then i usually go for the quantity. You can get a 2 litre bottle of Italian Red for under 500 baht. And it doesnt taste like paint stripper. Will be nice when i goto Oz and can drink some really nice wines again.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I found a nice little wine, an Italian rosso, with a pleasant bouquet, made from grapes grown on the northern side of the vineyard. It's available from Best supermarkets at 315b fot two litres. Exellent value, red or white, about 12% vol.

Why pay more?

[bkkben]

I can get Penfolds Bin 2 for less than half the normal price. Give me a call

Ben

05-906-0620

Hi,

I have lived in BKK for years now and cannot get over the poor quality and high price of just regular...everyday drinking wine. If I have another glass of jug Aussie wine I'll puke.

Anyone know why wine is so much compared to other beverages? Know any places to get good wine cheap??

Tim

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Neeranam]

QUOTE(lampard10 @ 2005-03-10 11:30:58)

Ever thought of trying Thai wine

*

I've tried Laotian wine - they sell it in tall ornate bottles in the villages on the Laos side of the Mekong. Tastes like fizzy cherryaid, passed it to the sis in law, she loved it biggrin.gif

Nobody checks anything at the Cheng Mek border into no man's land, it's still not that cheap tho.

I've bought a lot of that wine in bottles shaped like fish or chickens. My wife will drink it when the expensive stuff runs out, and is great for cooking.

Only 150 baht a bottle.

It depends what you eat, surely - if you eat western food you'll want a good wine, if you eat somtam, a good wine is wasted. I don't know, I've never been a wino - the closest I got was drinking 'buckfast' and 'thunderbird', cheap but did the job.

[thailien8]

If you're stuck in Bkk., Villa Market, on ground floor of Ploenchit Center near Sukhumvit soi 2, has a large wine selection, and always features many buy one bottle (or two) and get one free specials. With these, I usually end up paying less than 500 baht a bottle.

[LindsayBKK]

Go to Singapore like I do and pick up a few bottles or more if your brave enough. Singapore have good stocks of good Aussie wine.

[ratcatcher]

This is an interesting topic and one close to my heart as well. I too believe that wine prices are excessively high and IMHO the reason is that most of the wine consumed in Thailand is drunk by expats or rich Thais who can afford to pay whatever. the going rate. Or that's the theory. The average Thai has not been conditioned to drink wine with meals as in the west but instead they drink 'Whisky". By that I mean that glorious golden liquor distributed to every restaurant and bar in Thailand purporting to be genuine Scotch Whisky with classic sounding Scottish names (Spey Royal, 100 Pipers).

Master Blend sounds like something Michael Schumachers Ferrari should use but is instead a highly popular liquor.

Thailand's liquor business is in the hands of two big family conglomerates, the Sirivadhanabhakdi, family who run Thai Beverage (Chang Ber, Sang Som) and the Boon Rawd group (Singha) The Bhirombhakdi family. These are the real powerhouses in the Thai social upper echelons and along with the Shinawatra's are among the richest families in Asia. They don't give a s**t how much a bottle of wine costs but to protect their beer and liquor empires, the government (Thaksin) makes wine bear higher duties than hard liquor.

Virtually no-one in Isan drinks wine and very few Thais really appreciate it,except for the hi-so's sipping at The Plaza Athene etc.

Thus I don't see wine prices falling in the near future. Ttrade agreements or not.

Edited December 10, 2005 by ratcatcher

[naka]

The price of wine is never going to come down until the middle class

Thais get a taste for it and that probably will not be any time soon.

You can dilute down an expensive bottle of whisky till it's enough

to last the ten people at the table for all night, but not so wine.

I'm always amused that that wannabe hi so's who order a bottle of whisky

for the table only ever consider two brands, Chivas or Johnny black. Fact

is it's all they have ever heard of and would never consider a good

single malt or a lesser known blend. It seems to me they are more interested

in the brand name than what's in the bottle.

I've tried the local wine and found it to be poor as well as overpriced.

[spacebass]

I have just had a look at the new Thai Tariff for NZ wine under the new free trade agreement that is yet to be signed.

NZTHAIFREETRADEAGREEMENTTARIFF

Currently wine under 23% attracts a 54% duty plus THB18 per unit.This will drop by the end of the year to 30% duty and next year to 27%.I don't know what the Aussie or yank agreements will be though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You will die of thirst waiting for it ...Your fta is way off.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yep,but some of the South Island chards are worth waiting for... ...and relatively cheap too.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree NZ wine is excellent. Also the Ozzie wines are good. I also quite like South African wine. Wine is expensive for good wines. Hence if i'm buying wine for my self then i usually go for the quantity. You can get a 2 litre bottle of Italian Red for under 500 baht. And it doesnt taste like paint stripper. Will be nice when i goto Oz and can drink some really nice wines again.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I found a nice little wine, an Italian rosso, with a pleasant bouquet, made from grapes grown on the northern side of the vineyard. It's available from Best supermarkets at 315b fot two litres. Exellent value, red or white, about 12% vol.

Why pay more?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Any chance of some name guidance on the brand?

Cheers

Space

[dairy queen]

Villa in Soi Ari (next to the Shinawatre building II) has got some great deals right now...There's a bottle of Chilean Red (Cabernet Sauvignon) for THB659 - it's buy one get one free...

Been drinking a lot of that....Once the bottle is opened it gets drunk...And i stagger upstairs to bed...

[thedude]

i may be wrong but i think there may be a luxury tax on wine. wine drinking, even amongst the so called hi-so in thailand is a relatively recent phenomenon, about 10 to 15 years. those who can afford to drink wine drink the best (not necessarily because they know how to appreciate it), and i have seen personal cellar collections in bangkok that are worth fortunes (verticle stocks of cheval blanc, petrus, romanee conti et al). the majority of middle market wines are far less appreciated and its true that it hasn't caught on with the drinking population, and so there has been little pressure on the government to lower the taxes.

[samran]

I took a take a two pronged strategy.

Firstly, a good game my wife and I liked playing was going to the villa wine mart and buying whatever table wine was on special for 250 or 300 baht. Two out of three were crap, but you would always find one which was anywhere from highly drinkable to very very good (given the price).

Great fun was had by all trying to find a good wine, and after a couple of visits, you'll have a list if good wines to buy for between US$5 and US$10. So that took care of the day to day drinking. (Just don't lose your personal list of the 'good' ones).

The second trick is simply buy a couple bottles of the good stuff everytime you cross the border here, or have visiting friends buy you some before they hit town. We built up a fairly healthy stockpile that way and were never short of wines.

[Axel]

To handcarry a few bottles is not a bad idea, although, legally, we talk about smuggling, and I do not think you can pay for duty even when passing through

the red channel, as you have no import-licence.

Wine draws at this moment from 40-52 % duty.

However, there is as well an excise tax which can be calculated on value, 60%.

Than not to forget

Municipal tax – 10 per cent of excise tax and

VAT – 7 per cent on top of all.

The declared CIF-value (as per invoice) might be considered as too low and customs will estimate their own figures, based on their records of previous imports.

So one might end up with duty and taxes between 2-300 percent of what you paid for merchandise, transport and insurance.

Cheers, or at that rate Sante!

[stevehaigh]

Ever thought of trying Thai wine..........

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

:D

i like the chilean wines. in nathon, samui, i buy casa alhue cab or merlot for 345 baht, it's pretty good.

[lomatopo]

Villa in Soi Ari (next to the Shinawatre building II) has got some great deals right now...There's a bottle of Chilean Red (Cabernet Sauvignon) for THB659 - it's buy one get one free...

Been drinking a lot of that....Once the bottle is opened it gets drunk...And i stagger upstairs to bed...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Do you happen to have the producer's name/vintage handy?

I can get Penfolds Bin 2 for less than half the normal price. Give me a call

Ben

05-906-0620

What vintage? What would normal, or less than half of that, price be?

Edited December 13, 2005 by lomatopo

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I can get Penfolds Bin 2 for less than half the normal price. Give me a call

Ben

05-906-0620

Hi,

I have lived in BKK for years now and cannot get over the poor quality and high price of just regular...everyday drinking wine. If I have another glass of jug Aussie wine I'll puke.

Anyone know why wine is so much compared to other beverages? Know any places to get good wine cheap??

Tim

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And that Bin 2is a good drop.