I'm looking for a decent bottle of wine for a decent price - where should I go?

I have visitors coming and they like to have a glass of wine with dinner. With customs having a strict 1L policy I need to find somewhere local to buy without breaking the bank and without having to tip it down the sink for bad flavour.

I saw Rimping has a wine selection but don't recognise any of them - are they any good? I don't particularly feel like a hit and miss experience.

Defining decent - I come from Australia where you can get a bottle of wine for less then $15 that tastes pretty good.

Not sure you have been looking very closely. Penfolds is sold everywhere here and the much maligned Jacobs Creek amongst others. There is a specialist wine shop a few doors down from Rimping at Nim City, near Airport Plaza,sorry name escapes me and every Supermarket chain, Tops ,Rimping, Makro,Tesco, Big C has a wine section plus many other smaller shops throughout CM. Not much point in recommending a brand, its all about personal taste.

Normally I avoid shopping at Rimping, but the recent promotion of 3 bottles for ~1000 b was hard to turn down. Picked up 2 Los Tilos and an Antares, chardonnays and a merlow. Very nice Chilean wines at a nice price.

There's a wine connection in MeeChok Plaza by Rimping. You can find descriptions of the wines sold in their store on their website.

And ItalAsia, if not looking for a Marlow, dow. Just joking!

www

oh

I might be making a trip to check out wine collection out near airport plaza - thanks!

Directly opposite the Thai airways office located near to the junction with the 3 Kings Monument

I might be making a trip to check out wine collection out near airport plaza - thanks!

Rimping (Airport) carry a Chilean wine called Antares. The Cabernet Sauvignon is really good at 485 baht. Cheap for Thailand

/ Priceless

I find the Romanian wines quite palatable. I think at 600 bht ea. but you can get 2 for 3 on 4th fl. Central Airport, the 98' Cabs and Merlots are what I drink

I might be making a trip to check out wine collection out near airport plaza - thanks!

Rimping (Airport) carry a Chilean wine called Antares. The Cabernet Sauvignon is really good at 485 baht. Cheap for Thailand

/ Priceless

or buy 3 for 1000 b, not sure if offer is still available.

as micky bigears says ... Directly opposite the Thai airways office

is this shop .... and ive never seen so many bottles of booze in a thai shop before

so it might be worth a look ?

dave2 ... an archa drinker : )

as micky bigears says ... Directly opposite the Thai airways office

is this shop .... and ive never seen so many bottles of booze in a thai shop before

so it might be worth a look ?

dave2 ... an archa drinker : )

For anyone wishing to be surrounded by acres of quality booze Sergio's cavernous Wine Warehouse and delicatessen down the Chang Klan Road would be difficult to beat.

http://www.buonissimo.co.th/wine.htm

For anyone wishing to be surrounded by acres of quality booze Sergio's cavernous Wine Warehouse and delicatessen down the Chang Klan Road would be difficult to beat.

http://www.buonissimo.co.th/wine.htm

Could you offer an address or directions to the shop? The website seems to have a prior address on it, not the Chang Klan Rd location.

I might be making a trip to check out wine collection out near airport plaza - thanks!

Rimping (Airport) carry a Chilean wine called Antares. The Cabernet Sauvignon is really good at 485 baht. Cheap for Thailand

/ Priceless

or buy 3 for 1000 b, not sure if offer is still available.

The offer has been available for about 4 years. Unlikely it will go away anytime soon.

Try Makro, large wine selection discounted prices.

Try Makro, large wine selection discounted prices.

Yes, Makro`s have a fine collection of good wines.

Visit the Hang Dong branch on the Hang Dong road, just past Big C on the left.

The wine is on the ground floor or first floor if you`re a Yank, just on the left hand side as you walk in.

For anyone wishing to be surrounded by acres of quality booze Sergio's cavernous Wine Warehouse and delicatessen down the Chang Klan Road would be difficult to beat.

http://www.buonissimo.co.th/wine.htm

Could you offer an address or directions to the shop? The website seems to have a prior address on it, not the Chang Klan Rd location.

I did try to find an address while writing but without success. It doesn't front the main road ; it's well hidden down a little lane.

Its "a long way" down the Chang Klan Road. Maybe about 1.5 kms past the Shanrgi La Hotel.

Its past Chiang Mai Land on the Right.

Its before The Park Hotel also on the Right.

As you go down this wide road in this vicinity high up on the left you should see a roof garden with trees under glass, and a silver coloured corrugated roof structure ; then, still on the left,a small lane at the corner of which is a beauty parlour shop advertising Tai Kwando. A few metres down this lane on the left is the entrance to the wine warehouse. Quite undetectable until you are outside the door and even then you may have doubts. And it could be closed.

or buy 3 for 1000 b, not sure if offer is still available.

The offer has been available for about 4 years. Unlikely it will go away anytime soon.

Still a good deal though, due to the variety on offer. 15 years ago people could only dream about finding a bottle of wine around 300 baht AND have a choice. Now there is a big pile of Chilean, South African, Australian and other wines for 333 baht.

And.. what else actually went DOWN in price over the last decade.. Flights, I suppose. Women stayed relatively stable. But not much else.

I have no clue how to actually select from that pile though. My strategy is go for the highest alcohol content Sharia wine, that seems to increase my chances. I think the 'go for the minimalist label' may have run it's course..

I used to figure that brands (typically new world) with names or labels that were minimalist or in general looked the least pretentious as possible would therefore have confidence in the product itself. So I'd go for a flat green label called 'Wet Dog" or whatever over something that looked designed to look like a French Chateau but was a mix of Bulgarian plonk. But I don't think that works anymore (if it ever did).

BTW, Wine Connection (Either Nim Airport or at Me Chuck) often allows tasting of wine, so that really is a big advantage to try before you buy. And if you play your cards right you can get quite a start to the evening's alcohol binge!

"I have no clue how to actually select from that pile though...."

That is indeed the problem. Last time I took the gamble I ended up with one really great bottle of red wine and two terrible bottles of white wine. One ended up being used for cooking wine while the other that tasted like vinegar went down the drain (@333 Baht).

"I have no clue how to actually select from that pile though...."

That is indeed the problem. Last time I took the gamble I ended up with one really great bottle of red wine and two terrible bottles of white wine. One ended up being used for cooking wine while the other that tasted like vinegar went down the drain (@333 Baht).

Right, so hardly a bargain.

I'm sure this is Rimping's strategy, just make it look good.

"I have no clue how to actually select from that pile though...."

That is indeed the problem. Last time I took the gamble I ended up with one really great bottle of red wine and two terrible bottles of white wine. One ended up being used for cooking wine while the other that tasted like vinegar went down the drain (@333 Baht).

Right, so hardly a bargain.

I'm sure this is Rimping's strategy, just make it look good.

Actually the 3 bottles for 1000 baht is a good deal, but the trick is to stick to trusted labels. I dont trust any of the Australian bottles in this offer. I live in Australia and I'm yet to see a label I recognise.

I've had some good Chilean wines though, both Red and White.

Wine Connection at Nim City Plaza near Airport Plaza is good, and has some good deals on cases; and while you are there you can check out the excellent bread and cakes at Butter is Better (next to Rimping)and the cute girl there too

The problem with wine in Thailand is the high temperature. Quality runs down with the time because the wine is stored in the shop. Temperatures also change during day and night, airco on/off. My advice is to buy young wines because you never know how long the wine was in store, 2 until max 4 years. Young wine can be nice fresh wich is pleasant in this country.

I live in Australia and I'm yet to see a label I recognise.

Maybe the label saying 'Ploduct of Austlalia' on the bottle is a giveaway.

For anyone wishing to be surrounded by acres of quality booze Sergio's cavernous Wine Warehouse and delicatessen down the Chang Klan Road would be difficult to beat.

http://www.buonissimo.co.th/wine.htm

Could you offer an address or directions to the shop? The website seems to have a prior address on it, not the Chang Klan Rd location.

I did try to find an address while writing but without success. It doesn't front the main road ; it's well hidden down a little lane.

Its "a long way" down the Chang Klan Road. Maybe about 1.5 kms past the Shanrgi La Hotel.

Its past Chiang Mai Land on the Right.

Its before The Park Hotel also on the Right.

As you go down this wide road in this vicinity high up on the left you should see a roof garden with trees under glass, and a silver coloured corrugated roof structure ; then, still on the left,a small lane at the corner of which is a beauty parlour shop advertising Tai Kwando. A few metres down this lane on the left is the entrance to the wine warehouse. Quite undetectable until you are outside the door and even then you may have doubts. And it could be closed.

Thanks.

The offer has been available for about 4 years. Unlikely it will go away anytime soon.

Cool, but I just found out about it.

I little web research gives a little info on different brands and pricing; plus always try first before buying - drinks your friends wine first.

"I have no clue how to actually select from that pile though...."

That is indeed the problem. Last time I took the gamble I ended up with one really great bottle of red wine and two terrible bottles of white wine. One ended up being used for cooking wine while the other that tasted like vinegar went down the drain (@333 Baht).

Right, so hardly a bargain.

I'm sure this is Rimping's strategy, just make it look good.

Actually the 3 bottles for 1000 baht is a good deal, but the trick is to stick to trusted labels. I dont trust any of the Australian bottles in this offer. I live in Australia and I'm yet to see a label I recognise.

I've had some good Chilean wines though, both Red and White.

These guys

http://www.montclair-wine.com/NewSite/index.php

do a 5 litre cask which Rimping has at a very reasonable price. Its probably the most reliable white we've come across, and the red wouldn't kill a brown dog either.

The problem with much of the bottled wine available in Thailand is the questionable transport and storage conditions it gets subjected to, and the fairly slow turnover in many wine stores. I've seen quite a bit of 6 year old Sav Blanc turning an interesting dark yellow on the shelves of some so-called specialist wine shops.

Of course, if your friends are whine snobs you might like to put a litre in a decanter and hide the cask at the back of the fridge!

These guys

http://www.montclair-wine.com/NewSite/index.php

do a 5 litre cask which Rimping has at a very reasonable price. Its probably the most reliable white we've come across, and the red wouldn't kill a brown dog either.

The problem with much of the bottled wine available in Thailand is the questionable transport and storage conditions it gets subjected to, and the fairly slow turnover in many wine stores. I've seen quite a bit of 6 year old Sav Blanc turning an interesting dark yellow on the shelves of some so-called specialist wine shops.

Of course, if your friends are whine snobs you might like to put a litre in a decanter and hide the cask at the back of the fridge!

How much is a box of the red "catering wine" (taken from their website) from Montclair? I've never bought wine packaged like that before but may give it a try.

[

How much is a box of the red "catering wine" (taken from their website) from Montclair? I've never bought wine packaged like that before but may give it a try.

Currently in BKK, and a 5 litre cask at the local Villa Market is about 970 bht, from memory about the same in CM