No Red Wine Boxes In Chiang Mai?

[Chiengmaijoe]

Who in their right mind drinks montclair wine

Just love wine snobs

Nothing wrong with being a "wine snob" on the proviso you know what you're talking about...

Different strokes for different folks et al

Or if you're not looking down on people with an air of superiority.

[GrantSmith]

As in saying "who in their right mind would drink Montclair" vs "different strokes for different folks"?

Edited February 11, 2014 by GrantSmith

[PostmanPat]

Just an update for anyone either desperate (like me!) or interested, the small shop on Charoen Phratet, just around the corner from the Imperial Mae Ping, has indeed got a new supply of Montclair Red, at the very reasonable price of 900 baht. Thanks to Chiengmaijoe for the heads up on this.

Interestingly, these boxes are in pristine brand new condition, obviously just delivered from wherever. Maybe this shop has broken a blockade or something!

Thanks to all, good hunting, still nowhere else had any today (Rimping, Makro, Tops, CD Wholesaler) but maybe for whatever reason on the way to Chiang Mai very soon?!

[Chiengmaijoe]

Just an update for anyone either desperate (like me!) or interested, the small shop on Charoen Phratet, just around the corner from the Imperial Mae Ping, has indeed got a new supply of Montclair Red, at the very reasonable price of 900 baht. Thanks to Chiengmaijoe for the heads up on this.

Interestingly, these boxes are in pristine brand new condition, obviously just delivered from wherever. Maybe this shop has broken a blockade or something!

Thanks to all, good hunting, still nowhere else had any today (Rimping, Makro, Tops, CD Wholesaler) but maybe for whatever reason on the way to Chiang Mai very soon?!

These things arrive by a few containers at a time so if Sadomnoeng has them in stock you can be sure that all the other outlets will soon have it. Rimping Nawarat had red and white Montclair boxes today, at 955 or thereabouts.

[PostmanPat]

Just an update for anyone either desperate (like me!) or interested, the small shop on Charoen Phratet, just around the corner from the Imperial Mae Ping, has indeed got a new supply of Montclair Red, at the very reasonable price of 900 baht. Thanks to Chiengmaijoe for the heads up on this.

Interestingly, these boxes are in pristine brand new condition, obviously just delivered from wherever. Maybe this shop has broken a blockade or something!

Thanks to all, good hunting, still nowhere else had any today (Rimping, Makro, Tops, CD Wholesaler) but maybe for whatever reason on the way to Chiang Mai very soon?!

Sorry. Not the Imperial Mae Ping. Round the corner from the Porn Ping on Charoen Phratet. Too many Pings in Chiang Mai!!

[mizztraveller]

Rimping Narawat has loads of boxed red Mont Clair.

Sent from my GT-I8552 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[jaideeguy]

I'd rather have a decent [cheap] box than an expensive but bad bottle any day. I used to be a wine snob before I moved here............now I'm a box snob.

Just did the weekly big shop and found that big C had none of their much better than Mont Claire 4 lt boxes..........Mer Sol from Chili and stopped by the large distributor near the Prom and they were out of stock for MC.

[Mapguy]

There's been plenty of boxed wine in Chiang Mai stores all along. Bought it two weeks ago and this week. People just don't bother to shop around! Why all the false alarms and speculation ?

[Chiengmaijoe]

There's been plenty of boxed wine in Chiang Mai stores all along. Bought it two weeks ago and this week. People just don't bother to shop around! Why all the false alarms and speculation ?

The false alarms and speculation were just for the fun of it. I know it was reported that they didn't have it at Horeca, Sadomnoeng, Rimping, Big C, Tesco or Makro in Chiang Mai, and some people said they didn't have any in Pattaya or Koh Sami, but in my heart I knew that somewhere in Thailand they probably still had some ...... and you found it without even looking! Clever boy.

[Mapguy]

Not clever. Just shopping as convenient. Don't understand what the fuss was about! Now if there were really a problem, I'd be upset! Might have to switch to a white! Now that would be serious!! Anyway, hope all have found a box! Cheers!

[PostmanPat]

There's been plenty of boxed wine in Chiang Mai stores all along. Bought it two weeks ago and this week. People just don't bother to shop around! Why all the false alarms and speculation ?

Well done, Mapguy, I guess you must have xray vision, because while all the rest of us have been perusing the empty wine box shelves in Rimping, Makro etc, you have been buying the invisible red wine boxes!!

Anyway, now that Mont Clair is back on the shelves.....but only Mont Clair, I wonder, is this all a cunning plan (as Baldrick would have said!) to corner the whole wine box market for Thailand!

Talking about Mont Clair, there is a theory I have heard several times that the reason Mont Clair is cheaper than all its competitors is because the manufacturers import non alcoholic grape juice thus avoiding alcohol import taxes, and the said grape juice is then fermented in Thailand to produce the end product?

Shurely shome mishtake........or is it???!!!!!!!!!

[just_Elaine]

Rimping Narawat has loads of boxed red Mont Clair.

Sent from my GT-I8552 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Well, that is one of the four places we went to that did not have any about a day or two before this topic was started. Maybe some of us were unlucky in our timing. Oh well. It made us go around town anyway and get out of our routine!

P.S. This is one thing great about T.V. -- lots of eyes around different areas of town and sharing of information.

Edited February 14, 2014 by just_Elaine

[PostmanPat]

Rimping Narawat has loads of boxed red Mont Clair.

Sent from my GT-I8552 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Well, that is one of the four places we went to that did not have any about a day or two before this topic was started. Maybe some of us were unlucky in our timing. Oh well. It made us go around town anyway and get out of our routine!

P.S. This is one thing great about T.V. -- lots of eyes around different areas of town and sharing of information.

Just for clarity, including Mapguy who thinks we re stupid or blind, since the thread was started there has been a delivery in bulk to all the usual places of Mont Clair Red. Back on Monday, there was none anywhere, now, since about Wednesday, its available again.

Still none of the other boxes that normally compete with Mont Clair, though!?

[Sparkles]

There's been plenty of boxed wine in Chiang Mai stores all along. Bought it two weeks ago and this week. People just don't bother to shop around! Why all the false alarms and speculation ?

Nonsense..... there was none at Makro,Big C,Tesco,Hang Dong, Rimping, Mae Hia for quite a while after the New Year. I guess you could be proved correct that there was stock somewhere in CM if you want to spend a day or two tracking it down.And yes I did ask and have remarkably good eye sight for a mature aged wine customer.

[Mapguy]

Well, I guess I just got lucky.

The concerns expressed here reminded me of a funny song. Enjoy!

http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/swingerstoo/gimmethatwine.htm

Cheers!

Edited February 14, 2014 by Mapguy

[PostmanPat]

Well, I guess I just got lucky.

The concerns expressed here reminded me of a funny song. Enjoy!

http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/swingerstoo/gimmethatwine.htm

Cheers!

Ah yes, Mapguy, I know that song. Classic by Lambert Hendricks and Ross, but covered later by one of my all time musical heroes, Georgie Fame!!

Is everybody OK now? We ve got our red wine back! 5 litres, I ll put my drinking straw into the box tonight .......oh no, just remembered, not allowed a drink today its Makha Bucha day.....guess I ll just have to pop into my local THAI bar, or my local THAI mom & pop shop if I want a drink tonight, because woe betide us Foreigners if we want a drink today!!!!!!

Hmmmmmmmm !!!!!!!!!!

[Oscar2]

i can confirm that last night at Tesco Lotus in San Kamphaeng, there was not a single bottle or box of red wine in the entire market. Plenty of white (including boxes) but not a drop of red.

[Chiengmaijoe]

You weren't looking properly. Go back, but this time take Mapguy with you. He'll point them out to you.

[binjalin]

Who in their right mind drinks montclair wine

i was thinking exactly the same - utter rubbish

Bodegas much better or Peter Vella

[binjalin]

Who in their right mind drinks montclair wine

Just love wine snobs

it's hardly 'wine snobs' is it? I'm certainly no 'wine snob' but I can taste the difference between 'Mont Clair' (which is far cheaper I grant you ML vs. ML) and Bodegas/Peter Vella

it's like comparing a nice Somerset Bitter with a bottle of Chang

Edited February 15, 2014 by binjalin

[PostmanPat]

Who in their right mind drinks montclair wine

Just love wine snobs

it's hardly 'wine snobs' is it? I'm certainly no 'wine snob' but I can taste the difference between 'Mont Clair' (which is far cheaper I grant you ML vs. ML) and Bodegas/Peter Vella

it's like comparing a nice Somerset Bitter with a bottle of Chang

Peter Vella? You have to be joking ! Its like wine with sugar in, made especially for people who dont like the real flavour of wine ! By the way, I started this thread, and am not a big fan of Mont Clair, far from it, I prefer better boxes....but for whatever mysterious reason none of us know the answer to, Mont Clair is literally the only box in town right now!!

[binjalin]

Who in their right mind drinks montclair wine

Just love wine snobs

it's hardly 'wine snobs' is it? I'm certainly no 'wine snob' but I can taste the difference between 'Mont Clair' (which is far cheaper I grant you ML vs. ML) and Bodegas/Peter Vella

it's like comparing a nice Somerset Bitter with a bottle of Chang

Peter Vella? You have to be joking ! Its like wine with sugar in, made especially for people who dont like the real flavour of wine ! By the way, I started this thread, and am not a big fan of Mont Clair, far from it, I prefer better boxes....but for whatever mysterious reason none of us know the answer to, Mont Clair is literally the only box in town right now!!

well bodegas is my fav at the moment - I only mentioned Peter Vella as back-up - still better than Mont Clair I'd say

if you have recommendations can you share here? as I said I am no wine buff but i CAN taste the diff between Bodegas and MC

happy hunting!

PS the large shop had loads of boxes last week at the junction of Phucumbe Hotel Huay Kaew Road

Edited February 15, 2014 by binjalin

[just_Elaine]

We tried one bottle of the Peter Vella red and it was sugary like PostmanPat said. I have to say that it was the worst wine that I've ever tried (that was not corked). Of course, I guess it could have been a bad batch, but never again will I buy that brand. I haven't tried Bodega yet.

binjalin -- Are you drinking the red or white of the box wines you are mentioning? I ask because I have not found a reasonably priced white wine which is why I am sipping Montclair red (which I still think is better with food).

Yesterday, we were lucky enough to have a good tasting bottle of wine. It was a Sicilian Syrah and it went well with our duck leg confit. It was about 700 baht.

Regarding box wines, I like it because the packaging keeps the wine in a drinkable state for awhile.

[GrantSmith]

Just got this sent to me by a reverse wine snob...

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Sparkles]

Just a bit of trivia...... "boxed wine" as its being called on this thread is actually called "cask wine" in Australia where it first came on the scene in the mid 60's from memory.

I well remember the first prototype ,it had no tap, you had to snip the corner of the "bladder" and seal it with a peg.

In the early days if it wasn't consumed in an appropriate time the bladder would expand with fermentation and burst the cardboard open. At the first sign of that was maybe about to happen the seller would put it on "special" for next to nothing.Still drinkable if you were desperate but had to be at one sitting

[piewarmer]

Bodegas is the best for my taste too, haven't seen it at Rimping or Macro for 2 months,

Hate buying a big cask and its off. . . that's why I avoid the mom and pop Thai bottle shops for wine.

[just_Elaine]

ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect Thailand1392465231.458105.jpg

Just got this sent to me by a reverse wine snob...

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

555555... I think I fit into a few of those categories....

[just_Elaine]

Bodegas is the best for my taste too, haven't seen it at Rimping or Macro for 2 months,

Hate buying a big cask and its off. . . that's why I avoid the mom and pop Thai bottle shops for wine.

Agree with not buying at mom and pop shop... We had an off tasting cask and we were able to return it.

Good to know that Bodegas may be another choice. Thanks.

[brommers]

Here is the reality of the boxed wine situation.

The new liquor tax regime brought in late last year was written in such a way that any boxed wine that mentioned the grape varietal would be classified as "superior". As such it would be subjected to a greater rate of duty than non superior boxed wine. That would have almost doubled the retail price when compared to the prices in effect for most of last year, such as 750 baht for a 3 litre Bodegas Cabernet.

In view of this Thai wholesale suppliers have been reluctant to bring in new stock because they believe that consumers will not buy boxed wine that is as expensive per 750ml as a similar bottled wine. So we therefore now have the shortage that is nationwide.

Wine producers are therefore faced with printing new boxes that do not disclose the varietal purely for Thailand which is not a large market. There is one brand that is apparently going to make the change, Cedar Creek, but there is no indication of when new stocks will arrive. Some wineries may indeed decide to withdraw from the Thai boxed wine market altogether.

So there we have it. A sorry state of affairs thanks to the green tea addled brains of those who wrote the new tax regime, and who are now apparently surprised to find that their revenue has in fact dropped since the new taxes were imposed!

My source of information on the supply issue is the ever helpful Customer Service Department at Rimping Head Office. The observations on the cretins who levy the duty are mine.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[jagi00]

There is one brand that is apparently going to make the change, Cedar Creek, but there is no indication of when new stocks will arrive.

Well, as my regular box buy was Cedar Creek Shiraz/Cabernet blend from Makro, it's good to know that it will be available again at some point. But how to tell which one I'm buying as their Shiraz is not as good?