Wine for the "Uneducated Palate"

[carlyai]

Many repliers are implying that Mount Clair red wine is just a mixture of fruit juice, sugar? and .... don't know what else.

I know on the 5l box it says 'blended and bottled by ...'.

I want proof of what people claim the blended thingies are.... It does taste like wine to me, not some fruit juice.

Look, it even says on the box lable '... save every precious drop of your premium wine'.

See, no spelling errors, and 'premium wine'.

So..... where's the proof that it's full of chemicals and sugar and fruit juice?

[topt]

I remember about 25 years that one of the BIGGEST wine producers in Europe was caught because he added anti freeze to cheap box wine, as it made the wine sweeter.

It wasn't printed on the box though.

If you mean this it was not boxed wine

http://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/16/garden/antifreeze-poison-found-in-10-wines.html

[SoiBiker]

Many repliers are implying that Mount Clair red wine is just a mixture of fruit juice, sugar? and .... don't know what else.

I know on the 5l box it says 'blended and bottled by ...'.

I want proof of what people claim the blended thingies are.... It does taste like wine to me, not some fruit juice.

Look, it even says on the box lable '... save every precious drop of your premium wine'.

See, no spelling errors, and 'premium wine'.

So..... where's the proof that it's full of chemicals and sugar and fruit juice?

Read the label. Somewhere it'll be marked as fruit wine or a fruit product of some kind.

[topt]

Many repliers are implying that Mount Clair red wine is just a mixture of fruit juice, sugar? and .... don't know what else.

I know on the 5l box it says 'blended and bottled by ...'.

I want proof of what people claim the blended thingies are.... It does taste like wine to me, not some fruit juice.

Look, it even says on the box lable '... save every precious drop of your premium wine'.

See, no spelling errors, and 'premium wine'.

So..... where's the proof that it's full of chemicals and sugar and fruit juice?

Like the OP if you like it no problem. The addition of fruit juice means it attracts a much lower duty rate but it does still contain a high proportion of wine although calling it premium is perhaps a tad farfetched...........

For more background you may want to have a look at this - http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/639167-montclair-wine/page-1

The later pages move on to talking about wine in general if anybody is interested.

[carlyai]

On the label it does say 6.5 'bottles red fruit wine'.

But what is wrong with that?

Proof man, proof.

Save my life and help me stop growing this extra arm. ?

[The manic]

Thailand is a terrible place to live if you like wine. Unless you are rich! LOL

Even if you are rich it's a terrible place. Wine does not appreciate the Thai climate at all, even in bottles. God alone knows what sort of conditions most bottles have to put up with on their journey from the cave to your glass.

Wine comes from hot countries including Africa, south America and southern europe and can be stored in appropriate conditions as it can be stored in Thailand. Thai wine is coming on in leaps and bounds but is pricey.I make a simple Sangria from cheap red wine. I have also been making my own wine since I was a teenager. A skill that was very useful when living in the MEN'S region.

[Berty100]

I remember about 25 years that one of the BIGGEST wine producers in Europe was caught because he added anti freeze to cheap box wine, as it made the wine sweeter.

It wasn't printed on the box though.

If you mean this it was not boxed wine

http://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/16/garden/antifreeze-poison-found-in-10-wines.html

You are right that it probably wasn't boxed wine, but it doesn't change the point of my comment, which is that it happens all over the world for decades already and isn't visible on the label.

[manarak]

I remember about 25 years that one of the BIGGEST wine producers in Europe was caught because he added anti freeze to cheap box wine, as it made the wine sweeter.

It wasn't printed on the box though.

several things to set straight in your sensionalist post:

- Austria is not one of the biggest wine producers in Europe

- calling monopropylene glycol "antifreeze" is a deliberate obscurantist attempt at making it look disgusting and dangerous

- monopropylene glycol occurs naturally in a number of wines

- monopropylene glycol is non-toxic at low dosage levels

coming back to the topic of wine, my 2 cents are that montclair is "OK" wine even for educated palates, although the latter would be unimpressed but not disgusted. It's drinkable, and in relation to the price, it therefore deserves respect.

[SoiBiker]

The 'fruit wines' also have an orange tax seal, as opposed to blue for real wine.

[Berty100]

On the label it does say 6.5 'bottles red fruit wine'.

But what is wrong with that?

Proof man, proof.

Save my life and help me stop growing this extra arm. ?

Try to google blended, wait I did it for you

blend

blend/

verb

past tense: blended; past participle: blended

1. mix (a substance) with another substance so that they combine together as a mass.

   "blend the cornstarch with a tablespoon of water"

   synonyms: mix, mingle, combine, merge, fuse, meld, coalesce, integrate, intermix; More

   stir, whisk, fold in;

   technicaladmix;

   literarycommingle

   "blend the ingredients until smooth"

   • mix (different types of the same substance, such as tea, coffee, liquor, etc.) together so as to make a product of the desired quality.

     "a blended whiskey"

Edited July 19, 2016 by Berty100

[topt]

I mostly gave up on wine after I moved to Thailand.

I can't afford to be a wine snob or a wine anything here!

But the deceptive labeling on the fruit juice wine, which I fell for a few a times before I wised up, that it is so LOW.

I haven't purchased wine in the west for many years, but i doubt that these fruit wines offered by Australian and other foreign companies, are produced solely for Thailand.

I suspect that they are also sold with the same box and descriptions in most other countries in the world.

I doubt Mont Clair is - http://www.montclair-wine.com/NewSite/contact.php

Siam Winery...............

or many, if any, of the others.

[SoiBiker]

http://wineandabout.com/business/fruit-appearing-shelves/

[Berty100]

I mostly gave up on wine after I moved to Thailand.

I can't afford to be a wine snob or a wine anything here!

But the deceptive labeling on the fruit juice wine, which I fell for a few a times before I wised up, that it is so LOW.

I haven't purchased wine in the west for many years, but i doubt that these fruit wines offered by Australian and other foreign companies, are produced solely for Thailand.

I suspect that they are also sold with the same box and descriptions in most other countries in the world.

I doubt Mont Clair is - http://www.montclair-wine.com/NewSite/contact.php

Siam Winery...............

or many, if any, of the others.

See my post above, and yes many wines have fruit added and it is written on the label.

http://wineandabout.com/business/fruit-appearing-shelves/

Edited July 19, 2016 by Berty100

[SoiBiker]

The fruit wines are produced specifically to exploit a loophole in the Thai tax rules, so I doubt they're made available elsewhere in the world.

[Berty100]

The fruit wines are produced specifically to exploit a loophole in the Thai tax rules, so I doubt they're made available elsewhere in the world.

http://winefolly.com/review/wine-additives/

[SoiBiker]

The fruit wines are produced specifically to exploit a loophole in the Thai tax rules, so I doubt they're made available elsewhere in the world.

http://winefolly.com/review/wine-additives/

There's nothing on that page relevant to the fruit wine products being discussed here.

[topt]

The fruit wines are produced specifically to exploit a loophole in the Thai tax rules, so I doubt they're made available elsewhere in the world.

http://winefolly.com/review/wine-additives/

What has this got to do with Mont Clair and the specific addition of fruit juice to reduce duty?

Edit - sorry SoiBiker you beat me to it

Edited July 19, 2016 by topt

[Laza 45]

There is a nice red Aussie wine that Tesco sells, called Laughing Bird.

Comes in a very large bottle and is only B399. I have had people over for dinner and they said "Wow, nice wine, what is it."

Give it a try.

Yes... funny you mention "Laughing Bird".. I came across a bottle the other day and bought it.. . I was a bit apprehensive.. I had never heard of "Laughing Bird" ..or Cranswick Wines... (I lived and drank wine for 30 years in Australia)... 2 friends helped me knock it off 2 nights ago and we enjoyed it... 1.5 L for 399Bt is pretty good value we thought.. it seemed to taste better as we got to the bottom of the bottle! ..at 13.5% alcohol it has a bit of a kick.. I got this bottle at a small shop that stocks a bit of wine.. Tesco is a good tip.. I'll look for more there.. This one is a Cabernet Merlot blend... I couldn't fine a review for this one..but their other wines get good reviews.. Thanks..

http://www.cranswickwinesaustralia.com/

[Berty100]

There is also a 2 liter bottle named Corallo, available in white and red, sold at most liquor shops that is very tasteful.

At Friendship sold for 315 Baht for 2 liter bottle.

I have tried the white version, because i like sweet wines.

[gjoo888]

As the CEO of the largest wine distributor in the US once told me, "There's only two types of wines, ones you like and ones you don't like."

[koo]

The OP puts a threshold for wines at 1000 thb and champagne at 1500. I doubt you could actually find any champagne in Thailand for that price.

But have any of you fellow posters ever seen bubbly wine in Thailand? I may have seen a bottle or two in shops, but never seen it served anywhere. Are there any decent ones available? And at what price?

[SoiBiker]

The OP puts a threshold for wines at 1000 thb and champagne at 1500. I doubt you could actually find any champagne in Thailand for that price.

But have any of you fellow posters ever seen bubbly wine in Thailand? I may have seen a bottle or two in shops, but never seen it served anywhere. Are there any decent ones available? And at what price?

Drinkable Cava and Proseco are available here for sub 1000b prices.

[gandalf12]

There are people who think if a bottle of wine costs less than $100 it is rubbish. The thing is if you like a certain wine irrespective of cost then it is a good wine for you.

I have often wondered how many of the so called experts buy what they would consider junk. My guess is a lot and they quite possibly prefer it to the expensive wines.

Edited July 19, 2016 by gandalf12

[gandalf12]

There is a nice red Aussie wine that Tesco sells, called Laughing Bird.

Comes in a very large bottle and is only B399. I have had people over for dinner and they said "Wow, nice wine, what is it."

Give it a try.

Yes... funny you mention "Laughing Bird".. I came across a bottle the other day and bought it.. . I was a bit apprehensive.. I had never heard of "Laughing Bird" ..or Cranswick Wines... (I lived and drank wine for 30 years in Australia)... 2 friends helped me knock it off 2 nights ago and we enjoyed it... 1.5 L for 399Bt is pretty good value we thought.. it seemed to taste better as we got to the bottom of the bottle! ..at 13.5% alcohol it has a bit of a kick.. I got this bottle at a small shop that stocks a bit of wine.. Tesco is a good tip.. I'll look for more there.. This one is a Cabernet Merlot blend... I couldn't fine a review for this one..but their other wines get good reviews.. Thanks..

http://www.cranswickwinesaustralia.com/

The Australian wines used to be something of a laughing stock but over the last few years they have made a name for excellent wines.

[topt]

The OP puts a threshold for wines at 1000 thb and champagne at 1500. I doubt you could actually find any champagne in Thailand for that price.

But have any of you fellow posters ever seen bubbly wine in Thailand? I may have seen a bottle or two in shops, but never seen it served anywhere. Are there any decent ones available? And at what price?

Drinkable Cava and Proseco are available here for sub 1000b prices.

See post #33

To take the OPs request there will be no "champagne" at below 1500 baht but plenty of sparkling wine. Italian Prosecco for example is available at every supermarket, Makro etc and is usually very good value at around 700 to 850 baht relative to other white wines.

As SB says Cava also available but not something I have drunk here.

Edit - also sparkling Italian Asti and Australian sparkling.

Edited July 19, 2016 by topt

[topt]

There is a nice red Aussie wine that Tesco sells, called Laughing Bird.

Comes in a very large bottle and is only B399. I have had people over for dinner and they said "Wow, nice wine, what is it."

Give it a try.

Yes... funny you mention "Laughing Bird".. I came across a bottle the other day and bought it.. . I was a bit apprehensive.. I had never heard of "Laughing Bird" ..or Cranswick Wines... (I lived and drank wine for 30 years in Australia)... 2 friends helped me knock it off 2 nights ago and we enjoyed it... 1.5 L for 399Bt is pretty good value we thought.. it seemed to taste better as we got to the bottom of the bottle! ..at 13.5% alcohol it has a bit of a kick.. I got this bottle at a small shop that stocks a bit of wine.. Tesco is a good tip.. I'll look for more there.. This one is a Cabernet Merlot blend... I couldn't fine a review for this one..but their other wines get good reviews.. Thanks..

http://www.cranswickwinesaustralia.com/

The Australian wines used to be something of a laughing stock but over the last few years they have made a name for excellent wines.

That's a bit of an understatement as Australia have been making great wines (and known for it) for well over 15 years. Look up Penfolds Grange as an example

[Ulic]

Personally I prefer table wine. 10 usd a bottle or less. How can you enjoy a bottle for

300 usd a bottle spending a days wage (or more) to pay for it. Wine snob comes to mind.

Purely an affectation and ridiculous.

[bazza40]

I don't drink wine in Thailand, mainly because the climate is wrong for me. Beer is better.

Having said that, if you like a wine here, drink it and don't worry about the wine snobs.

Most of the Australian wines in Thailand are irrigated wines from the Riverina region. That doesn't mean they can't be good drinking.

The supernacular Australian wines quite often never make it to the retail shops, let alone Thailand. They are only sold from the cellar door.

My gold medals go to Vasse Felix Classic Dry White, and Booth's Premium Shiraz. The 1960 Premium Shiraz should have been declared a national treasure.

[kokopelli]

The OP puts a threshold for wines at 1000 thb and champagne at 1500. I doubt you could actually find any champagne in Thailand for that price.

But have any of you fellow posters ever seen bubbly wine in Thailand? I may have seen a bottle or two in shops, but never seen it served anywhere. Are there any decent ones available? And at what price?

In Pattaya most of the markets such as Friendship carry imported "bubbly" wine commonly referred to as champagne. I don't recall the specific prices but in range of 1000-1500 Baht.

A nice one is from NZ, Oyster Bay, but likely more expensive.

[gandalf12]

There is a nice red Aussie wine that Tesco sells, called Laughing Bird.

Comes in a very large bottle and is only B399. I have had people over for dinner and they said "Wow, nice wine, what is it."

Give it a try.

Yes... funny you mention "Laughing Bird".. I came across a bottle the other day and bought it.. . I was a bit apprehensive.. I had never heard of "Laughing Bird" ..or Cranswick Wines... (I lived and drank wine for 30 years in Australia)... 2 friends helped me knock it off 2 nights ago and we enjoyed it... 1.5 L for 399Bt is pretty good value we thought.. it seemed to taste better as we got to the bottom of the bottle! ..at 13.5% alcohol it has a bit of a kick.. I got this bottle at a small shop that stocks a bit of wine.. Tesco is a good tip.. I'll look for more there.. This one is a Cabernet Merlot blend... I couldn't fine a review for this one..but their other wines get good reviews.. Thanks..

http://www.cranswickwinesaustralia.com/

The Australian wines used to be something of a laughing stock but over the last few years they have made a name for excellent wines.

That's a bit of an understatement as Australia have been making great wines (and known for it) for well over 15 years. Look up Penfolds Grange as an example

Agreed but the message never got to the rest of the world for quite a few years