The spectacular Wat Phra Kaew (‘Temple of the Emerald Buddha’) within the Grand Palace complex, in the
historical centre of Bangkok.
By day, visitors to GranMonte winery in the Asoke valley in central Thailand can stroll past 12 wine grape varieties, cycle to a Michelin-rated restaurant, or sample a zingy Viognier; at night, elephants have been known to trample through the estate’s 14ha of vines. Further south, near some of Thailand’s popular golden beaches, sits Monsoon Valley winery, where swooping hornbills nest in empty oak barrels hung from ficus trees near rows of Shiraz vines. Welcome to wine tasting, Thai-style.
Now is a particularly good time for travelling wine lovers to visit Thailand, as in January the Thai government removed or reduced all of the taxes and excises on wine until the end of the year (although there’s hope the cuts will be extended into next year), including the swingeing 54%-60% tax on imported wine, in the hope of stimulating the tourism industry.
Thailand’s wine industry effectively began in the 1980s as a royal project aimed at weaning rural growers off opium production. Word around the wineries is that, thanks to constant innovation and deep pockets (the Red Bull and Singha beverage families are big investors), this sun-kissed nation now produces about a million bottles of wine per year.
Because this annual production is mostly consumed at vineyards set up for tourism, such as GranMonte and Monsoon Valley, it can be tricky to find the wines outside the country. Fortunately, every Thai winery is a destination in its own right where you can enjoy traditional activities such as wine tasting and fine dining, or try something more adventurous – maybe a 4×4 safari or mountain bike ride around one of the wildlife-rich estates. Tours offer a viticultural education that’s not to be found at any other commercial vineyard in the wine world.
Nikki Visootha Lohitnavy, GranMonte
Tropical Traits
Most of Thailand’s top wineries began planting in the late 1990s. So-called New Latitude Wines (a term coined by Thailand-based wine writer Frank Norel in 2003 to describe wines made from grapes grown outside the traditional 30°-50° latitudinal band considered most suitable for wine-growing) were in their infancy, so no blueprints existed for this tropical experiment. Bangkok is a long way from Bordeaux in more ways than one.
Many varieties that generally thrive in a warm climate failed. In the early years, Tempranillo was floored by humidity and mildew – the key killer in the tropics – though several Thai wineries successfully grow and make Tempranillo wines now. Bizarrely, many varieties more associated with temperate climates, such as Chenin Blanc and Marsanne, thrived in lofty hills that receive more annual rainfall than London, most of it compressed into a few monsoon months then captured in reservoirs from which elephants drink.
In Thailand’s tropical conditions, between latitudes 20°27’ and 5°37’ north, producers were originally able to harvest twice-yearly, but by the 2020s, most vineyards had opted to pick a single night-time harvest in the spring dry season (typically late January to mid-March), pickers gathering grapes in the cool of pre-dawn. The vines are pruned in April or May, to compel them to take a rest over the autumn monsoon, and then again in September-November at the start of the dry season, to stimulate the production of the next grape crop. In this manner, many vines have experienced 50 prunings, although depending on location and conditions, producers are able to manage how many harvests they take to make wine with over a two- to three-year period.
There’s one more reason to raise a glass to the Thai wine scene: buzzing Bangkok has become Asia’s culinary capital. The 2024 Michelin Guide flags every fine dining restaurant in town, where sommeliers will recommend cool pét-nat bars and wine stores that stock Thai sparklers.
Credit: JP Map Graphics
On a…
Source : https://www.decanter.com.master.public.keystone-prod-eks-euw1.futureplc.engineering/wine/thailand-a-wine-lovers-guide-536110/
