Wednesday 8 June 2016

Wine from Thailand

It has to be the most enjoyable and memorable wine trip, 12 judges from CX HKIWSC went on a 3-day study trip in Khao Yai in Thailand, organised by Pairach Intaput, fellow wine judge and President of The Association of Thai Sommeliers, and Visooth Lohitnavy, owner of GranMonte Estate and Chairman of the Thai Wine Association. We visited three wineries, dined at some of the top restaurants in Thailand and shared very interesting wines from around the world brought along by the group.


After a quick round of G&T and beer, the group met for dinner at Luce Italian Restaurant where we were surprisingly greeted by a welcome banner. The food was hearty, especially the mushroom pasta, and tasted even better when accompanying by 12 wines ranging from Indian sparkling to Single Malt whisky not to mentioned a very impressed 2014 Barolo. It was the first time I tried non-Thai food in Thailand and I can assure you it won’t be the last time.

The next day was a long day to Khao Yai northeast of Bangkok. It is the coolest and driest wine region in Thailand. Morning temperature at harvest is between 15 and 20ºC and vineyards are scattered between 350m and 600m above sea level. In addition to wineries, there are other attractions such as flora parks, strawberry farms and sheep farms. It is around two to three hours drive from Bangkok making the region a popular overnight visit for both locals and tourists.

Our first stop was family-owned Village Farm & Winery and the wine is made by a visiting French winemaker. Daughter Viravadee Cholvanick was down to earth and patient. She showed us the winery and answered patiently all the questions we threw at her from soil and vineyard diseases to wine tourism. After a delicious lunch at the winery’s airy restaurant, we had a walk around the vineyard before being driven to J+J vineyard, newly planted three years ago at 600m altitude where Visooth explained to us the challenges of growing vines in tropical climate.

We were then welcomed at Alcidini, the scientific name of kingfisher and the name of the village where the winery is located. Owner Supot Krikpitudh planted the vineyard in 2001 with only two grapes: Syrah and Muscat Bleu, a Swiss hybrid; and started making wine in 2005. Its S.M.B., a blend of Syrah and Muscat Bleu is aged in solera system is interesting, while its Recioto 2013 won a silver medal in the 2014 CX HKIWSC.

Finally, we arrived at GranMonte Estate where charming winemaker Nikki, daughter of Visooth, greeted us with her very well-made Crémant Methode Traditionelle Extra Brut from 100% Chenin Blanc with 18 months on lees. The evening ended with an enjoyable Thai dinner at GranMonte’s Vincotto restaurant accompanied by both GranMonte and international wines.


We went back to GranMonte the following morning for a proper vineyard tour and tasting. Located at Asoke Valley in Khao Yai with 14.5ha (90 rai in Thai unit) under vines, the vineyard was developed by Visooth and Sakuna Lothitnavy in 1999. The winery only began operation in 2009 when Nikki graduated from the University of Adelaide. The first and the only female winemaker in the country, Nikki is in charge of both the vineyard and winery of GranMonte, and has been making international award-winning since 2009. Like most wineries in New World, black grape varieties and in particular, Cabernet Sauvignon, were the focus but they soon realised that white varieties are more suitable for the climate. Today, GranMonte only makes 60% red, while white is about 20%, rosé 15% and 5% sparkling. The Spring Chenin Blanc is refreshing and ideal with Thai salad and appetiser. Its Verdelho, the only available in Thailand, has a pleasant mineral finish white the Orient Syrah is multi-dimensional with well-integrated tannin.

What also set GranMonte apart is the family commitment to develop the wine industry in Thailand. Nikki manages a research plot with some 30 varieties including Durif (Petite Syrah) and Sangiovese to find the most matching varieties to Thai terroir, and also works closely with a Bangkok University to set up weather stations to monitor both the meso- and micro-climates. Visooth founded the Thai Wine Association to support the industry, establish winemaking quality standard and create awareness of Thai wine.

There are over 20 wineries in Thailand but most import grape must or concentrate to make wine. Tropical viticulture is challenging because vines do not go through the dormant period and bud break occurs soon after harvest. Therefore, there can be two, or sometimes three harvests in one year, lowering fruit quality. Nevertheless, there are determined winemakers in Thailand and to overcome the challenges, they only harvest in end of February, the coolest month. The new buds that come out in the following months are nipped off until end of October when the raining season ends and vines are pruned. Growing cycle will then start again. The practice is to ensure the grapes harvested are of the best quality. All six members of the Thai Wine Association must make wine from at least 85% of Thai-grown grapes.

We then returned to Bangkok where Parani Chitrakorn, another HKIWSC judge from Thailand, took us to Kalapapruek Restaurant for a typical Thai lunch. The restaurant was extended from the owner’s family house  that also has a small shop selling fresh vegetables and western pastries and cakes. It was full when we arrived. Judging by the crowd, who was split 50:50 between locals and tourists, we were sure the food would be yummy and we were not disappointed.

After a few hours of relaxation where everyone headed off to do something or nothing —Thai massage, nap, Facebook surfing, we regrouped again for our last dinner at Aubergine, an excellent French restaurant with our last few bottles of wine including a Riesling from Niagara and an obscure 100% Oseleta from Verona. A few rounds of beer after dinner concluded this fruitful yet fun-filled trip.

Thai wine may not be your world class wine but wine is also about passion, story and sharing. We certainly learned a lot and appreciate the effort wineries put in to make the best possible wine. Khao Yai is smart not to promote only its wine but wine tourism where guests could sample wine as well as enjoying a bike ride or picking strawberries. Next time when you visit Thailand, put aside a couple of days to explore Khao Yai.

GranMonte is available from The Flying Winemaker.

2 comments:

  1. I am thankful to this blog giving unique and helpful knowledge about this topic, I read your blog now share great information here. This blog increse my knowledge source .
    ไดคัต

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for your comments. Glad that you enjoy the articles.

    ReplyDelete