Thailand – facts and figures

Thailand, formerly known as Siam, is a kingdom in Southeast Asia. Located at the centre of the Indochina Peninsula, its neighbours are Malaysia to the south, Cambodia to the south-east, Laos to the east and Myanmar (Burma) to the west. Perhaps better known for its beer, with brands such as Chang and Singha, there are also a number of rum producers, and the wine industry is also beginning to gain international notice, often through wine pairing with Thai food. Given Thailand’s tropical climate close to the equator, winemaking can be challenging. Rot and fungal diseases thrive in the heat and humidity and lack of seasons practically eliminates important vine dormancy. This lack of seasons causes vines to continue to grow throughout the year making the concept of a harvest virtually irrelevant meaning vintages are rarely on bottles. With daytime and nigh time temperatures being very close, growing grapes with flavour and acidity is difficult.  Despite these challenges, technology and adaptive viticultural techniques have allowed some producers to make wines for a growing export market.

Of internationally recognised wines from Thailand, the Siam Winery, set up by the founder of Red Bull, is most well-known and sells wines under the Monsoon Valley brand. Wines were originally semi-sweet or off-dry wines that were soft and fruity but there are now newer vineyards in the north of the country at higher altitudes making crisp, dry styles. The grape varieties originally planted in Thailand were mostly table grape varieties that could cope with the climate, but Chenin Blanc, Muscat and Sauvignon Blanc have since been tried for white wines and Shiraz and Tempranillo for reds with moderate success. A recent development is harvest dates appearing on bottles, but this will just add to the perception that their wines are a gimmick as it relates to the Buddhist calendar, which relates to moon cycles, and doesn’t refer to a recognised vintage.