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| A souvenir shop-cum-wine store at GranMonte; (right) Nikki presents a batch of wines for tasting |
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As a traveller, I have always believed in the geographical appropriateness of sights and experiences. In other words, I like things where they are meant to be — like reindeers in Greenland and camels in Rajasthan. Not the other way round. So imagine my perplexity when, on a recent day trip out of metropolitan Bangkok, I found myself standing on the edge of a scenic valley bordered by rolling hills, as my tour guide Ellen animatedly informed me that we had just entered Thailand’s very own wine county. Honestly, I couldn’t have been more surprised if I were served tom yam soup in a Parisian café.
“But I thought you only made software and computer peripherals,” I joked, as the microbus we were travelling in hobbled down a village road to halt at the picture-perfect estates of PB Valley — an establishment that has garnered the status of being the leading winery in the region. Ellen didn’t stoop to respond (she preferred the wines to do the talking). Instead, she ushered me into the tasting room where a selection of the winery’s produce had been lined up for appraisal by discerning visitors. “Drink responsibly,” she said, flashing me a mischievous wink.
The unsuspecting foreigner that I was, I should have taken her advisory seriously. Within an hour of walking into the estates, I was a changed — and thoroughly humbled — man. Having done away with my preconceptions (all that reindeer-camel stuff), I was happily quaffing glassfuls of some of the best wines I’d ever sampled. There’s no shame in admitting this, but foot never tasted better in the mouth than it did right now.
It was an exhilarating experience. Each wine that Heribert Gaksch — the winery’s business development manager — poured out to me erupted on my palate in a plethora of flavours and aromas. I smelt cherry blossom. Or was it strawberries? Wild honey. A mild whiff of truffle. Traces of leathery bitterness. Herbs. Nuts. Grass. Earthy dampness. You name it. This was like rediscovering the faculties of taste and smell all over again.
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| A worker tends to the vines; (below) A crop of ripening grapes |
As I reeled under the sensory onslaught, I was given a familiarisation tour of the winery and brought up to speed with the winemaking heritage of the region. Closed in by the Khao Yai National Park in the Nakhon Ratchasima province of northeastern Thailand, this region — called Asoke Valley — was selected for wine production in the early ’90s, after experts noticed that it sported weather conditions and a soil profile similar to well-known wine producing areas in Europe and the US.
The region’s first winery was set up by PB Valley in 1994; the first vintage rolled out in 1998. The initial market response was more than favourable. Before long, several other vineyards joined in, and an industry was born. Over the next few years, these winemakers went on to seize the imagination of the Thai domestic market, while international markets in New Zealand, Japan and parts of Europe warmed up to the idea of importing some of the premium labels. The cash registers began ringing, and the rest was history.
Today, there are four prominent estates in the region producing a range of excellent wines from grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin and Shiraz. These labels currently command anything from THB 500 (Rs 850) to upwards of THB 10,000 (Rs 17,000) for a bottle. And while none still match up to PB Valley’s formidable reputation and output (they put nearly 1,50,000 bottles on the shelves each year), competition is stiff.
If Ellen was to be believed, a family-owned vineyard by the name of GranMonte has been creating waves in the international circuit, picking up one award after another and emerging as one of the region’s finest wineries. As it was located merely a stone’s throw away from the PB premises, she suggested we check it out. I happily agreed.
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| Wines maturing in oak casks |
So we bade Gaksch a hearty goodbye and drove across the valley to the pretty estates of GranMonte, done up in cheerful colours and architectural motifs and looking like it had been airlifted straight from the Mediterranean. Greeted by winemaker Visooth Lohitnavy and his daughter and co-owner Nikki, we were taken on a tour of the vineyard, where we spied lush crops of grapes hanging heavy from the vines.
“They’ll be ready for harvest in February,” Lohitnavy informed us. “If you come around then, you could participate in the harvesting festivities.” I modestly regretted the offer, but told Lohitnavy that I could make up for it while I was here. The old gentleman seemed to share my priorities. So without wasting any more time, we headed straight to the tasting room.
Soon, it was the same story once again. Bottle after bottle of GranMonte’s fine wines were sucked down to the dregs as we embarked on yet another flight of sensory fancy. In between drinks, I told the father-daughter duo that I just had the good fortune of tasting an award-winning 2009 Pirom Tempranillo at PB Valley, and was wondering if they had anything to match it.
They smiled indulgently, and out came a bottle of 2009 Orient, one of GranMonte’s heavyweights in the international circuit. Nikki poured out some of the prized Shiraz, and I twirled the blood red liquid around to release the flavours before tipping it into my mouth. I heard the angels sing.
The rest of the day passed in a blur, and by the time the veil of sweet intoxication lifted, I was back in the urban jungle of Bangkok. A delicate grapy aftertaste, however, still lingered at the back of my mouth, and my throat — having tasted divine nectar — thirsted for more. Someday, I told myself, I would be coming back for more. Bacchus had better watch out.
Ready reckoner
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Getting there: Air Asia flies daily from Calcutta to Bangkok. Rent a taxi for Asoke Valley
Staying there: GranMonte has a guesthouse in the valley, where you can spend a night. PB Valley also offers accommodation. Go to www.granmonteguest-house.com and www.khaoyaiwinery.com.
Travel trivia
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Thailand became a wine-producing nation in the 1990s. The Thai king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, commissioned a project to grow grapes in the highlands to produce wines. French experts and Thai specialists worked towards its success. Some of the grape varieties planted were Chenin Blanc, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc and Tempranillo.