Local wisdom

When Thailand is mentioned, what comes to people’s minds is its bright and vibrant tropical scenery. Crystal blue sea water shimmers beside beaches, with tall palm trees swaying gently in the breeze. Gilded Buddhist temples nestle among urban streets and lanes, their golden spires glittering under the sun. Street corners fill with the rich aroma of tom yum goong and mango sticky rice. Bustling night markets glow with countless lights. Winemaking in such a tropical and tourists focused country seems to be the least thing came across to most people’s minds, yet Thailand do have a small, yet modern wine making industry. I visited there recently and had a fun time making many new discoveries.

According to various reports, grapes had been introduced to Thailand when the French embassy personnel sent by Louis XIV presented specimens of White Malaga (Beba) to King Narai in seventeenth century. But the grapes were used solely for fruit, table grape, purposes over the next couple hundred years. Making wine wasn’t on the radar then. And according to Tony (no last name given!) the owner and winemaker from Alcidini winery in Thailand northeast of Bangkok, there are some wild, local grapes in Thailand. These grapes may have been brought over to the country from nearby other southeast Asian countries a long time ago. But these grapes has very small berries and are very acidic, with lots of leaves growing on the vines providing shade such that the berries have trouble ripening. Also, their flavours do not appear suitable for the wine consumers of today, or at the very least, their wines would require even more effort to succeed in the marketplace. With the effort and local wisdom of some local wine pioneers, some Vitis vinifera and hybrid grape varieties had been propagated since the 1970s-1980s.

Special viticulture practices

One of the reasons why Thailand wines is unknown, and most wine lovers don’t even know of its existence, is that the country lies well outside the ideal latitudes suitable for cultivating wine grapes. According to most wine books, that is. Therefore, most foreigners, and even many Thais, are unaware that Thailand produces wines. And good ones too, but even the locals aren’t always aware. Recently, I walked into a pretty wine shop in the center of Phuket town, with lots of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Italian and other fine wines on the shelves. But the clerk seemed puzzled and like he couldn’t believe his own ears (granted, that can happen if you work in a wine shop and have lots of study matter to attend to) when I asked if they sold wines made in Thailand. So while the country has its work cut out for it, there’s clearly nowhere to go but up.

Thailand lies between the latitudes of five and twenty degrees North, or in other words, a haven of tropicality. Thailand doesn’t have normal spring-summer-autumn-winter four season cycles like other common wine countries have. In Thailand, there are three season which are: the Hot Season‌ (March through May, with high temperatures averaging above 35 degrees Celsius); the Rainy Season‌ (June through October); and the Cool Season‌ (November through February of the following year, with moderate temperatures).

This tropical climate brings disease pressure and heat. Rot and fungal diseases may thrive in the heat and humidity during rainy season (which in Thailand can be both long and intense). And the summer in Thailand never stops. What makes the country one of the best vacation spots on the planet doesn’t necessarily translate into wine, unfortunately. Lack of seasonal variation and diurnal temperature shifts means vines cannot go into dormancy, which affects the accumulation of nutrients that in world wine regions where there is a winter normally happens during the winter. This sometimes is regarded as a challenge to quality wine making. And yet wine grapes in Thailand can grow successfully, mainly thanks to specific pruning methods and by following adaptive viticultural techniques.

The lack of winter makes grape growing a year-round event. For table grapes or low-quality bulk wine grapes, that’s nirvana, and farmers can even harvest the grapes twice a year. But in order to grow wine grapes of higher quality, the pioneers adapted the local agricultural wisdom by trying to prune vines twice a year and it has turned out to work really quiet well. The first pruning usually takes place around April to May, before the beginning of rainy season, and after the harvest of grapes. So yes, even though Thailand is in the northern hemisphere, the time of the wine grape harvest is similar to most wine countries of the southern hemisphere. Although a small percentage of lyre trellis systems exist, most vines are planted in vertical shoot positioning (VSP) systems and condon spurs. The first pruning reduces to two buds per spur normally. And then in the following rainy season, when inflorescence begins, they will be taken away by the vineyard crew. And so, there will not be any grapes growing or being harvested during this part of the cycle. In this way, the vines can escape the rainy season (hence the period of the year with the highest disease pressure) and they can also have certain rest during the year.

Average rainfall in Khao Yai

The second pruning usually takes place around October and November, after the rainy season is gone. The buds left on a spur is longer than the previous time, up to seven depending on the vine’s spacing, age and vigour. The harvest of grapes, depending on the varieties and wine style to be made, can be from January to March.  ‌‌‌

Nowadays, the most common international grape varieties used in Thailand are Chenin Blanc and Syrah/Shiraz. Chardonnay, Viognier, various Muscats, Durif, Mataro, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and many others have also been planted. Seeing as the Thai wine industry is still in its infancy period, many grape varieties are still being experimented with, and some realities are becoming apparent. For example, the climate is just too hot for Cabernet Sauvignon to give good results in many of the country’s viticultural areas, and so wineries Alcidini have uprooted it.

If there is one good thing about Thailand’s heat is that phylloxera cannot grow there. But the vineyards on the valley floor are usually planted with rootstocks anyways to improve the water and flood resistance; by contrast, vines planted on the hillside can be planted on their own roots. Major diseases in Thailand vineyards are downy mildew and insect tripes. Other problems include the many grape-gluttonous birds and labour shortages; the latter can be an even more critical challenge for some wineries.

Wine Regions and Wineries

Thailand has developed four wine regions in the last half century.

1. Chiang Rai (currently dormant)

Chiang Rai is in northern Thailand, about 170 kilometers from Chiang Mai. It has a cooler temperatures due to its higher altitude and used to grow Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The only winery reported there was Chateau De Loei Winery: some sources claim it is the first winery ever built in Thailand, but it currently appears to be non-active.

2. Khao Yai

Located northeast of Bangkok, Khao Yai is one of the most prominent wine regions of Thailand, and there are several wineries in this region. It’s not a small region, with the distance to cover between wineries that can be as much as 150-200 kilometers. But the time it actually takes you to get around there depends on the traffic: the driving time from Bangkok can vary between two and a half and four hours. Clearly, this area’s proximity to Bangkok is one factor that has helped the region develop well over the years. When driving from Bangkok to Khao Yai, the landscape changes dramatically numerous times, going from that of modern city to a dusty, crude, high density urban-rural integration look and then to a green, beautiful, foothill countryside look with estates, luxury hotels and fancy restaurants not unlike the wine countries of France, Italy, and New Zealand. It’s no wonder that the region is a popular weekend escape or holiday destination for people not just from Bangkok, but all of Thailand and beyond. The same tourist effect also applies to Thailand’s two other important wine regions, Hua Hin and Pattaya.

Climate is a very important factor in Khao Yai’s wine, because it is the hottest wine region in Thailand. Khao Yai has a tropical monsoon climate, but with a relatively inland location, Thailand’s biggest national park with several mountains and thus higher average altitudes, it has a cooler climate than one might otherwise expect. It also has many varied habitats characterized by many different microclimates and soils (different soil types from loamy to others that are terra rossa-like are found). And so, despite its reputation as the wine region in Thailand with the hottest climate, specific areas are cooler and without excessive amounts of rainfall, making certain viticultural sites in Khao Yai more suitable for wine grape growing than others in Hua Hin and Pattaya. At the moment, there are five wineries that can be located by an internet search in Khao Yai (at least those with English results). In my recent trip to Khao Yai, I visited four of them. Before the introduction of the wineries, here are couple tips for someone wants to have a Khao Yai wine trip:

First, these wineries in Thailand don’t check email very often. Aalthough during the off-season it is possible to walk in and a have a visit and tasting, it is still better to make a booking in advance. It is best to check the winery website and find their Line contact which is the preferred method of rapid communication in Thailand. Second, Pak Chong is the major town of Khao Yai region and reached by public transport. But as can been seen from the map, it takes anywhere from forty minutes to an hour to go visit the wineries next to the Khao Yai national park. So unless you also wish to experience the local township life when winery-hopping, my suggestion is to stay at wineries like GranMonte or Issara which have accommodation facilities. It will certainly save some time for more and longer winery visits that will be otherwise be spent on the road.

PB Valley Estate

PB Valley Estate is one of the very first large-scale and highly professional wineries in the tropical country. The winery’s name, PB stands for Dr. Piya Bhirom-bhakdi, the founder of the winery who established it in 1989. His family also founded the Singha Corporation. Now the winery is owned by the Singha beer and beverage company, one of the biggest beer brand in Thailand.

The estate is in a beautiful valley and is over 2,500 rais (equivalent to 400 hectares or 1,000 acres) large. Located at 350 to 380 meters above the sea level, it is situated on the edge of the Khao Yai National Park and is the rccognized birthplace of the Khao Yai wine region. About seventy hectares of land is under vines, which includes the Marroo seedless table grape vines from Australia. The wine grapes are grown using the VSP system while the pergola (canopy) system is used for table grapes. The estate also grows longyan, lychee, muberry, durian and other fruits. Four vinifera grapes are grown in the estates: Chenin Blanc, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Tempranillo. During the cool season vineyards may get irrigated twice a week. The use many different rootstocks, some even from Brazil. The winery is large and has a barrique room housing oak barrels made in France. A total of 150,000 liters of wine, or the equivalent yields of 200,000 bottles, are stocked there to mature every year. There is also a building for storage and mature Malt Whisky from Scotland, under the brand name of Silver Wolf. The winery is equipped with modern sorting and destemming machines, a transporting system, temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, much like most wineries you see in most new world wine countries. The winemakers have a New Zealand- and Germany-trained background. The vineyard and winery teams keep the vineyard and winery buildings very tidy and clean. There is also a very good restaurant just behind the reception area, amidst the vast vineyards, called Great Hornbill. It is a country-style restaurant serving an exquisite selection of Thai specialty dishes as well as some Western and fusion dishes ranging from simple snacks to complete gourmet lunches and dinners. Most seats have a great view of the mountains and vineyards. Under the shade and buffeted by the breezes from the valleys, even around lunch time, one doesn’t always need to turn on the air conditioning units. A chilled Chenin Blanc from the winery paired with delicious Thai Curry, Tom Yum Goong, Pork Stir-Fry with Rice on a sunny afternoon makes for an unforgettable memory.

GranMonte Vineyards and Winery

GranMonte means ‘Big Mountain’. The winery has sixteen hectares (40 acres) in the Khao Yai region. It was founded in 1999 by Visooth Lohitnavy out of a profound passion for winemaking: he created GranMonte Vineyards and Winery by transforming a former cashew orchard into a thriving vineyard. In the early days, Visooth built the brand hand in hand with his wife Sakuna and their two daughters Nikki and Mimi, accumulating experience in grape cultivation and local winemaking from scratch. The brand officially kicked off its professional winemaking career in 2003 by launching its first 2001 vintage wines. Then it started to expand grape planting and launched Thailand’s very first vineyard and winery tour service in 2006. All of the grapes at this family-run wine plantation are estate-grown and the farming system incorporates a microclimate monitoring system. From 2010 onwards, GranMonte enriched its wine portfolio by launching wines made with classic grape varieties one after another, including Viognier, Verdelho and Durif, and made its international debut by participating in Bordeaux’s prestigious En Primeur event. The winery has planted several different wine grape varieties they now bottle and some are still under experimental trial. The other varieties are Chenin Blanc, Syrah, Canada Muscat, Cabernet Sauvignon, Marsanne and Roussanne, Semillon, and others still.

The winery also has an on-site VinCotto Restaurant serving exquisite European and Central Thai cuisine which the average price is a bit higher than that of the PB Valley’s. In 2014, GranMonte Wine Cottage opened a cozy accommodation with seven vineyard-view rooms for visitors.

The combination of passion, willingness to experiment and professional practice makes GranMonte arguably the hottest winery in Thailand at the moment. The wines appear in many wine retail outlets and duty-free shop of airports in Thailand and overseas. The wines have widespread industry recognition and continuously win awards. The vineyard tour and tasting room are always full of people from Thailand and all over the world, and both the visiting and tasting experience is as good as that offerend by Pb Valley. On thing might need to be mentioned is that it has many more grape varieties and wine offerings (skus) than any other Thai winery. This can be impressive and fun for visitors but at the same time is a big challenge for the winemaking team that has to try and make all the wines equally good. But for a tropical country with a wine industry that only just recently kicked off, the more there are wineries like GranMonte willing to find the best suitable grapes for their terroir, the better the wine future will be for everybody in the country.

Alcidini

Once you arrive at Alcidini, you will noticed immediately it is quiet different from PB Valley and GranMonte. The former is more bucolic and quaint, while the latter two play on a much bigger commercial and international winery scale. At Alcidini, you won’t find a restaurant or hotel accommodations: it’s a small-scaled family-run winery. Clearly, there is no right or wrong wine business model, each can have something to offer: while many people automatically assume that small and artisanal is always better, the truth is that big wineries can have resources and plenty of support by which to make excellent wines while some small wineries can have horrible results if the perhaps well-meaning owner or winemaker are not doing the right things, or are just too hands off, or just plain lack the resources to make the best possible wines. So size really doesn’t matter: and if you want to get a full picture of Thailand’s amazing progress in wine, then Alcidini is the destination you shouldn’t miss.

The differences between Alcidini and other wineries in Thailand are not only about scale and tourists facilities. The vineyards at Alcidini are planted all on hillsides while most of the vineyards at other wineries you’ll visit are down on the valley floor. Hence the vines at Alcidini are planted on their own roots without the need for  rootstocks. Also, Alcidini doesn’t apply any chemicals in the vineyards which is extremely courageous, an adventure even, in Thailand: frankly, it’s hard not to be admiring of the winery’s resolve. The vineyards are grazed by sheep to help with weeding and cow manure is used for fertilizer just like it is in most organically-farmed vineyards around the world. At Alcidini, they also ferment and apply wood vinegar for expelling some insects, and use good probiotic preparations in the soils to combat pests like anthracnose.

The vineyard and winery are located in a village called “the swamp of Alcedo”, the sanctuary of native birds such as the King Fisher, that belongs to the Alcidinidae family. Hence the winery’s name and logo of “Alcidini”, derived from the bird’s presence. Vineyard sites are at an altitude of 550 meters above sea level: the area is usually very sunny during day time but turns cool and breezy at night, and this is all year round. The soil type is terra rossa, lime base with ample supply of minerals and with very good drainage properties. The winery was established by the father of current winemaker Tony (he is a local Thai, but prefer visitors call him Tony) in 1998. Originally in the telecom business, he fell in love with wine and so decided to launch his own estate. Both father and son are still working at the winery and do all sorts of jobs, as is typical of small estates: everybody ahs to know how to do everything, so you will see them in the vineyards, in the cellar, on the tractors, the gardens and anywhere they are needed. The property is about sixteen hectares (forty acres), haldf of which is under vine now (planted in 2001). Depending on the vintage, the winery makes 10,000-12,000 bottles of wines a year. Shiraz/Syrah, Muscat Blau(Blue) and Maroo Seedless (table) grapes proved more suitable for the specific property’s sites and terroirs. In the past, they used to grow Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and the wines were of an acceptable level for what people expected to drink twenty years ago. But several years ago the winery’s staff understood that the climate and site was becoming too hot for those two varieties, the wines failed to impress, and so they removed them. Because you see, unlike what many pandering wine writers will say and write, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are not the best grapes in the world with which to make wine, and certainly do not necessarily fit every habitat. It takes courage to realize and accept that and out up with the scrutiny such decisions will bring. And so the winery looked to diversify. Different biotypes and clones of Mataro were introduced from Spain and Italy, but in the local tropical conditions, their performance over the years was not much better than that of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Currently, they are trying Zinfandel from California. In the vineyard, the owner is also trying the Lyre Trellising System (LTS) which is supposed to maximize sunlight interception no matter the orientation of the planting rows, and it can help balance the vigour of vines in tropical conditions. However, because the arms of their weeding machines are not long enough to reach the area of the roots for weeding and soil aeration, plus problems with labor shortage, have led them to bring their training back to the VSP.

Issara

 Issara is located within a beautiful property associated with the Issara boutique hotel. The family-owned estate sits on a mountainous slope with scenic views: the boutique winery offers guests wine tastings, a terrace wine lounge with a pretty view of the vineyard, and a wine-ageing room. There are several businesses operating within the estate, and the property also serves as a wedding venue, perfect for those who wish to celebrate amidst lush greenery and romantic vines. But as good as everything is, I almost got the feeling that wine was more of an added feature for those who stay in the hotel rather than the main event. Issara does not make wine on the site and wine tasting is more like an experience for the people who eat in their boutique restaurants. The price of the tasting experience is also much more expensive than at the other wineries with almost no tour and guidance (at least not in English). If you don’t plan to stay at the estate for a luxury Thailand country lifestyle vacation or getaway, then maybe coming all the way out to Issara just for the tasting may not be so advisable.

Village Farm Winery

This winery has been bought by GranMonte. It still has some vineyard but mainly serve as hotel and restaurant.

3. Hua Hin

Monsoon Valley Vineyard

Monsoon Valley Vineyard is the only winery in Hua Hin. This region is one of the largest of the three main sources for Monsoon Valley’s grapes. (The other two vineyards are located in Chiang Mai and Tab Kwang.) At this vineyard, rainwater is the main and only source of water for the growth of the grapevines. Activities offered here go beyond wine tastings, as the winery also provides other many fun things to do,  including wine safaris, an elephant meet and greet, mountain biking, and more. It is another region within a two to three hours drive from Bangkok and serves as an ideal  weekend escape destination. Because the region is believed to be generally more humid than Khao Yai, the Monsoon Valley Vineyard winery hedges its bets by also owning some vineyards in the Khao Yai region. Monsoon Valley Vineyard winery was founded in 2001 by Chalerm Yoovidhya, a wine-loving entrepreneur with a vision to create a Thai wine culture. Given that his family co-owns red Bull GmbH, the Austrian company that owns the famous energy drink (more than 12 Billion cans/year), you can’t help but think the future is an energetic one for this winery. 

4. Pattaya

Silverlake Vineyard 

Yes, Pattaya has a winery winery! One of the world’s best-known vacation destinations, a tourist hotspot usually associated with magically beautifully landscapes, sea, sun, and sand, has a solid winemaking operation too that wine lovers are easily drawn too. Silverlake is located in the countryside in the southeastern part of Pattaya. The winery is a really nice place to visit, boasting Italian-styled buildings, a fountain, classic statues, a windmill and colorful flower gardens. It is a good place to spend a few relaxing hours and have lunch while enjoying the views of the rural, hilly area in this part of Pattaya. Visitors can tour the vineyard in an electric tram, as well as try some of the wines. Several grape varieties are grown from which white, red and rosé wines are produced. Unfortunately, I heard the vineyard area is declining in size due to the region being just too hot. I look forward to coming another time soon and delving deeper into this and finding out what the solutions might be. Hybrids, perhaps? Or a different viticulture? It makes for a fascinating visit to have.

And when all is said and done, how are the wines?

In general, I found the Thailand wines I tasted during the visits to be of good quality in a fresh, easy-going style. I didn’t encounter any wines marred by obvious faultiness, or unpleasant aromas commonly found in wines of newly emerged wine region. What I found especially encouraging (and very enlightened, to be frank) is that some of the wineries are seeking to make wines in a style that can be paired easily with the local foods and these are really quite successful, min my mind. So good job. On the other hand, many Thai wines tend to be short (still too young vines, perhaps) and lack a complexity level which I imagine is mostly due to the short growing season, a lack of daily and seasonal temperature difference, and and lack of winter. But overall, I came away pleasantly impressed by the wines. Similar to the country’s views, foods and vibes, Thailand wines also excite wine lovers. They are well made and can be good matches to lots of local delicious foods. And the winery visiting experiences can also be something different to those who are thinking of visiting Bangkok.

The wines in this report

The wines in this report were tasted at the end of July 2026 directly at the wineries when I visited Thailand.