Exploring Thailand's Wine Country

Located in sprawling Hua Hin province near Kuiburi National Park is one of the country’s most innovative and expertly run wineries, whose efforts were applauded by the international community in 2017 as the first Thai wine to win “Brand of the Year” at the World Branding Awards. Originally called Hua Hin Hills, the vineyard re-launched its brand last year in time for its annual Harvest Festival, held each March. During the festival the vineyard offers daily grape picking activities a well as a “From Vines to Glass” tour each Friday where guests can tour the vineyard by jeep, including the unique 10,000 hectares of “floating vineyards” in the Chao Phraya River Delta. Guests will learning about the process—complete with grape stomping—and end the day with a curated wine tasting. Other tours available year-round include vineyard experiences for all interest levels, and courses in wine tasting from the casual drinker to seasoned experts.

Using the highest-quality imported machinery from Italy, Silverlake’s Pattaya-based vineyard is easily accessible from Bangkok, buoyed by the nascent renaissance Pattaya is experiencing, itself attracting an influx of high-quality restaurants and entertainment. The plantation is set alongside a stunning lake sporting scenic backdrops against Central Thailand’s rolling hillside and the nearby Buddha Mount. Tours of the vineyard grounds and winery are available and a number of events and festivals are hosted throughout the year.

Just adjacent to Khao Yao National Park is the GranMonte Estate, poised 350 meters above sea level across a 40-acre valley. The vineyard’s concept channels sustainable agriculture, using tailor-made techniques to suit the soil and climate of its specific region of Thailand. Visitors can enjoy guided tours and tastings, and the on-site shop includes not only wines for sale but other products made from their harvests, including homemade jams and pies.

This family-run vineyard along stunning a cliff edge incorporates longstanding French techniques into its winemaking processes, focusing on organic and eco-friendly practices to ensure the best quality in its products. Harvest season runs around mid-February, during which time the property hosts an annual festival, and nearly year-round host guests in a “farm stay” program that promotes nature and health-based activities.

One of the largest and longest-running vineyards in Thailand is PB Valley Winery, located in the Khao Yai region known regionally for promoting its concept of “New Latitude Wines.” Guests have the opportunity to join the award-winning vineyard tour, which includes tasting and a full immersion into the processed developed by its German and New Zealand-trained winemakers at its education center. PB Valley Winery also tends to a variety of other orchards including seasonal flowers, dragon fruit, passion fruit, mango, and Japanese melon.

Situated on the Phu Rua Highland, Chateau de Loei is the first winery to distribute Thai wine internationally in 1995 to Europe and Japan. It boasts a climate similar to Southern France, making it ideal to tackle the major challenge many Thai wineries face – developing a good red. While the grapes harvested for white wines have typically proven amenable to many wineries, reds that match the quality of other global wine regions have been ever elusive.