The Wine Thread

[NOKYAI]

I tend to pop up there quite frequently especially when I have guests staying ( but not at W/e). I'll ask a few more questions next time. Interestingly, I found Monsoon wines cheaper in a Thai resteraunt in Yorkshire than here in Thailand. Friends there were also quite impressed by the quality.

[Frank La Rue]

Wine, like pizza and beers is up to the taste of the consumer, but having lived near the wine area in California for many years I realized what types of wine I like best. I drink a lot of wine and can't justify the price per bottle here so I've done extensive research on boxed wines.

Jimbaroo, recommended by a couple of my friends on here, is a girly wine in my humble opinion. It's just too soft and too sweet the same as the American Peter Vella boxed wine that some of my American friends prefer. They just have no character.

I like a full bodied red wine with a lot of tannin and I've found (among the boxed wines and I think I've tried them all) Cedar Creek Shiraz (Australia, not the Shiraz Cabernet combo by the same company) to be the best to suit my tastes at 4.5 liters for just under 900 baht.

I also like dry fruity (chardonnay type) white wines and, sad to say that I have tried most of the boxed ones here and haven't found a better tasting one than Mont Clare at 900 baht per 5 liter box (whether it's real wine or not, it's a damned good imitation).

Due to wine pricing here and the volume I consume I have become somewhat of a boxed wine snob.

'
Reading the above and comparing with your frank (non self-pun intended) account about your life circumstances in the other thread about reasons for staying in HH, life does not sound so bad after all

[Frank La Rue]

I agree that full bodied red wines do not work welll in Thai climate, when seated out door (isch). The best red wine for me to drink in Thailand I can think of is Valpolicella. Can't say I remember having seen in though. I mostly buy wine in Tesco shops or Central Plaza Bangkok accross the road from where we live.

[hhfarang]

Wine, like pizza and beers is up to the taste of the consumer, but having lived near the wine area in California for many years I realized what types of wine I like best. I drink a lot of wine and can't justify the price per bottle here so I've done extensive research on boxed wines.

Jimbaroo, recommended by a couple of my friends on here, is a girly wine in my humble opinion. It's just too soft and too sweet the same as the American Peter Vella boxed wine that some of my American friends prefer. They just have no character.

I like a full bodied red wine with a lot of tannin and I've found (among the boxed wines and I think I've tried them all) Cedar Creek Shiraz (Australia, not the Shiraz Cabernet combo by the same company) to be the best to suit my tastes at 4.5 liters for just under 900 baht.

I also like dry fruity (chardonnay type) white wines and, sad to say that I have tried most of the boxed ones here and haven't found a better tasting one than Mont Clare at 900 baht per 5 liter box (whether it's real wine or not, it's a damned good imitation).

Due to wine pricing here and the volume I consume I have become somewhat of a boxed wine snob.

'
Reading the above and comparing with your frank (non self-pun intended) account about your life circumstances in the other thread about reasons for staying in HH, life does not sound so bad after all

Why do you think I drink so much wine... to tolerate life here!

[Frank La Rue]

Wine, like pizza and beers is up to the taste of the consumer, but having lived near the wine area in California for many years I realized what types of wine I like best. I drink a lot of wine and can't justify the price per bottle here so I've done extensive research on boxed wines.

Jimbaroo, recommended by a couple of my friends on here, is a girly wine in my humble opinion. It's just too soft and too sweet the same as the American Peter Vella boxed wine that some of my American friends prefer. They just have no character.

I like a full bodied red wine with a lot of tannin and I've found (among the boxed wines and I think I've tried them all) Cedar Creek Shiraz (Australia, not the Shiraz Cabernet combo by the same company) to be the best to suit my tastes at 4.5 liters for just under 900 baht.

I also like dry fruity (chardonnay type) white wines and, sad to say that I have tried most of the boxed ones here and haven't found a better tasting one than Mont Clare at 900 baht per 5 liter box (whether it's real wine or not, it's a damned good imitation).

Due to wine pricing here and the volume I consume I have become somewhat of a boxed wine snob.

'
Reading the above and comparing with your frank (non self-pun intended) account about your life circumstances in the other thread about reasons for staying in HH, life does not sound so bad after all

Why do you think I drink so much wine... to tolerate life here!

Maybe it is not wine you need but aircondition in all rooms and satelite Television

[hhfarang]

Maybe it is not wine you need but aircondition in all rooms and satelite Television [/quote]

I have both of those and still needed the wine...

[PeteC]

Maybe covered already, sorry if so: Mont Clair South African box wine. 5L about 900 Baht. Very drinkable and enjoyable as an everyday wine. Seems to be everywhere over here...Tesco, Makro, Foodland etc. Pete

http://www.montclair-wine.com/NewSite/product_celeb.php

[PeteC]

Reference Mont Clair again. The above web site is owned and published by SiamWinery. There's reference on certain pages to Monsoon Wines and Hua Hin. It appears that there is a partnership between SA Mont Clair, and this Siam wine group in Thailand.....or, SiamWinery actually owns Mont Clair. I can't determine at present. Pete

[hhfarang]

Mont Clair Boxed wine has not been available here for about 2 months as far as I can find. I usually get it at two liquor stores, or Tesco, or G market, or Villa Market, or Hua Hin Shopping Mall or a Chinese store in Takiab. All have been out for a while. I asked the guy in the liquor store about it and he said there was a distribution problem between Bangkok and Hua Hin.

[Terrace90]

Mont Clair Boxed wine has not been available here for about 2 months as far as I can find. I usually get it at two liquor stores, or Tesco, or G market, or Villa Market, or Hua Hin Shopping Mall or a Chinese store in Takiab. All have been out for a while. I asked the guy in the liquor store about it and he said there was a distribution problem between Bangkok and Hua Hin.

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Told by our wine supplier that the Thai Government changed the way they taxed Box Wine. With the lasted increase on Beer/Wine Tax looked like Box Wine was just going to be just too costly.

We are selling House Wine at 99 Baht a Glass (89 Happy Hour with 5 percent more off if you hand as a slip with HHAD on it) till stock runs out. Then have to look at the New Prices.

[PeteC]

We went through the boxed wine shortages in Rayong and Chonburi back in February. It seems to be back now at all the normal places with a price of about 950 whereas before it was about 890. Plus VAT of course. I'm only speaking about the 5L Mont Clair. We just bought 2 boxes at Big C for the 950 price. Pete

[Vital Spark]

We normally buy a 5ltr box of Mont Clair red from Macro, but it's been absent for a few weeks, so popped into Tesco today and they had Tesco own brand French Red Wine for 199 baht a bottle. Pretty cheap for Thailand, and we've never seen it for sale before, so we obviously had to buy it. We've just finished it and it's actually rather nice. So nice that we may buy a couple more tomorrow. It does (in my opinion) taste better when cooled a bit in the fridge, as room temperature here (especially now) is a tad too warm.

Just as an aside, on the gin front: we normally buy Gilbey's gin as it's a pretty good substitute for Gordons. The price is going up and up, and I spotted another brand called Gilmore. It's about 70 baht a bottle cheaper than Gilbey's. It's got a slightly more perfumed smell (and taste) but it makes an excellent long G&T.

VS hic!

[Boboman]

We are coming to Hua Hin as the third port of call on our Thailand holiday and will probanly be done our duty free wine supply long before our arrival in HH. Can anybody recommend a shop in HH that has a good supply of reds.

[hhfarang]

Villa Market no doubt has the largest selection... bring a fat wallet, wine is heavily taxed in Thailand.

[oakdale160]

I notice that the s'mkts are stocking a selection of wines in tetra containers at a very reasonable price, it works out as little as 200b per liter, anybody tried any of them.