A Taste for Thailand

Oct 26th, 2009 Jayne Pearce

The Monsoon Valley Rosé from the Chao Praya delta, Thailand, 2007.  12.5% Malaga blanc, Columbard and Shiraz.

The Thai wine industry is still in its infancy but I thought I’d try a bottle or two to see what all the excitement was about.  My first attempt (a winery in the north) was faulty so, as first impressions go it didn’t bode well but I decided not to be put off.  My second attempt was a Rosé from the Siam winery which selects wines from two regions - the first the floating vineyards to the South West of Bangkok and the second a wine region in the cooler climate mountainous region North East of the capital.

For a Rosé the appearance is on the dark side of salmon so am guessing there is quite a bit of Shiraz in the blend.  There is also a local red grape called Pokdum which may also be contributing to its depth of colour with rose petal hues.  It has a raspberry and slight herbaceous nose with an exotic twist followed by a sour cherry and exotic fruit on the palate with a little astringency.  It is an easy drinking wine that works well as an aperitif or with lightly spiced seafood.

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