No one thought Californian wines could beat the French in a blind tasting but the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 proved otherwise. No one thought China could produce quality wines either. Now there are acclaimed wineries like Ao Yun in Yunnan Province and Silver Heights in the Ningxia Autonomous Region.
The most recent surprises, however, are coming from the New Latitude regions. These are countries above the 50 deg latitude and below the 30 deg latitude in both hemispheres, and include areas once thought to be too dark, too cold, too warm or too dry for growing wine grapes.
However, wine always finds a way. One such winery is GranMonte Vineyard and Winery at the foot of Khao Yai in Asoke Valley, Thailand. While still located in a tropical region, the elevation of the winery and the area’s cool microclimate make it possible to grow grapes. GranMonte is also the only one in the world producing wine from 100 per cent Thai-grown grapes.
The family-run estate has already won praise and multiple awards from events like the Syrah du Monde and the Decanter Asia Wine Awards – and much of this has been with thanks to Nikki Lohitnavy, an oenologist and director of GranMonte.
The Peak speaks to her about making wine in a tropical region.
How was this year’s harvest?
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Esta historia es de la edición June 2021 de The PEAK Singapore.
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