Award-winning Thailand-based Monsoon Valley Vineyard, established in 2001, had its first harvest in 2006. The label’s picturesque 110-hectare vineyard can be found in the foothills of the mountain range dividing Thailand from its western neighboring Myanmar. Just 17 miles to the east, sitting on the Gulf of Thailand’s shores, is the popular resort town of Hua Hin.
The setting has a Tuscan feel. Rows of olive trees line one side of the meandering entrance driveway while the long rows of vines stretch out to the near horizon on the other. Then you spy the Golden Stupa glinting in the distance, adding a distinctly Asian aesthetic.
At 12.5 degrees above the equator, crops in this tropical region are typically pineapples, bananas, Aloe vera, sugar cane and rubber. However, with its sandy and loamy soil enriched with shells, this vineyard has successfully cultivated Colombard, Chenin Blanc, Sangiovese, Shiraz, Dornfelder and other varietals. Less than 20 years after the first experimental plantings, the vineyard now produces 300,000 bottles annually, with thirty per cent exported to markets in Europe and Japan while the remaining is consumed locally.
Monsoon Valley and its parent company Siam Wines, are the brainchildren of Chalerm Yoovidhya. Co-owner of the Red Bull brand, this wine-loving entrepreneur has committed to creating a Thai wine culture.
New Latitude Wines
Monsoon Valley’s wines are part of a trend called New Latitudes, i.e. wines made from grapes grown in regions and countries outside of the traditional temperate climate band of 30° to 50° latitude in both hemispheres. International wine writer Frank Norel, at a wine industry conference in 2004, first coined the term ‘New Latitudes’ to describe this expanding world of wine.
New Latitude Wines are separated into two categories. High Latitude Wines are produced in regions above 50°N, like England, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Canada’s Nova Scotia. Low Latitude Wines are grown between 30°N and 30°S, including northern Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and China.
The biggest challenge for new latitude wineries is to train the vines to enter their reproductive cycle during the right season. This calls for some advanced viticulture practices in developing hybrid grape varieties to best suit the conditions and in managing the location’s climatic challenges.
Meet the Winemaker
Winemaker and Vineyard Manager Suppached Sasomsin has overseen proceedings at Monsoon Valley since 2013. His education includes a first-class honors degree in Biochemistry in Thailand, followed by an EU-sponsored Masters in Viticulture and Oenology. Suppached’s post-Masters experience has taken him to Spain, Germany, Austria, France’s Rhone Valley, and New Zealand.
I recently sat down with Suppached to understand the nuances of winemaking in the tropics, and what follows are his thoughts.
Managing the Challenges
Viticulture is the key to grape-growing in the tropics. Mr. Jan Erik, a Viticulture & Oenology graduate from Hochschule Rhein-Main University in Germany, leads this team for us. We joke that grape production for wine here requires you to close the book, clear your mind, and start from zero. We approach each issue without trying to impose solutions from elsewhere. For example, finding the right combination of rootstock and cultivars. Shiraz took several years to get right, and then the Shiraz Decline virus came along. It’s impacting growers from Australia to California and Europe. But we feel we now have developed cultivars that are virus free.
Another challenge which may seem strange, given we are in the tropics, is not enough sunlight during our chosen growing period. This requires us to defoliate the plants as the season progresses, ensuring the fruit receives as much sunlight as possible. You would not see this in Europe. Colombard grows well though Shiraz needs to be managed more closely to ensure the buds receive maximum available light.
Our Wines
On the winemaking side, even though it’s hot and humid, we tend to adopt a cold climate approach to the fruit as we approach harvest. Especially the reds, which may not have ripened fully as you would see in Austria or Australia. Our process in this situation is more like New Zealand winemakers. Fruit is our focus–producing the best we can in the time available and limiting the intervention once the wine production process starts. The vineyard’s sandy soil and our light touch in the winemaking give us light, elegant reds, and refreshing, fragrant whites.
Though Thai wines may not be known on the world stage, our wines do well in international competitions thanks to the team’s continued efforts. For example, our Monsoon Valley Colombard has received Bronze, Silver, or Gold in international wine events since 2015. Similarly, for our White Shiraz since 2017. Consistently recognized since 2017, our Shiraz took Gold at the 2021 AWC in Vienna. While our flagship Cuvee de Siam reliably medals when entered in competitions and received Gold at AWC Vienna 2021.
A Final Word from the Winemaker at Monsoon Valley Vineyard
I believe what we do and the wines we produce are not far behind the long-established European and New World wine producers. Scale-wise, we are a medium-sized producer by European standards. On the viticulture front, there may be lessons that our colleagues in the world’s long-established wine-growing regions might be able to learn from us. Especially as the climate continues to provide new challenges. Our continuing focus is on learning from today while experimenting and innovating for the future.
To learn more about Monsoon Valley Vineyard, visit https://www.monsoonvalley.com/en
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