Are you a fan of dessert wines? In Thailand, we’re not much into them.
I don’t drink a great deal of dessert wines either although German Rieslings—dry and dessert ones—are a favorite. Good dessert wine relies on acidity to cleanse the mouth of all that sugar. Without acidity, sweet wines become cloying and difficult to drink, even the highly regarded wines from the Bordeaux satellite region of Sauternes. While there are, of course, many great Sauternes, sweet wines from regions of Australia, Austria and other parts of France, the most exhilarating are those from Germany, particularly those that live on the razor’s edge of scintillating acidity, low alcohol (8%-9%) and scented sweet fruit from the Mosel, the coolest region of Germany. These wines are so impeccably balanced that they can be drunk with or without dessert. Thai sticky rice with durian and/ or coconut milk/ cream will go with any number of these wines. I don’t think that there is much of a market anywhere for dessert wines, sadly. Contemporary lifestyles simply don’t marry well with them.

What are your thoughts on the wine market in Thailand?
Thailand seems like an immature wine market with little know-how about how wine is served— temperature, protocol, etc. Most wine in the market appears to be entry-level to mid-market wine due to the prohibitive taxes. The tasters I observed also tend to have a predilection for big, rich wines which is something that many new to wine have. Nevertheless, this is the same the world over and tastes change with experience and over time. What is wonderful about the Thai approach to wine however, is that wine is consumed over conversation—standing or sitting, while dancing even—and at a number of fashionable wine bars springing up all over Bangkok.