Dining at the Khao Yai Wine Trail
It was just harvest time at the vineyards of Khao Yai, Northern Thailand a few weeks back and grape crushers and pressers became very busy once again with the great atmosphere of fertility and celebration in the process and rituals of wine making.
On my second year as a visitor, I did pay closer attention this time to the food served at the vineyards and how their top oenologists and culinary experts paired with what was served with the local wine. Here are three wonderful gustatory experiences we had from three vineyards we visited:
PB Valley- One of the biggest wineries in Thailand and owned by Singha Beer, P.B. Valley has a local and European style outlet managed by seasoned professionals. It was decided that our lunch visit this time would be to try their imaginatively healthy Bistro fare instead of the tried and tested local cooking. Lunch started with fresh, healthy greens in a light soy dressing and we also started wrapping some very fine pork paste or sweet pork filling in fresh vine leaves. For soup, we had a creamy veloute of fresh mushrooms and had some chunky pressed vineyard grape sorbet as our entremets.
The main course choices such as grilled Beef Tenderloin with Onion Sauce with pasta and garlic butter or grilled Pork loin with Prune Gravy went well with a young Tempranillo that has been recognized in the past international wine exhibitions. For those who chose a salmon, pan fried with pineapple sauce, this got a good pairing with the regular P.B. Rose.
Dessert came with Strawberry Mousse and Melon Ice Cream. And if you have the space and bravado, you can check out the charcoal ice cream which is midnight black and creamy. On one certain occasion, the two young and dynamic winemakers were friendly enough to let us try the partially fermented must. I was lucky to taste the cloudy Chenin Blanc juice that exploded with tropical fruits like guyabano and guavas. P.B. valley, with its dynamic staff and its wine and food has been full of great surprises for the past two years.
Granmonte – Asoke Valley has a restaurant outlet called Vincotto. This Vineyard is very much a family affair. Nikki, the daughter is the winemaker. Sakuna, wife of vineyard owner Visooth Lohitnavy is head of finance but is also the matriarchal head who oversees the family recipes served in this restaurant paired with the equally and creatively styled wines. The food, though homey, has creative touches and has never disappointed us in our visits. One can start either with prawns and seedless grape salad (its fruits were harvested on the premises) or my favorite smoked duck breast salad, paired off with the Sakuna Rose with its charming fruit or some limited production wine such as the viognier.
For the Main Course, a grilled striploin with fresh peppercorns and red wine on braised pork with apricot and prunes went well with the top Syrahs. My favorite was the heritage with red and black fruits and a complexity of flower and wood. To end dinner with a good espresso was an impressive grape cheese pie with a buttery short crust base.
The Village Farm at Chateau des Brumes
So aptly named by its owner Virawat Cholvanich, part-time mega structure builder and full time at heart vineyard owner, this place immediately gives us a feel of being in a rustic farm with all the antique style wooden surroundings and converted barn as a restaurant reception area.
The experience starts as we wake up early in the morning with a view of the country side and with birds warbling and singing as you make your way for breakfast. Breakfast is a choice of a mountain of crisp bacon and toast with fresh old fashioned thick skinned vineyard grape jam with some pips still in the jam. This jam alone makes me look forward to waking up early even after some mean wine quaffing in the past evening. The other choice is a porridge with an array of condiments but is flavored and floated with whole fresh mushrooms as a gentle starter for the day's stamina of mild but sustained inebriation from all the wine tastings.
The best tasting experience I’ve attended was here and had a speaker on Thai Food and Wine pairing. A Champion Sommelier, Pairach Intaput put us through a tasting tour of Khao Yai wines pairing them with dishes from this Northern Area. Quite interesting was a dip called Nam Prik Chow Rai, a farmer’s dip of flaked fish and roasted chili paste eaten with fresh and steamed vegetables. A tasty minced pork salad with mint and coriander or Larb Moo was also served and Wan San Salmon or sun dried salmon with green peppercorns and garlic proved to be irresistible. Mr. Pairach also proved that a strong green curry, in this case a green chicken curry with cubes of chicken blood, could be successfully paired with wine.
Lunch can be a simple but a satisfying affair eating regional farmer’s cooking at the Village Farm. A simple repast of their unforgettable smoked Pork Ribs is served side by side with barbecued chicken or Gai Yang and Sun Dried strips with sesame seeds. These are all of course eaten with the staple of sticky rice and a side dish of Som Tam Papaya Salad with Squid Shrimp and a hearty pork rib soup.
Most romantic would be to time dinner at the vineyard of Chateau Des Brummes during the night harvest. One is set on a high wooden patio overlooking the harvest while a string quartet and jazz singer increases the energy of the air of high fertility that one feels while one is sampling two or three past vintages with the latest release of Chateau des Brummes which is done in a more traditional French style with a main course of thick tenderloin steak.
You feel the evening has ended after dessert, but once you reach the lodging area, the vineyard maidens herd you as the women take their shoes off and stamp on harvested grapes in huge barrels dancing in sweet, sensual prances with these seemingly Mona Lisa like smile on their faces as the violins play on. Well, that did get the attention of many but the allure of hot fried camembert and the best vintage of Chateau des Brumes made both scenes seem prone to hedonistic schizophrenia.
It was best to watch the grape stomping while enjoying the silky Chateau des Brumes prestiges with its balance of fruit, light spice and oak with the soft creamy fried camembert and enjoy the balmy evening air…
San Miguel Thailand
I couldn’t help but write a few things on my mind about our own brewery in Thailand, though it was on the way back and not in the Khao Yai region.
First, I’m Pinoy and probably one of the few lucky ones to have toured a San Miguel Brewery courtesy of the wonderful head of San Miguel Thailand Joey de Guzman who has been responsible for making San Miguel the no. 1 light beer in Thailand.
After a hearty lunch of Soy goose with pickled ginger, Tom Yam Sauteed Pork with basil Roast Chicken with roasted chili dip, we washed it down with the Thai San Miguel light which I feel is a little bit drier. Less yeasty and quite refreshing for Thai cuisine. We were later made to do a comparative tasting of a Japanese beer they custom-made for another company. We tried Kogani, a dry light contemplative, very Japanese style and High alcohol beer after which we tried the same but fresh or unpasteurized version which had a marked difference in flavor. I think Joey de Guzman and his team deserve a great round of applause for carving a niche in the markets outside our country. - Article courtesy of Manila Bulletin.
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