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demand for imported wines. Currently
one of the owners of a famous beer
company in Thailand, Piya, who has a
very strong passion for wine, made his
first wine-making attempt back in 1989
and started off by planting 50 different
varieties of rootstock from different
countries to find out which grape
varietals would be best suited to grow
on Thai soil.
Today, the vineyard expands up to
400 hectares and is open for tourists’
visits. Those who look for serenity
throughout their vacation can opt
to stay in one of their many houses,
located within the vineyard. The
estate is surrounded by the Payayen
mountain ranges, with half of it on flat
land and the other half on a light slope
next to the hill, giving the scenery a
really nice texture and myself, a really
good exercise. Taking a ride on a bike
in the vineyard was an unforgettable
experience for me as I get to slowly
enjoy the breathtaking view of the
surroundings. One word of advice: do
lookout for snakes!
Winemaking 101
At
PB Valley Khao Yai Winery, you
can rent a bicycle at THB50 a day to
cycle and explore the vineyard on your
own. But if you don’t have the stamina
to do so, fret not! There is always the
day tour that you can join at three
different times daily to learn more
about winemaking. The tour starts from
the entrance to the vineyard where the
pick-up will be waiting for you to board
right in front of The Great Hornbill
Grill.
Driving through the estate, you’ll see
the seven different varieties of grapes
that are planted in the vineyard to
produce PB Valley’s world-class wines.
They are the Shiraz, Tempranillo,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Dornfelder and
Pinot Noir for red as well as Chenin
Blanc, Colombard for white. According
to the guide, it takes about three years
for the vines to grow before the first
produce can be harvested and after
each harvest, the vines are pruned so
that new shoots can grow to produce
more grapes. The major pruning period
is between August to September and
the produce can be harvested from
February till middle of March, making
October to March the best time to visit
the vineyard if you want to see the
grapes.
Upon arriving at the winery, you
may check out the exhibition in the
main visitor hall to find out more about
the vineyard. The video presentation
about the winery will give you a rough
idea about the winemaking process
before entering. The tour guide will
come in handy as well, as he explained
every single detail about winemaking.
As explained by the guide, the
process starts with the grapes being
de-stemmed and crushed before yeast
is added for fermentation, turning sugar
into alcohol. For the red wine, the skin
is fermented with the juice, as the skin
produce the colour for the wine and a
hydraulic system is used to push the
skin to the base every hour to squeeze
out the contents. The white wine on the