A Climate Change?

How attitudes are evolving, and the effect on wine production in Asia.

Only a few years ago there were two general sorts of wines; Classic (Old World) and New World. As the name suggests, classic wines were those from old and traditional vineyards in Europe and the Mediterranean regions, whereas Australia, the Americas and South Africa were the new kids on the block. ‘Old’ and ‘new’ doesn’t refer to a particular ‘style’, but rather the differences in winemaking philosophies and attitudes.

But now there’s an even newer kid: an Asian one. The continent of Asia is a gigantic landmass which includes The Arctic Circle, Mongolia and European Russia. So to be more specific we have to talk about South East Asia and China. Dubbed ‘New Latitude’ wines, a closer look at this region comes up with some surprises – both good and bad!

It might surprise you to know that China has now become a prolific wine-producer. The Chinese nation has been generally creeping for quite a while now, and last year it crept into second place as the nation with the most land given-over to wine production (with, surprisingly, Turkey coming first). Bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better however, and Chinese wine, together with wine-producers in South East Asia, still has a long way to go before it’s universally regarded with critical acclaim.

The immediate reason for this is that it’s generally considered that good wine comes from grapes which have had optimum growing conditions. Firstly 99% of the globe’s vineyards are located in the temperate zone between the parallels of 30° and 50° south – putting that in real terms, it means a band running between Casablanca and London, and that means temperatures and rainfall to match. Thailand, for instance, is on the 13th parallel. The ‘terroir’ here (a term meaning the whole spectrum of growing conditions) is completely wrong for a vineyard, and has to be somehow overcome before anything can begin to happen.

For example, with only 12 daylight hours in all seasons, ripening grapes becomes much more difficult, and a good deal of care has to be taken, including cold soaking before fermentation and very short skin treatments to avoid green flavours. Not to mention overcoming the diseases which are common in warm wet climates, such as mould and fungus, and other problems like inappropriate soil acidity.

In other words, it’s a battle even to begin, and the resulting wine – a Chinese one in this instance – was once described by a bon viveur as, “ . . . tasting like a wine made in a country that hasn’t got the hang of making wine yet. It was out of condition, with astringent green notes and a nose reminiscent of baked mouse.”

Although China is still on the cusp when it comes to successful wine – wildly inconsistent and yet some superb labels when they get it right – things are improving rapidly; their landmass has the right climate for it. But the South East Asian nations are more of a mixed bag. Wine is currently being produced in Laos, Vietnam Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand. But with the possible exception of an emerging export industry in Vietnam, most of this is for internal consumption, and the only real player here is Thailand.

Thailand has a much wider range of grape and wine operations, with vineyards in the north near Chiang Rai, in Loei (where Thailand’s wine industry started), in the Khao Yai region, and in areas south of Bangkok, in Samut Sakorn and near Hua Hin. However the government has an ambivalent attitude towards wine: the general populous don’t drink it, and it’s generally seen as an odd foreign extravagance. The result is a large luxury tax, and what you would pay €5 for at home will cost you perhaps €20 here.

But this is beginning to change, due to the success of Thai wine abroad. It’s almost impossible to find any statistics on this, as it doesn’t seem to be an export that’s perceived as significant. But Thailand’s major producer, Siam Winery (run by a German winemaker) is making inroads into the quality of Thai wine, as well as increasing the quantity produced. Every year he oversees the production of around 350,000 bottles, of which 50% are exported, with some 100,000 bottles being sold in the UK alone.

And with this one winery now having won a major regional trophy at the ‘Decanter World Wine Awards’ this year, and four of their other wines gaining Bronze and Commended Medals, the climate is definitely changing – both in terms of a more conducive shift of global weather conditions, and in the reputation of Thai wines, too!

Rob De Wet