TALES OF THE VINE

The Phuket lifestyle places great emphasis on quality and the out of doors. From dining to relaxing it seems we are always either outside or, at the very least, the doors and windows are always open. When it comes to dining an island, a lifestyle like ours presents some interesting challenges for wine lovers. Here, then, are my tips for knowing which wines to choose to get the most out of our outdoor pleasure.

Poolside

Wines for chilling out (the technical term for lying around) should be mellow wines with relatively low levels of alcohol, say below 13%. This is so you can enjoy them over several hours without becoming tired or dehydrated. Of course, low alcohol implies high acidity since as these are usually wines made from grapes grown in cool climates, so chill wines are going to be fairly light, crisp and refreshing. Just what one needs to keep yourself going at the task of doing nothing. Sauvignon blanc from New Zealand and dry Rosé from just about anywhere are some of Phuket’s best loved poolside wines. Other pool wines worth exploring include dry German Riesling, lean and racy Semillon from Australia.

Poolside dining implies Thai cuisine, picnic fare or barbeque. When choosing a wine accompaniment one should consider both the food and the ambient temperature. Usually a fruity wine from New World countries like Australia, Chile, South Africa and New Zealand, where primary fruit flavor is emphasized in the wine, work best with Thai and grilled foods. Again, look for wines with rational alcohol levels, say below 13.5%, so the heat and alcohol don’t dehydrate or tire you out before the end of the day.

If it’s windy use a large glass that can concentrate the wine’s aroma so it does not become gone with the wind. Me, I hate drinking wine from acrylic glasses but you do have to think carefully about broken glass on the cement deck of a swimming pool. If you use plastic glasses try to get the best quality you can; and avoid acrylic glasses made in places like China where you cannot be certain about the safety of the resin used to make the glass.

Boat

The biggest issue for wine consumed on boats is change in temperature and motion during stowage, both of which can cause bottle shock that mutes the flavor of wine. For this reason I recommend very intensely flavorful and robust young wines that can withstand rough handling under variable conditions without losing their charm. Choose a recent vintage of very fruity wine from a cool climate growing regions like Adelaide and Margaret River in Australia, Germany of New Zealand. The reason I recommend wines from cool climates is that most wines taken aboard boats are thrown directly into an ice chest for chilling. This means the wines are often served over chilled and it is the crisp, light bodied wines from cool climates that taste best when served cold, as the low temperature moderates their acidity allowing the fruit flavors to fully express themselves.

If there is one wine you don’t want to take on a boat it is champagne. Irregardless of what the French may tell you, Champagne is very fragile stuff and does not travel well. It’s just not robust enough to withstand the travails of sea travel and its flavor is easily damaged by exposure to sunlight. Instead, reach for a good, fruity Prosecco, Asti Spumante or aromatic sparkling wine from Australia. You still get your festive bubbles but they will taste a whole lot better.

Beach

Taking wine to the beach is normally impractical due to the bulk and weight associated with lugging iced bottles of wine from your car through the sand to your preferred patch of paradise. If you are going to leading beach clubs like Catch or Babylon there is no need to haul your own wine, as great wine lists already await you. So, other than a sentimental wine for a particular occasion, like an anniversary, the one time you might want a wine at the beach is sunset.

Phuket sunsets are second to none and what better way to toast the end of another day in paradise than with a bit of Champagne? It is the small, individual bottles that are most sensible. Half bottles and 200 ml individual bottles like the trendy Pommery POP, which can be drunk through a straw, do not take up a lot of space, are not too heavy to carry and need very little ice to stay cold. They also have the added advantage of being easily opened without a corkscrew. Champagne on the beach is a decadent treat; make the most of it.

Golf course

So I am up at Santiburi in Chiang Rai the other day and I cant help but notice the colors. Not the flowers but the players’ clothes. How did it come to be that golf requires one to dress as if they are vaudevillians from the nineteen century? From a distance they look like giant pieces of Neapolitan ice cream that can walk.

So, it seems to me that a nice pastel rose makes a nice choice for golf. Not to be sarcastic, but rose really does seem to be at home around the clubhouse. Rose is a versatile wine that you can drink alone or with food, its not too heavy or tiring, it tastes good and it just feels’well, sporty. Clubhouse fair like, clubhouse sandwiches, tends to be rich but normally not too heavy. This kind of food and setting seems just the right match for a good dry rosé. And the color blends right in.

Hotels

Aside from the Hard Rock Café in Patong’s new Courtyard I am not aware of any independently operated hotel restaurants in Phuket. While there are some really great hotel restaurants here with world class wine lists, there are also some dissapointing ones, as well. So, if you are dining where passionate chefs must compete with cost controllers over how much satisfaction their guests will experience, maybe you want to bring your own special bottle. If there ever was a time to pull out that very memorable bottle you have been saving, its now. Don’t embarrass yourself by brining a bottle worth less than the corkage, bring a trophy wine and enjoy your evening. It is money well spent.

Weddings

Wedding receptions in Phuket are usually outdoor affairs so many of the rules for wine at poolside apply to wedding wines. In my experience, guests at weddings, especially larger weddings, have diverse backgrounds and tastes, so the wine needs to be a wine that does not challenge. It is also important at such an important occasion, especially for Asians, that the wine brand be well known and have a positive quality connotation associated with it.

Wedding wines should be versatile wines with a modern, fruity forward style and produced by wineries that are well known. Lower priced offerings from famous brands like Lindemans or Penfolds are perfect in that they offer both face and versatility. Leave esoteric choices or niche taste sensations like Gewurztraminer and Gruner Veltliner for another occaision. You are trying to please everyone and offend no one. Chardonnay and Shiraz are the words of the day.

Thai food

How many times have I said it? There are only five flavors: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and savory. It does not matter if the food is Thai, Greek or Icelandic; there are only five flavors humans can perceive. When it comes to Thai food, which is normally very balanced in taste but a bit on the lean side, soft and fruity wines without too much acidity are just right. Look for fruity New World wines like Gewurztraminer or Shiraz, not too high in alcohol or tannin, to make an ideal match with most Thai foods. Sauvignon blanc is particularly pleasant with herbed Thai dishes like green curry.

Forget about beer; it just makes you feel heavy, accentuates the heat and bitterness in spices and fills you up. Wine is the ideal match with Thai food. Trust me. A deep fried spring roll and a glass of buttery Chardonnay is heaven.

Cigars

While rum is very trendy after dinner with a cigar it is the big, bold powerful Italian red wine that makes the best match for wine lovers. A big boy super-Tuscan and a good Havana are the perfect way to end an evening outside. So what if you pass out in the Tuk Tuk on the way home and wake up in Rawaii? Its going to be worth it. Trust me; big red and cigar.

Thai ladies

Unless you really did come here to see temples you will eventually be buying a glass or two of wine for the ladies. I have always admired the thrill-seeking attitude of Thai ladies when it comes to wine: the more wine in the wine, the better. If you are choosing a wine for a Thai lady the first thing you should know is that the worn out marketing concept of light and delicate ‘ladies wine’ never applied to the Thai. Thai women, by and large like big, bold and intensely flavored wine. Red wine. But it has to be soft and round, texturally. And it should be expensive. Skip the Chardonnay; you will just insult her. Make it a monster Cab from Australia or California with a few years age on it to tame the tannin and you will be her hero. Or, at least, one of her heroes. And remember, wine is face so the bigger the name, the more bold the flavor, the more face in the wine.

By the way, really expensive Champagne can be an appreciated alternative to red wine for Thai ladies. But don’t think she doesn’t know the difference between sparkling wine and Champagne, or that Moet is for the masses. Make it at least a Pommery Cuvée Louise, if not a Dom. Believe me, she will know the difference.

Thank god for duty free.

And see you around the pool.