Current rules on bringing in bottles?

[dtaai-maai]

But I'm interested in what Moja says about the reasonable wine prices in Villa. What is 'reasonable' there now? I rarely pay more than 4 quid for a 75cl red in the UK. About 250 baht? So 300 to 400 baht still wouldn't be too bad. Anything more starts to smell of extortion IMO

I buy a South African (so I'm assured) red called Mont Clair at around 960 baht (give or take 30 baht, can't remember the exact price) per 5-litre box. It's very drinkable. Do the sums and you'll see it's remarkably cheap by comparison. Wine snobs (sorry, aficionados) are free to say that they would never drink wine from a box. Nor would I pay 400-500 for a bottle.

I don't drink as much red wine here as I used to in Europe, but have started to get over the fact that room temperature just cannot apply here, and chilled red wine is not unthinkable after all.

I first bought it at Macro, but I haven't seen it there for ages. Bought a box once from Halex, but very rarely go there. It's usually available in the shop opposite All In Hua Hin.

I'm hoping it won't catch on, but thought I should share this little snippet...

[moja]

Mont Clair is available in Tesco, Villa Market and sometimes the Old Shopping Mall - all around the same price.

I drink the white quite happily.

If you like boxed wine then Halex do some reasonable Chilean 3 litre boxes.

[Arcadian]

The question of room temerature for red wine? This applied when the average temperature in the home was around 60f. In the South of France they tend to drink chilled, non vintage red wine, and Beaujolais is recommended to be drunk chilled.

[Governor]

The question of room temperature for red wine? This applied when the average temperature in the home was around 60f. In the South of France they tend to drink chilled, non vintage red wine, and Beaujolais is recommended to be drunk chilled.

I suppose that's why it's so difficult to be able to buy a bog standard wine rack, all I can find in Bangkok are the refrigerated wine coolers starting abour 15,000 Baht.

[expatsally]

It's a rule to our friends that anyone coming to visit us bring at least one bottle of wine. One or two have even brought us a case. One got stopped and was honest about what was in the box, smiled a lot and said it was a gift for a friend. No problem.
I do know they are much more adamant about cigarettes. Have a couple of friends that were heavily fined and had them confiscated. Seems they zero in on cardboard boxes mainly, so would put everything in something other than that.
Wine in Thailand has a 300% tax so it's definately worth bringing what you can. Good luck!

[Guess]

The question of room temperature for red wine? This applied when the average temperature in the home was around 60f. In the South of France they tend to drink chilled, non vintage red wine, and Beaujolais is recommended to be drunk chilled.

Yes, exactly. that bis the recommended serving temperature and long ter storage is a little lower 40 - 50 F i think.

I suppose that's why it's so difficult to be able to buy a bog standard wine rack, all I can find in Bangkok are the refrigerated wine coolers starting abour 15,000 Baht.

In most temperate countries a cellar is all that's needed for long term storage and the dining room will normally provide a reasonable temperature to serve. However this is not possible in Tropical countries and even non tropical places where high temperatures are reached for long periods.

I have seen red wine chilled in France, Italy, Spain and California. In CA they actually produce wines that are designed for being served chilled.

My trick here is to get the red wine chilled and then leave it in the glass until it rises to the ideal temperature.

On the original topic of allowance in Thailand. So long as all other international laws regarding bottles on aircraft are complied with you may enter Thailand with 1 litre of alcoholic beverage.

http://www.tatnews.org/others/3225.asp

[Arcadian]

Guess, in our household the wine doesn`t stay in the glass long enough to reach the right temperature. One observation on the cost of wine, we currently pay about 2 pounds for a decent bottle of plonk, but scotch starts at around 80, yes 80 pounds, so mixed feelings on moving from Tunisia to Thailand!

[caller]

I don't get all this stuff about chilled or not chilled? Unless you're paying a good whack, in which case I decant, let it breathe and all the other guff that is meant to go with it, I almost always chill red wine (yup folks, in dear old blighty), then I leave it unchilled once open. Does alright for me.

[margaretcarnes]

Thanks Moja - 5 litre boxes in the UK range from around 12 to 16 quid, so the region of 960 baht isn't bad at all. South African is fine as well! (or Chilean, Italian, Spanish, French...)
I used Halex for supplies before and liked being able to sample stuff sometimes. (That isn't a plug - just a fact - something a supermarket couldn't do unless they are having a promo.)
The chilling of reds was quite alien at first, but often expected by our Australian cousins. Doesn't bother me either - as it soon reaches slurpable temp anyway, but I wonder if a red would deteriorate more quickly in LOS if not kept in the fridge? The debate is probably irrelevant anyway, as only the finest wines are meant to keep for yonks and improve. Mass market stuff has a quite short shelf life - especially in Mags house.

[moja]

Just back from Villa Market where I checked the price of red wine, the cheapest we could find was 268 baht going up to 3490 baht!!!!!

Most of the bottles were in the 350 - 600 range though.

No Mount Clair but the space for it was still there, Tesco had loads on Friday so I do not think supply is a problem

[Guess]

............. we currently pay about 2 pounds for a decent bottle of plonk, but scotch starts at around 80, yes 80 pounds, so mixed feelings on moving from Tunisia to Thailand!

So are you saying 2 pounds for red wine and 80 pounds for Scotch in Tunisia. And I'll bet the Scotch is crap too.

Have you managed to sample any of the Tunisian "Brandy" yet?

10 GMs of resin and 2 bottles of Brandy for under 5 pounds in 1974. The red wine made a great breakfast drink when you could not afford orange juice.

[JAJA]

My wife (when travelling by herself) has been stopped and searched once by Thai Customs. Obvious sloanranger. Maybe they could not work out the 2 suitcases and why anyone would insist that they cannot travel with any less than 20 pairs of shoes (I'm serious). I think they had a cultural learning curve when they stopped her. What they didn't understand was that the suitcases are heavier on the way back.

[Arcadian]

Guess, my figures of 2 pounds for wine, you can pay less, and from 80 pounds for scotch is correct, the whisky is the genuine article, some stallholders will swap a bottle of Johnnie Walker black label for a good leather jacket. The Tunisian brandy you mention is probably Boukha, made from figs I think, tastes a bit like Thai whiskey.

[carlekennedy]

ANYBODY KNOW WHERE YOU CAN GET LAMBRUSCO?javascript:emoticon(':shock:')

[Super Joe]

WHY, ARE YOU MAKING A PUNCH FOR AN 18TH BIRTHDAY PARTY ?
Try the Wine Cellar on Petchakasem Road at the Soi 70 junction, they have a very good selection.

Me and a friend went in their and the kind lady offered us a very tempting DP , but we couldn't afford it.

SJ