When a bottle of wine isn’t quite what it seems
| UNDERSTANDING wine has never been easy – and here in Thailand it’s getting ever more complex. Just when wine drinkers thought they’d cracked such important basics as grape varieties, country of origin, vintages, terroir, and a swathe of smells and tastes to distinguish a good bottle from an indifferent or corked one, consumers in Thailand now have to face a barrage of other considerations whose purpose seems to confuse rather than assist in their wine selection. |  |
The latest development is the introduction of the words “fruity wine” which appears on the labels on certain wines either as part of the description of the contents or as a separate characteristic of the product.
This is not to be confused with “fruit wine,” which is now widely available in Thailand, and often served at major functions held at (though not usually by) top hotels in Bangkok. This can be identified by a tiny label printed on the back of the bottle or box.
In both cases, however, the contents of the bottle are likely to contain as much as 30% of fruit juice in addition to real grape juice. Some regular wine drinkers view this as a trick to attract business from naive drinkers.
The advent of fruit wine came about in Thailand when local wine companies spotted a loophole in the tax laws favoring mixed fruit-grape products and, according to one expert “drove a huge truck through it.” Since then, fruit wine has established a firm foothold on the local drinks market.
In fairness, it has to be said that the aim of combining fruit juice with traditional grapes has always been simply for suppliers to obtain a lower tax status for their wine, making it cheaper and therefore more affordable for consumers in Thailand.
Purists and critics rail at this practice, claiming it damages the reputation of genuine wine and deliberately confuses drinkers. Importers who deal only in 100% grape wine are also understandably unhappy about the growth of fruit wine in Thailand.
The grape juice itself is normally shipped here in bulk from major wine producing countries like South Africa and Australia. Its quality is apparently not highly rated.
The actual mixing of the two juices takes place either in a neighbouring country such as Vietnam or here in Thailand.
Excise duty stamps appearing on the bottle or box indicate local versus imported wine: orange for local, blue for imported.
So, how is it possible to tell whether a wine, local or imported, contains fruit juice?
“First, look closely at the bottle to see whether it has the words ‘fruit wine’ printed, usually in small typeface, on the back of the label,” advises a shipper. “This sometimes occurs even on bottles that claim to have come from traditional wine producing countries.
“Then consider the price. If it’s extraordinarily cheap, it’s almost certainly a fruit wine.”
Confusing the market even further is the recent appearance of “aromatized” wine, which is said to be made from grapes and fortified by additional alcohol. “It’s actually vermouth, much like Martini and Cinzano,” explained the shipper.
It is widely believed that fruit wine is destined to disappear as the government will soon equalize the tax on all wines in Thailand – local, imported, fortified, with and without fruit juice.
Meanwhile, the huge and extremely valuable top end of Thailand’s wine market is apparently besieged by fakes. It’s a problem that has haunted Hong Kong for years and is now affecting this country.
This is not to be confused with “fruit wine,” which is now widely available in Thailand, and often served at major functions held at (though not usually by) top hotels in Bangkok. This can be identified by a tiny label printed on the back of the bottle or box.
In both cases, however, the contents of the bottle are likely to contain as much as 30% of fruit juice in addition to real grape juice. Some regular wine drinkers view this as a trick to attract business from naive drinkers.
The advent of fruit wine came about in Thailand when local wine companies spotted a loophole in the tax laws favoring mixed fruit-grape products and, according to one expert “drove a huge truck through it.” Since then, fruit wine has established a firm foothold on the local drinks market.
In fairness, it has to be said that the aim of combining fruit juice with traditional grapes has always been simply for suppliers to obtain a lower tax status for their wine, making it cheaper and therefore more affordable for consumers in Thailand.
Purists and critics rail at this practice, claiming it damages the reputation of genuine wine and deliberately confuses drinkers. Importers who deal only in 100% grape wine are also understandably unhappy about the growth of fruit wine in Thailand.
The grape juice itself is normally shipped here in bulk from major wine producing countries like South Africa and Australia. Its quality is apparently not highly rated.
The actual mixing of the two juices takes place either in a neighbouring country such as Vietnam or here in Thailand.
Excise duty stamps appearing on the bottle or box indicate local versus imported wine: orange for local, blue for imported.
So, how is it possible to tell whether a wine, local or imported, contains fruit juice?
“First, look closely at the bottle to see whether it has the words ‘fruit wine’ printed, usually in small typeface, on the back of the label,” advises a shipper. “This sometimes occurs even on bottles that claim to have come from traditional wine producing countries.
“Then consider the price. If it’s extraordinarily cheap, it’s almost certainly a fruit wine.”
Confusing the market even further is the recent appearance of “aromatized” wine, which is said to be made from grapes and fortified by additional alcohol. “It’s actually vermouth, much like Martini and Cinzano,” explained the shipper.
It is widely believed that fruit wine is destined to disappear as the government will soon equalize the tax on all wines in Thailand – local, imported, fortified, with and without fruit juice.
Meanwhile, the huge and extremely valuable top end of Thailand’s wine market is apparently besieged by fakes. It’s a problem that has haunted Hong Kong for years and is now affecting this country.
