From our visit to Seoul in late February 2009, Robert Parker, his wife Pat and I travelled south to Bangkok for Parker’s first ever event in Thailand. We disembarked shedding our winter coats for short-sleeved shirts and sandals, hitting the city during a somewhat unusually warm spell for that time of the year. Although 90+ % humidity made veritable amphibians of us, the sweltering heat certainly didn’t thwart our intensions of enjoying our work-holiday in this vibrant, frenetic city.
Within SE Asia, Bangkok is considered something of a shopping and food Mecca for urban tourists, though the political troubles in December 2008 (not to mention the state of emergency declared in April 2009) and economic downturn have had a recent effect on the number of visitors. Suvarnabhumi airport was uncharacteristically quiet even as we passed through. This is a shame - Thailand’s capital remains one of my favourite cities to visit in the region. Yes, yes, it’s hot, steamy and dirty, the inner-city has too many seriously ugly skyscrapers and the borders have crept into the outlying bucolic beauty like an insidious tumour. Yet Bangkok positively teems with its own culturally unique colours, smells and tastes.
Visit the markets of any metropolis and you’re immediately transported into the heart of a city’s flavours, which can provide vital clues to understanding their wine preferences and wine market potential. Thailand has no shortage of these with a number of busy wet markets and street / hawker food stands readily providing cheap, delicious native tastes. Witnessing the spectacle of the floating fruit and vegetable market makes this a must-visit. For a glutton for new aromas and flavours like me, I particularly love fruit stalls with their precarious, varicoloured piles of exotic local delicacies, many of which are seldom found outside of Thailand. The vast array of choices for the uninitiated can be daunting. So I was very pleased to discover a fellow fruit-lover during this visit, the GM of Best Cellars wine importers Khun Wantana, who kindly put together an incredible basket of seasonal specialties for me. Top treats included several extraordinary types of mangoes (out of some 1000 cultivars) and a small, round, sweet-sour, creamy textured fruit called Long Gong or Langsat, possessing an uncommon flavour similar to a blend of Alsace Pinot Gris and a ripe Sauvignon Blanc.
The food of Thailand is distinctive in its intensity and freshness of ingredients. The strong flavours of local chillies, lemongrass, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, basil and coconut milk dominate many of the dishes, sometimes making for some tricky though not impossible wine matches. As Thailand is one of the most devoutly Buddhist country’s of the world, seafood and vegetables constitute the main ingredients for most of the dishes, but there are also a good number that contain meat. Salads play a major role in any Thai meal consisting mainly of fresh herbs, vegetables and a wide variety of local fruits. I’m particularly partial to Green Mango Salad – a powerfully flavoured starter containing tart lime juice, fresh chillies, aromatic basil, crunchy mango and the richness of cashews to balance. This dish is particularly good with a straight-forward German or New Zealand Riesling.
Sala Rim Naam Restaurant
Our first evening together in Bangkok, Bob, Pat and I dined with the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok hotel’s general manager, Kurt Wachtveitl, his wife and a handful of guests including the governor of Bangkok, who honoured us by turning up in military dress uniform. The dinner was held at the hotel’s Sala Rim Naam, a beautifully housed Thai restaurant just a quick ferry-ride across the Chao Phraya River. It was our first of a few Thai feasts to be savoured this visit, though the calibre of cuisine at this restaurant was exemplary. Of particular note was the “Plar Pla’o” (a spicy salad of Asian bonito with Siamese herbs) and “Gaeng Khiew Wan Gai” (green chicken curry with round eggplant and basil leaves). Each of the courses was aptly matched with both a foreign and a Thai wine, adding an extra dimension to the meal.
The highlight of our few days spent in Bangkok was of course the Gala Wine Dinner at the Mandarin Oriental, or as it will forever be known by the locals, simply The Oriental.
I must pause to point out that within the globe’s metropolises there is a small list of truly great destination hotels – places of awe-inspiring grandeur that have become veritable quintessence’s of the cultures over which they preside. Bangkok’s Oriental Hotel tops this list. Dating back more than 130 years, The Oriental epitomises time-honoured Eastern opulence. Over the years it has played host to some of the Bangkok’s most illustrious guests. A few of these have been immortalised in the themed “Author’s Suites” housed in the older, original section of the hotel, each sumptuously decorated room bearing the name of a famed guest such as Noel Coward or Joseph Conrad.
Also located in the hotel’s original section is the Authors’ Lounge, a traditionally styled colonial conservatory complete with rattan furniture, and now used as an elegant setting for guests to take high tea. This area made a fitting venue for the Gala Dinner’s Champagne reception, decadently featuring free pouring Louis Roederer Cristal 2002.
The Dinner itself was held upstairs in the hotel’s Le Normandie restaurant, with space limiting the number of guests to just around 80. Admittedly this was a small figure for Parker’s first dinner in Bangkok, partly because we were gauging the level of interest in this relatively small wine market. As it turned out we were informed that the dinner could have been sold-out 4 or 5 times over, such was the demand for the seats. Although they were all crowd-pullers in their own respect, the venue, menu and the incredible selection of wines played but supporting roles here. There was no doubt that the dinner was really about an opportunity to share wines with the extraordinary man whose bimonthly magazine and books have brought wine to the attention of the uncompromising aficionados residing in this far-flung region.
The measures that the hosts and guests went to make Bob feel welcome were touching. At the beginning of the meal a barge stopped in the river outside the Normandie’s window to let off a barrage of firework’s in his honour. And Bob was on very good form with his speeches and renewed observations of the wines, particularly the Bordeaux’s. I have to confess that it was the two 2003s and the 1986 Mouton that really made an impact, in spite of our best efforts to put together a well-balanced list of Old World whites and reds. This stands to reason since Bangkok has a particular love for all-things Claret and there were in fact calls for an all-Bordeaux dinner!
The dinner was attended by a number of Bangkok’s wine-loving elite including the American ambassador and once again we were joined by the Oriental hotel’s manager for more than four decades – Kurt Wachtveitl – who is normally behind the scenes, rarely attending events himself. His presence foreshadowed the grand finale to come, when at the end of the dinner Wachveitl stunned everyone by announcing that he would retire from the hotel’s service in May 2009, truly the end of an era for this incredible hotel.
The morning after the night before, while Bob signed a hundred or so worn and well-read copies of his books for the dinner’s guests, I departed the hotel early (ugh, too early) for a visit to Bangkok’s outlying Siam Winery…but I’m afraid that’s a whole other article…
Tasting Notes from the Sala Rim Naam Dinner
Monsoon Valley Winery Colombard 2008, Thailand
83 points
Delicate citrus aromas with a touch of green apple. The palate is light bodied with crisp acidity and clean, pure lemon and grapefruit flavours. Medium finish. Drink now. Tasted March 2009.
Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese 2005, Joh. Jos. Prüm, Mosel, Germany
91 points
Wonderfully fragrant nose of jasmine, honey, ginger and candied orange plus a whiff of petrol. There’s a little spritz to the palate with a medium level of sweetness balanced by a great backbone of high acidity. Plenty of fresh lime and ripe apple flavour. Long finish with lingering notes of spice and chalk. Drink now to 2018. Tasted March 2009.
Chenin Blanc PB Valley 2006, Thailand
81 points
Slightly earthy, wet dog and pebble notes overlay the grape-juice and apple aromas. The palate is a little evolved yet still showing some tangy apple and pear flavours with refreshingly crisp acidity. Light body. Medium finish. Needs drinking up at this stage. Tasted March 2009.
Gewurztraminer 2004, Domaine Zind Humbrecht, Alsace, France
90 points
Honeycomb, lychee fruit, preserved ginger and spice aromas on the nose. The dry, rich, full bodied palate has a decadently silky texture with just enough acid (medium+ level) to balance. Long finish of nutmeg and poached pears. Drink now to 2014. Tasted March 2009.
Syrah Primavera 2006, Granmonte Winery, Thailand
79 points
Medium garnet colour. A slightly reduced, rubbery odour detracts a little from the otherwise appealing fresh blackberry, pepper and farmyard aromas. The palate is well structured with medium+ acidity and a medium level of round, accessible tannins supporting the dark berry / cherry fruit. Medium finish with a touch of bitterness. Drink now. Tasted March 2009.
Two Hands Grenache “Yesterday’s Hero” 2007, Barossa Valley, South Australia
90 points
Pale garnet colour. Smoked bacon, black pepper, warm raspberry and ripe cherry aromas draw you into this big, juicy fruit-forward wine straight away. The palate is full bodied, concentrated, yet nicely balanced by medium to high acidity. The low to medium level of tannins are smooth as satin. Long finish. Drink now to 2015. Tasted March 2009.
Menu for the Gala Dinner at Le Normandie, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
Le Normandie
Dried Sea Salt Cured Salmon Trout and Marinated Hand Dived Scallop with Home Made Sour cream
2001 Zind Humbrecht Riesling Clos Saint Urbain Rangen de Thann
*****
Over Mediterranean Herbs Roasted Canadian Lobster
2005 Verget Corton Charlemagne Vieilles Vignes
*****
Parmesan Risotto with Forest Mushroom Fricasse
2001 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia
*****
Deboned Farm House Quail Filled with Savoury Mince and Foie Gras
2003 Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou
*****
Fillet of Corn Fed Beef “En Croute” Sauce Perigordine
1986 Chateau Mouton Rothschild
*****
Selection Fine French Cheeses
2003 Chateau Montrose
*****
Extra Bitter Grand Gru Chocolate Nugget
2002 Weingut Robert Weil Kiedrich Grafenberg Riesling Eiswein
*****
Mocha
Sweet after dinner treats
Tasting Notes from the Gala Dinner at Le Normandie
Louis Roederer Cristal 2002
94 points
Seriously precocious nose with notes of apple blossom, fresh strawberries, clotted cream, cashews and lightly toasted hazelnuts plus a barely detectable hint of oak. Great concentration of apple crumble flavours with very fine bubbles and a crisp backbone of acid. Long creamy finish. Drink 2010 to 2029. Tasted March 2009.
Riesling Clos Saint Urbain Rangen de Thann 2001, Zind Humbrecht
96 points
Gorgeous, intensely scented nose of honeysuckle, mandarin peel and warm pineapple with nuances of musk and wet slate. The viscous, silken textured palate is harmonized by crisp acidity. Plenty of spicy, tropical fruits come through on the mid-palate. Long, minerally finish. Drink now to 2019. Tasted March 2009.
Corton Charlemagne Vieilles Vignes 2005, Verget
94 points
The nose is a little restrained, youthful, with cedary oak still dominating slightly and giving way to aromas of lemon tart, warm peaches, chalk dust, butterscotch and ginger. The palate is relatively rich and fat with a pleasant bit of phenolic grip and refreshing medium to high acidity. Long lemon-butter finish. Needs a bit more time to open and for the oak to marry. Drink 2010 to 2017. Tasted March 2009.
Tenuta dell’Ornellaia 2001
95 points
Deep garnet-purple. Complex notes of warm cassis, blackberries, mocha, forest floor and a touch of truffles. The medium to full bodied palate is solidly structured with a great backbone of high acidity and medium to firm, finely grained tannins. Layer upon layer of dark berry and earth flavours. Very long finish. Drink now to 2019. Tasted March 2009.
Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou 2003
94 points
Deep garnet colour with a hint of purple. Opulently spiced, dark fruit nose of black cherries, plum pudding, cinnamon, cloves and a little tar. The palate gives good support to the fleshy fruit with medium+, fine tannins and medium acidity. Medium to full body and a long finish. Drink now to 2020+. Tasted March 2009.
Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1986
100 points
Deep garnet-black colour. An incredible array of aromas on the nose: blackberry, black cherry, tobacco, espresso, leather, black olive and loam. The palate is absolutely seamless from first impression to finish, effortlessly building layers of complexity in the mouth and leading to a very long, earth and spice finish. I can’t see how this could possibly be improvement so have no alternative but concede perfection. Drink now to 2045+. Tasted March 2009.
Chateau Montrose 2003
96 points
Very deep garnet-black colour. The nose is a little closed giving moderately intense aromas of blackberry, ripe cassis, freshly cracked black pepper and a touch of cedar. The palate reveals this wine’s potential with buckets of juicy, warm berry fruit seasoned with a smattering of earth and spice. Finely structured giving medium to firn, tightly knit tannins and medium+ acidity. Very long, purely fruited finish. Drink 2010 t0 2030+. Tasted March 2009.
Riesling Kiedrich Grafenberg Eiswein 2002, Weingut Robert Weil
98 points
Intensely aromatic nose of candied lemon peel, quince, lime cordial and orange blossom. The palate is incredibly concentrated - very sweet yet wonderfully balanced with crisp acid. Layer upon layer of dried tropical fruit flavours lead to an epically long finish. Simply beautiful and absolutely delicious now, though this should reward anyone who can wait 20-30 years to drink it! Tasted March 2009.
