Event Recap: Great Wines of Italy Bangkok – The Wine Event Of The Year In Thailand

The opulent five-star Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok’s downtown Chitlom was no stranger to grandiose events, but when the Great Wines of Italy event organized by JamesSuckling.com kick-started on November 29, it still managed to wow the city’s most discerning wine community and had the city abuzz with excitement for Italian wines and fine wine in general.

Held from November 29 to 30, the event was already hailed by wine lovers as THE Wine Event of The Year in Thailand. No other wine event could unite one of the world’s most powerful wine critics – James Suckling – and close to 80 leading Italian wine producers with around 1,000 wine lovers in Thailand to taste more than 950 premium bottles of the most coveted Italian wines! 

Top Italian wine producers and winemakers of world-renowned estates such as Casanova di Neri, Bibi Graetz, Ornellaia, Petrolo, Pio Cesare, Marchesi di Frescobaldi, Roberto Voerzio, Castello Banfi, Marchesi Antinori, Valdicava, and many more were personally present at the Grand Tasting on November 30 at Hyatt’s Grand Ballroom to pour their top wines, all rated 90 points or above by James for their outstanding drinkability and character.

Both our 90+ Points Collector’s Dinner and tasting tickets were sold out weeks leading up to the event, proving the huge popularity of Italian wines in the Land of Smiles and, most importantly, wine lovers’ eagerness to taste top-notch Italian wines, many of which are not available in Bangkok and were flown in from Italy just for the event by sponsor-airline Cathay Pacific. Top 2010 Brunellos, 2010 and 2011 Barolos and Super Tuscans such as Solaia, Tignanello, and Sassicaia were on pour at the Grand Tasting.

The success of the event also underlines Thai market’s healthy growth. Despite high taxes and stringent rules on drinking, Thailand’s wine market registered strong growth in 2014, up 13% in volume terms, according to figures released by research firm Euromonitor. In addition, the industry is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.9% during 2014-2019, it adds.

For the dinner event on November 29, the 200 guests were treated with a multi-course dinner created by Michelin-starred guest chef Massimo Mentasti from Villa Sparina, Italy. Another highlight was Surahn Sidhu, a former songwriter and producer of Australia’s famous band Empire of the Sun, who flew from Australia to spin the music at both of our dinner and tasting events. The musician performed hits from the band and blended different genres of music that moved all the crowds to their feet.  

You can check out our event photos below to savor some great moments. If you haven’t had a chance to attend this year, be sure to get your tickets earlier and join us next time! 

Photos from top to bottom: Close to 1,000 people attended our Grand Tasting event on November 30 held at the Grand Ballroom of Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel; Guests cheering to the Great Wines of Italy event; James taking a photo with Bangkok wine lovers; Guests enjoying some great wines at the tasting; Surahn Sidhu of the Empire of the Sun performing at the Grand Tasting 

Dinner Photos:

Grand Tasting Photos: 

– Natalie Wang