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Great Wines of Italy: Thailand's Greatest Wine Event In History
December 8, 2014 @ 1:23 pm
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Bangkok Sniffs, Swirls, Sips and Swoons as Great Wines of Italy Creator James Suckling Savours ‘Great Success’
FIRST BANGKOK EDITION OF ASIA’S LARGEST PREMIUM ITALIAN WINE TASTING EXTRAVAGANZA SHOWCASES MORE THAN 120 WINES EACH SCORING 90+ POINTS BY WINE CRITIC JAMES SUCKLING
Great Wines of Italy Bangkok, Thailand’s largest premium Italian wine tasting event, united world famous wine critic James Suckling with more than 40 of Italy’s most renowned wine-makers, 58 leading Italian vineyards and boutique wineries, more than 120 of the finest Italian wines and more than 800 of Bangkok wine lovers for a Bacchanal the likes of which Bangkok had never seen before.
The event had the Grand Hyatt’s grand ballroom buzzing from 3pm until evening as the biggest event of its kind ever staged in Bangkok, Great Wines of Italy, was declared a ‘great success’ by its founder James Suckling, CEO of JamesSuckling.com and Wine Editor of Thailand Tatler. JamesSuckling.com is already the largest on-line wine media in Thailand.
“It’s great to see Bangkok taking its seat at wine’s top table and emerging as one of Asia’s most important wine loving and wine buying cities,” James said, as a symphony of sniffing, swirling and sipping swept around the ballroom and Italy’s most famous wine producers and estate owners enthusiastically poured their finest product into the elegant Lalique glasses flown in specially by James for the event.
“We’ve got something even bigger planned for March, when Great Wines of Bordeaux comes to Bangkok,” James said.
The wines showcased and tasted at the event were featured in the American’s ‘Top 100 Italian Wines of the Year 2014‘ list. Each of more than 120 premium wines poured – many by the men and women who made them – was awarded 90 points or more by James Suckling for outstanding quality and character.
“Thailand is one of the most exciting premium wine markets in Asia and I want to be part of it!” said James. “It’s not widely known, but Thailand has more than double the consumers of fine wines compared to China.
“According to the latest estimates from wine merchants in China, there are about 300,000 to 400,000 consumers of premium wines (consumers who pay more than US$20 or THB650 a bottle) while Thailand has more than 900,000 if you include the visitors to its hotels and resorts, who account for 35 percent of the fine wine market.
“Thais love Italian wines but they have never had the opportunity to taste a huge range of totally outstanding wines (90 points or more rated by me) in one place,” said the American who is a resident of Hong Kong.
“We have brought Italy to Bangkok. In fact, you couldn’t find a tasting like this in Milan, Florence or Rome!”
James also debunked the myth that wine was not suitable to be quaffed with spicy Thai cuisine, and praised Thais for their sophisticated palates and pragmatic, non-snobbish approach to wine. “Many wines are sensational with Thai food, as I’m sure some of those tasting these great Italian wines in between bites of Thai tapas from the Grand Hyatt’s excellent Thai chefs would agree.
“It’s my belief that the spices from pepper and chili in Thai food actually stimulate the palate and make it even more sensitive to the nuances of a great wine.”
The first Bangkok edition of Great Wines of Italy followed two years of success in Hong Kong and Shanghai. The showcase is part of James’s Great Wines of the World tasting series, a visionary undertaking that has seen sold-out events featuring the best wines and wine-makers from Italy, Bordeaux, Chile, Argentina and the world at large in New York, San Francisco, Hong Kong and Shanghai. He has various sponsors for his events including Cathay Pacific, Lalique glassware, and Hong Kong Tourism Board.
Top wine producers and winemakers of world-renowned estates such as Bellavista, Luce, Ornellaia, Petrolo, Pio Cesare, Frescobaldi, Sette Ponti, Castello Banfi, Casnova di Neri, Valdicava, and many more were represented at the event, their fine wines complemented by delicious Thai cuisine prepared by the Grand Hyatt.
James also pronounced as a success a sold-out 11-course wine dinner on the evening of Tuesday, December 2, which unfolded to the melodies of Rob Moose’s violin, the Bon Iver musical legend who is a friend of James and flew in specially for the event from New York City.
