James Suckling
Is rosé the perfect wine for Thailand? We think so.
Last week, we found our Top 10 rosés available in the country, as well as the Best of Show and Best Value during blind tastings at The Nai Harn, a prestigious beach resort in Phuket. The second Best Rosé of Thailand wine tasting attracted close to 80 different wines, a large increase from the first event last year when we tasted around 50.
The wines of France’s Côtes de Provence dominated the tasting, as it did last year, and accounted for five of our Top 10. The region also produced the Best of Show rosé. This shouldn’t be surprising as Côtes de Provence makes benchmark rosés. From their subtle colors to their bright, vivid fruit and minerally flavors, the rosés of France’s popular wine region serve as reference points for rosés all over the world. We also tried rosés from the United States, New Zealand, Spain, Germany and Italy as well as five wines from Thailand.
The 80-odd wines were tasted for the event by myself and my son, Jack. All were tasted blind. Any wines receiving a rating of 90 points or more were then retasted in a group. Wholesale bottle prices were also taken in consideration for the rankings. In other words, we tried to find the best quality rosés for the money.
Chateau Routas was the No. 1 wine of the competition
The No. 1 rosé of the tasting as well as the other nine wines were ranked according to a combination of score and price. That’s why we decided on the Château Routas Coteaux Varois en Provence 2016, which was rated 93 points and sells for less than $15 a bottle in the United States. It was also won the separate Best Value category in the competition.
The highest-scoring rosé was 2014 Château d’Esclans Côtes de Provence Garrus at 96 points. It was our Best of Show rosé. The same wine won our first Best Rosé of Thailand competition last year. The 2014 continues to show beautiful and complex character with a fabulous density and richness. It also illustrates that a top rosé can improve with age just like a great white. It may be one of the greatest rosés ever made.
All the Top Ten rosés in the competition received ratings of 91 points or more. Perhaps the most inspiring was the dark-colored rosé from GranMonte – GranMonte Syrah Asoke Valley Sakuna Rosé 2016. Thailand clearly makes some excellent wines and the aforementioned is one of the best. But there were so many outstanding rosés to choose from. More than half were outstanding quality or 90 points or more.
In the end, the outstanding rosés of the competition are ultimate warm-weather wines. They are not tiring to drink and for the most part they are not too expensive to buy. These are wines that are good with all types of food or good on their own. They satisfy on every level. —James Suckling, CEO/Editor
Below are the official Best Rosé of Thailand 2017 categories. The wines are then listed alphabetically with full notes and score.
Best Value: Château Routas Coteaux Varois en Provence Rosé 2016; Imported by Italasia.
Best In Show: Château d’Esclans Côtes de Provence Garrus Rosé 2014; Imported by BB&B.
Top Ten:
1. Château Routas Coteaux Varois en Provence Rosé 2016 (Imported by Italasia)
2. Mastroberardino Irpinia Lacrimarosa Rosato 2016 (Imported by Italasia)
3. Château d’Esclans Côtes de Provence Garrus Rosé 2014 (Imported by BB&B)
4. Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Rosé 2014 (Imported by IWS)
5. Domaine Houchart Côtes de Provence Rosé 2015 (Imported by Wine & Taste/Gfour)
6. Gérard Bertrand Pays d’Oc Gris Blanc Rosé 2015 (Imported by BB&B)
7. Château Cavalier Côtes de Provence Cuvée Marafiance Rosé 2016 (Imported by Siam Winery)
8. GranMonte Syrah Asoke Valley Sakuna Rosé 2016 (Imported by Wine & Taste/Gfour)
9. Les Maîtres Vignerons de la Presqu’ile de Saint-Tropez Côtes de Provence Cep d’Or Rosé 2015 (Imported by Wine Connection)
10. Roubine Côtes de Provence La Vie En Rose 2016 (Imported by Wine & Taste/Gfour)
