by Siam Winery, after successfully experimenting at the nearby Royal Research Station at Huay Sai, built Hua Hin Hills vineyard on the site of a former elephant corral just outside the resort town of Hua Hin in Petchaburi Province. Here the prize-winning Monsoon Valley New Latitude wines are produced from Colambard, Chenin Blanc, Muscat, Shiraz and Tempranillo grapes, grown on loamy sand and slate soil, 140-210 metres above sea level.
How to Get to Hua Hin Hills Vineyard
Wine lovers who sample the excellent Monsoon Valley Wines for the first time may be surprised at the high quality of the product from a country whose climate has long been considered too hot for the production of good wine. However, under the management of Kathrin Puff, winemaker for Siam Winery, the blends have won 4 medals at international competitions.
Not only are the wines an excellent addition to a meal in one of the many fine restaurants in the area and further afield, but the winery provides another sight-seeing expedition for visitors to the seaside town of Hua Hin, one of Thailand’s most popular resorts on the Gulf.
On offer are two packages of “wine and snack” or “3-course meal with wine” including transfer from the town of Hua Hin if needed, or there is a full menu if travelling independently. This vineyard tour is unlike any other in the world, being made on the back of an elephant. Elephants are employed by the vineyard for many tasks, transporting visitors around is just one of them.
Restaurant and Tasting Area at Hua Hin Hills Vineyard
The Thai-inspired wooden pavilion, The Sala, with its surrounding open-air gallery overlooks the vineyards and the range of blue black mountains beyond which lie Burma. Meals are served here, wine is tasted and a short video of the work of the vineyard can be viewed. Designed by Sylvia Soh, a former Norman Foster architect, the Sala is the perfect place in which to sample the tasting menu, composed, as far as possible, of locally sourced ingredients, the whole designed to complement the wines.
Where to Try the Wines in Hua Hin Town
Hotels like the 5* Dusit Thani Hua Hin include Monsoon Valley Wines on their extensive wine list chosen to complement the exquisite food prepared by the French, Italian and Thai chefs in the hotel.
Siam Winery and Hua Hin Hills Vineyard looks set to win more medals for Thailand and Southeast Asia and no visitor to the area should miss the chance of visiting this fine vineyard.
