Thailand

Thailand's wine industry began to take shape in the early 1990s, following a 12-year viticultural experimental study in the mid-1970s and a ruling by the Thai government in 1992 that officially allowed wine production. The country's first winery, Château de Loei, was established in 1993 in the Phu Ruea Highlands by the late Dr. Chaijudh Karnasuta. Prior to this, grapes from Malaga Blanc and Pokdum vines in the Chao Praya Delta were used to make a popular wine cooler called Spy. Siam Winery, now Thailand's largest wine producer, then progressed to table wines made from Shiraz, Colombard, and Chenin Blanc planted in the Khao Yai region, 175 kilometers (110 miles) northeast of Bangkok. Its main vineyards and winemaking operation for its Monsoon Valley label are on the east of the Thai Gulf, near the city of Hua Hin. There are now eight active wineries in Thailand, most of them in the Khao Yai region and nearby Kabin Buri, at altitudes up to 550 meters.