A Thai rosé named as ‘World’s Best Rosé’ by James Suckling

The best rosé in the world is a white Shiraz, not from France’s renowned Provence or Loire, but from the tropical country of Thailand in Southeast Asia, according to American wine critic James Suckling.

From left to right: Jack Suckling, Frank Grassmann, general manager of Nai Harn Phuket resort, and American critic James Suckling holding a bottle of the winning Monsoon Valley rosé (Photo source: JamesSuckling.com)

The rosé made from Thailand’s Monsoon Valley in Hua Hin, the seaside resort near Gulf of Thailand, outshone almost 80 samples including a few heavyweights from rosé’s home base in Provence to win the World’s Best Rosé title at this year’s ‘Best Rosé in Thailand’ competition, held on 11 May in Phuket, Thailand.

Described as an “unexpected victory”, the wine gave other pricier samples a good run for their money in the blind tasting and took home ‘Best of Show’ in the still wine category as well as ‘Best Value’, ahead of Château Routas Côteaux Varois en Provence 2017, whose 2016 vintage won last year’s competition, and Caves d’Esclans Côte de Provence Whispering Angel Rosé 2017.

“I loved the balance and energy of the Monsoon Valley White Shiraz,” said Suckling. “The tasting was completely blind and we judged the wine for its brightness and quality.”

Château Routas and Monsoon Valley white Shiraz (Photo source: JamesSuckling.com)

Making wines in a tropical country like Thailand comes with its perils, with the merciless monsoon season, lack of sunlight due to its close proximity to Equator and the unique ‘two seasons, one crop’ training system, meaning that grapes undergo two vegetation periods – one in the wet season (April to October), and another in the dry season (November to March) – though only the dry season vegetation leads to a crop.

Speaking of winemaking in Thailand, Jack Suckling, a resident of Bangkok, added, “The Thai wine industry is just coming into its own with a handful of wineries making outstanding bottles. The tropical climate is difficult for viticulture, necessitating constant management and nurturing. Experimentation is still the norm with winemakers looking for the correct methodology and grape types to emphasise quality.”

The competition was held as part of Nai Harn Phuket resort’s wine programme, which includes a wine list created by the team at JamesSuckling.com including a section with top wines by the glass using Coravin, such as Château Montrose 2005.

For the full list of results, please click here.

The winning Monsoon Valley wine is also available in Hong Kong through Links Concept.