My wife and I very much enjoy red wine. In reading some of the threads here I get the impresion that wine is not that easy to get and expesive. We fly Vancouver Tokyo Bkk. Is there any duty free wine at the airport in Bkk or Tokyo available or any other sugestions??...Thanks...er

I'm looking forward to the experts' responses - I'm a red wine drinker too, and am hoping it will be available. I <b>do</b> remember in China that it was somewhat difficult to get wine, and what <b>was</b> available brought me back to my teenage years ( ), so I'm really curious too.

<font color="green">Cyn</font>

Wine is easy to get in Bangkok but decent wine is expensive. A bottle that costs about $10 in NY is between $20 and $25 in BKK. That said, there is an excellent wine store in the basement of the Siam Paragon shopping center that should suit your needs. It carries a great selection from all over the world.

And a wine that costs $10-15 in the US in stores will cost $50+ in a restaurant in Bangkok. While I am a wine drinker at home, I pass on wine in Thailand. Call me a wine snob, but I'm just not happy with the majority of wines readily available in Thailand. I often buy some champagne in duty free to drink in Thailand.

While I'm a red wine drinker at home, I also have to admit that the &quot;big&quot; reds I drink at home are not really meant for the heat of Thailand.

ooh, good point Kathie - champagne works!

Cyn

On both of my trips to Thailand last year I brought two bottles of good wine from home to enjoy along the way.

On my trip this past November I found a very good wine shop near the Sala Daeng sky train stop. I took a look around and they had some very good wines and a huge variety.

You will find that the Australian reds are much more affordable than ones coming from the US.

Duty free allowance into Bangkok is 2 bottles per head of wine and 1 bottle/head of stronger spirits (eg whisky, vodka, etc) so u could buy at duty free and carry.

There are a couple of duty free shops in the arrival area of the new airport (before the custom check - by the luggage carousels) which sell champagne and wine. Selections are limited but you can find some good price Australian wine like Penfold 407s(US$22), 707s and the price are quite reasonable. There are also duty free shops at Tokyo Narita but I'm not sure about the prices.

the major issues have been covered....wine is very available in thailand especially in the large towns, but its quality and price are the downside...

price especially is an issue...in the last few years things have improved and any decent restaurant now pushes their wines, and as kathie says they are way way overpriced...it would be nothing for a good red to be $150...

so we skip wines except for an occasional glass and have beers of which we like kloster the best followed by singha (available everywhere)...chang is the very strong beer that some folks love...

Be careful: There are TWO wine shops in the basement of Siam Paragon -- one is free-standing and pricy. The other appears to be part of the supermarket (blocking on the name - Gourmet Market??) and is more reasonable - and has a wide selection. The specials in the second shop included some decent (but not great) buys, but always exceeded US (well, Chicago) prices.

And yes, there is a domestic wine industry in Thailand, but the reviews I read were decidedly mixed!

Thank you all, very much apreciated, looks like beer, sake, champagne and the odd bottle of wine, 5 more sleeps, can't wait.....er

Price is a big issue with wine in thailand! pricey stuff its considered!

Have a wonderful trip, Eckhardt!

The best place I've found to drink wine in Thailand is V9, a wine bar at the top of the Sofitel Silom. The selection is huge, and it is cheaper than any other place for the same quality.

I've recommended it several times on this forum, and I don't think anyone has tried it yet. I hope someone else will discover this place. It is one of the best kept secrets in BKK.

Among local wines, Monsoon Vineyards has gotten good reviews and won some international awards (it's run by the son of the GM of the Oriental).

However, local wines are subject to the same 400% excise tax that imported spirits have to pay, so they aren't much cheaper.

i get into bkk around midnite, and i don't remember seeing any open duty free liquor store at the new airport. maybe i was just tired, and was looking for a bed.

if you bring wines to bangkok, i rec. bringing only premium bottles, since are you are packing them all the way over to bangkok.

i find the best two places to buy wines are at the wine shop in the emporium plaza, to the left of the entrace to the market. i was able to find a bottle of grgich hills chard on sale for $35/bottle, about the same price i pay for it here.

also, on the first floor of the central dept store. they have a fantastic super market will all kinds of prepared foods, and they also have a wine shop just as you enter the market. they always have wines on sale.

for a reasonable wine/lunch experience, go to the food court at central. you can buy a bottle of wine for under 700b, and the staff will open and serve the wine to you. you can also give them you card, and they will pickup your food for you from your favorite food counters. they usually have a jazz group on wednesday afternoons. great way to unwind, and call it an early day.

brad, will ck out v9 next time. when are you going to be there next?

The $15-$20 bottle of wine at the store in the USA cost $50 in the restaurant as well in the USA. Some good options to buy at the Wine Connection (shops all over BKK).

If you opt for beer, Singha or Chang are a bit rough. Try Tiger or Beer Lao instead.

Funny how folks who would laugh at travelers who eschew native foods and eat all their meals at McDonald's, or even upscale 'European' restaurants stay wedded to their beverages of choice!

As a Bkk regular, how about...
Drink 'the Thai way'. Mekhong is a lower-than-we're used-to proof beverage that tastes like a smoky cognac. It's available EVERYWHRE (even 7-11s), no english on the bottle which has an orange label, light brown thai lotus pattern and name in Thi script in red. just say &quot;may-kong' Under $3 a bottle. Mix about 1/4 Mekhong, 3/4 water with ice; increasing the %alcohol as the evening progresses! PERFECT with Thai food...and at under$2 a person, spend the money on that expensive wine when you eat at a western restaurant there.
(BTW, nothing makes Thais happier than to see fahrang drinking Mekhong. We bring a bottle to our Thai massage place, share it with the Masseurs and get treated even better than Thais' usual warmth and joyful/playfulness!

kuranosuke,
I'll be back to BKK for Songkran in April. Also to celebrate my birthday on the 23rd.

I'm up for V9 any time.