Hi guys,

Was wondering.. If there are places that sells expensive wines in Bangkok, Thailand.
Could any kind souls name a few shops and restaurants that sells premium wines..

Thanks!

All the wine in Bangkok is expensive as in way overpriced due to taxes.

If you are asking abut fine wine, yes, there are plenty of excellent restaurants with extensive wine lists. You can also buy wine at the high-end supermarkets such as the one in Emporium or the one in Siam Paragon.

I always bring in a couple of bottles of fine wine to share with Hanuman.

Wine Connection has a good selection. We also always travel with wine from home as it is so expensive in Bangkok. Most top restaurants will have a good selection.

You can find expensive wine all over Thailand - even the "home-brew" has a duty of about 150%.
However, if you want to find a good wine.............well, forget it.
the problem is that eve if a passable wine gets to your table in Thailand the chances are that it has been ruined. Unfortunately the way wine is carried and stored in Thailand leaves a lot to be desired. The main enemy is the climate - it's hot and humid, and unfortunately the product is usually handled so badly it is subject to a wide range of temperature hinges and incorrect strong methods - so even at the "swishest" restaurant with a giant temperature controlled wine store, the damage has usually been done before it gets there.
thai food is particularly enjoyable without wine, the way it has been consumed for hundreds of years - so go local and forget the wine.

errata -
two words changed by my word completion settings have been corrected - passage should read thus.....

"it is subject to a wide range of temperature changes and incorrect storage methods - "

there is a wine outlet in the basement of paragon mall with excellent wines. hanuman may chime in as he knows the best places.

For French wines the better restaurants (Le Normandie etc) in Bangkok carry a lot of premier cru in various vintages but at very high prices. The good thing about most fine restaurants is that you will get to taste the wine first so don't worry about what wilko wrote above. Cellars such as the Villa market wine cellar carry them as well and are kept in proper conditions.

For good American wine the best collection that I've seen is at the Water Library restaurants. The owner is a wine lover and care for his wine very well. They have a lot of good Italian and French as well but the American are the best. You can find wine like the Screaming Eagle, Amuse Bouche etc there.

Excise tax on wine in Thailand is very high, about 300%. Not a good place to buy wine!

I'm sorry but as I said even if the cellars are OK the wine has frequently been damaged it transit.
As pointed out above, it is to be noted that all over the world it is acceptable to send back a duff wine,even in the most humble of establishments, but in Thailand this is NOT always the case.
I guess this reflects the fact that wine is not a part of Thai culture and had a long way to go here before it is truly understood here.

Dear all much appreciated!

we stick to the fab beers

There can be problems with wine storage anywhere! I cannot recall where we were, but we had to return a bottle that had a cork-y taste to it. And I had a glass of wine that I absolutely could NOT drink, that was at the Grande Sukhumvit (used to be Sofitel, soi 6). It was the "house wine" and I couldn't help but wonder how many "pours" the server had done, or was I the first one from that particular bottle. Anyway, it was not stored properly, I would imagine.

Bob, that outlet at the basement of Paragon is a good place for selection. I agree. I think Villa Market is where we usually pick up our wine.... probably soi 11?

The problems with storage in Thailand - I'm not talking about anywhere - are the results of lax practices and the climate - wine is left exposed until it reaches over 30 degrees and then cooled down to nearly zero in unsuitable coolers....these wild fluctuations are the death of a good "live" wine. I know of one restaurant which has a huge room lined with wine racks - like a cellar....apart from the fact it is open to the outside restaurant and has no cooling whatsoever. Any bottle put on their racks is simply not even worth consideration....it's a joke yet they have literally hundreds of bottles there.
The next problem is if you get a duff bottle most of the time the staff have no idea what you are talking about and refuse to take it back. Thailand is the only country I've ever been in where this has happened, and unfortunately it happens a lot.

i like villa market on soi 11 because they have a relaxed rule on selling wines during the 86 period.