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Monsoon Valley wine tasting dinner at the Four Seasons
Thai wine For Thai food
Marion Vogt
Horeca Managing Director Rudy van den Berg and Patinya
Srisuk (Joon) invited hoteliers and restaurateurs from the northern region
for a very special wine tasting dinner. This time it was in cooperation with
The Four Season Resort Chiang Mai and Siam Winery Bangkok.
Laurent
Metge-Toppin on the very left and Khun Rooj, owner of Rachamankha Hotel with
a table of gourmets.
Kim Wachtveitl, the Director of Business Development from
Siam Winery was present to give first hand information regarding the
characteristics of Monsoon Valley Wines. The wines are made from local
grapes, grown on the ‘floating vineyards’ in the Chao Phraya delta.
Smiling
faces (from left) Syahreza Ishwara, F&B director of Four Seasons Resort,
Chef Derek Watanabe and his sous chef, Kim Wachtveitl director of business
development for Siam Winery, Patinya Srisuk (Horeca), Laurent Metge-Toppin
Siam Winery French wine maker, Horeca managing director Rudy van den Berg
and Piyapong Tongkam, sales manager Siam Winery.
In 2003 Siam Winery launched its Monsoon Valley Wines in
New York, Bangkok and London. The wines are made from Thai grapes, local
Malaga Blanc and Colombard, and are designed to perfectly complement Thai
cuisine.
As it is not easy to make a wine which emphasizes a
balance between the palate of Thai tastes, which ranges from sour, salty,
hot and even sweet, the Monsoon Valley wines seem to have found that niche.
Laurent Metge-Toppin, a French wine maker who had also flown to Chiang Mai
explained how much fun it was to help creating this perfect touch to Asian
food and that it was his pleasure to be on hand with his expertise.
Their red wine is a medium bodied wine with velvety
finish and has a bright clean fruit aroma matching perfectly with red
curries and other meat dishes. The white wine is made from the local Malaga
grape with an aroma of watermelon, going especially well with green curries,
white meat and fish because they are lighter and have lower acidity. And the
dry rose wine, made from a blend of the local Malaga Blanc, Pokdum and Black
Muscat grape has a strawberry aroma, being the perfect match for Asian
starters and fish cakes.
The audience was pleasantly surprised by the fact that
there is finally a wine which has not only won international wine awards but
also seems to be on the way to becoming the house wine in many Asian
restaurants around the country and abroad.
Siam Winery is eager to create a wine industry that Thais will be proud
of both at home and abroad. The consensus was that they are all well worth a
try.
Sadness during 4th July celebrations
Our consul-general says goodbye
Marion Vogt
The celebration of the 228th Anniversary of the
Independence of the United States of America and the official reception in
the gardens of the American consulate Chiang Mai was supposed to be a
cheerful affair. This time, the official evening reception was
overshadowed by the fact that Consul General Eric Rubin and his wife
Nicole Simmons will be returning to Washington next month and it was to be
good-bye.
Pol.
Captain Napatsawon Sripa, sub inspector, Kanokpun Roobkajorn, Chiang Mai
immigration office; Eric Rubin, Alistair Connon, Julie and David Hopkinson
the Hon. British Consul.
After three years in the Kingdom and in Chiang Mai, the
speech delivered by Governor Suwat Tantipat reflected the close
relationship between the Kingdom of Thailand and the United States of
America. He thanked Eric Rubin for his help to make the Thai-American
partnership a force for good in the North. He also reminisced on the
longstanding alliance and partnership between the two countries and ended
with a toast to America with a standing ovation, not only for Independence
Day, but also to honor Consul-General Eric Rubin and his wife Nicole.
 Consul
General Eric S. Rubin saying his good byes
Eric was very touched, but welcomed the audience, on
behalf of Ambassador Darryl Johnson, to the celebration of the 228th year
of American independence. He said, “When His Majesty, King Bhumibol
Adulyadej the Great, addressed the United States Congress 43 years ago, he
noted that for all the distance that divides our people, still one thing
unites us - the love of freedom. 43 years later, it still does. For 54
years now, we here at the United States Consulate General in Chiang Mai
have been honored to play a role in developing that partnership, and we
are grateful for the support and friendship of the people of the North
throughout that time. I feel personally grateful to have been able to
spend the past three years here among so many good friends. We know we
will be back to visit, so we are not saying farewell to our friends here,
just goodbye.”
He then asked the audience to join in a toast to the
health and long life of Their Majesties, the King and Queen of Thailand.
Eric and Nicole you will be missed but we are all looking forward to
welcome you back for your holidays!
Royal mace on countrywide tour to honour HM the Queen
Autsadaporn Kamthai
The Royal mace and flags are being taken to all corners
of Thailand to honor Her Majesty the Queen who celebrates her birthday on
August 12.
Soldiers
carry the Royal mace on Rattanakosin Road.
Last week, the Royal mace procession left Mae Hong Son
province and arrived in Chiang Mai province. Deputy Governor Kwanchai
Wongnitikorn as the province’s representative, accompanied by the heads
of many government offices, received the mace.
The Royal insignia were carried around the city’s
moats and heart of the city, and then the procession moved along the
Chiang Mai-Doi Saket-Chiang Rai Superhighway.
The mace and flags were handed over to the people of Chiang Rai at the
Hot Spring in Chiang Rai’s Wiang Papao district. From Chiang Rai it will
continue its tour over Thailand.
Do’s and don’ts to stay healthy
Noel Bruyns
Foreigners who like their steaks rare or medium should
think twice about placing such orders with their waiters.
Dr Eberhard Stockmann, director of Medical Services of
Siemens in Germany, offers a list of do’s and don’ts for those who wish
to remain healthy in tropical countries and climates. He travels the world
consulting on health issues.
* Eat only well-cooked or roasted food (no medium-done
steak).
* Eat only fruit and vegetables that can be peeled. Take
special care with regard to general hygiene in the household.
* Take care with ice cubes in the restaurant! They are
frequently made from tap water and contain a large number of germs which are
not killed off by freezing.
* Never drink tap water but use factory-sealed mineral
water bottles.
* Drink as much water as possible (2-3 liters a day and
more, according to the amount of physical effort you perform).
* Since diarrhoea diseases are frequently caused by germs
which quickly multiply in food in a tropical climate, it is essential to
keep food which has not been consumed in the refrigerator. This food should
also be eaten as quickly as possible.
Dr Stockmann agrees that malaria is not a threat in
places like Chiang Mai or Bangkok, “But if you go to the far north near
the border with Myanmar, or the areas towards the Cambodian border, for
example, you should take prophylactics and other sensible precautions.”
* The best protection: keep mosquitoes away from you.
* Small lakes, ponds and water places of all kinds should
be as far away from your house or place of accommodation as possible.
* Between dusk and dawn you should stay in
air-conditioned rooms; mosquitoes are nocturnal (except dengue mosquitoes,
which bite during the day).
* If you are outdoors in the evening or at night, keep as
much of your body covered by clothing.
* Use a mosquito repellent on your hands and face.
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