EASY TRIPS
The cellar door is open daily, where visitors can order simple
lunches with farm-to-table produce paired with their wines. There
are also wine tastings, and tours of the barrel room and winery, as
well as social events with the Portet family available throughout
the year (dominiqueportet.com).There are daily tours that include a lap around the vineyard and winery, ending
with wine tasting and a set lunch of dinner at the in-house VinCotto restaurant.
February 2017 is GranMonte Harvest Month and tours booked during the month will
also include a learning experience about tropical winemaking the by direction of
Nikki Lohitnavy. The Annual Harvest Festival on 18-19 February also promises to be
lots of fun for oenophiles with its buffet, free flow of wine and mini concert. Book a
tour by emailing [email protected] or visiting granmonte.com.MAKE IT HAPPENMAKE IT HAPPENKhao Yai
Thailand is one of the last places anyone would think of to be a wine-
growing region. The tropical and humid climate has always been
considered unsuitable for wine production but vineyards in Thailand
are changing this notion. One of the first to gain world recognition is
GranMonte Family Vineyard, which was founded by the Lohitnavy
family in 2009 and is under the sole direction of Nikki Lohitnavy,
Thailand’s first and only fully qualified oenologist. Wines from the
GranMonte Estate are the most decorated in Thailand, having won more
than a hundred awards in the past four years. There are a few varieties
available and it is the whites, such as its Spring Chenin Blanc, Sole
Chenin Blanc Viognier and GranMonte Viognier that are the most
renowned. The whites from GranMonte often feature notes of tropical
fruits like papaya, pineapple, and lime, which make them popular for
wine pairing, especially with spicy Thai cuisine. Nikki continues to
challenge herself in creating new varieties and has since developed
Sakuna Rosé Syrah, Bussaba Natural Sweet Wine Chenin Blanc
Semillon and Muscat, and GranMote Crémant.Yarra Valley
It is impossible to write about winemaking regions
without at least mentioning Yarra Valley, the Australian
wine region located east of Melbourne. Its cool climate
is best known for producing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir,
Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz wine varieties. The
undulating topography of the area divides the valley
into two distinct subregions – Valley Floor and Upper
Yarra, with each experiencing distinct soil and climate
conditions. Valley Floor is located nearer sea level and
experiences warmer temperatures, while Upper Yarra
has younger, fertile red soils and a cooler climate, which
aid in the production of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Wine producers in Yarra Valley take their wine seriously
and many will be hard-pressed to find any winery
without an accolade. One of the most exceptional in
Yarra Valley is Dominique Portet Winery, where the
Portet family has been making wine for ten generations.
Even more impressively, their beginnings can be traced
to Château Lafite-Rothschild in Bordeaux where
founder Dominique had his first whiff of wine.
Dominique moved to Yarra Valley when he discovered
how similar the conditions were to that of his home in
France. For decades since then, the winery has enjoyed
great success, especially with its Fontaine Rosé, a wine
described to be the bottled essence of summer berries.PHOTOGRAPHS: GRANMONTE , WIKICOMMONS EDWIN