When you think of Thailand most people don’t think of wines, but Thailand surprisingly has several excellent vineyards. Most of Thailand’s vineyards are located in the Khao Yai National Park area of the country – a vast, hilly and beautiful area, with winding country lanes and breathtaking views. In Khao Yai, there are several wineries where you can not only do a wine tasting and a vineyard tour, but can also eat in their superb restaurants or spend the night in one of their lovely guest rooms. If you’d like to do a vineyard tour in Khao Yai, don’t miss these three best Khao Yai vineyards.
GranMonte Family Vineyard – The GranMonte Family Vineyard is located in the beautiful Asoke Valley area of Khao Yai National Park. GranMonte produces Syrah and Chenin Blanc wines, as well as grape juices, grape jams, raisins, homemade cookies and even grapes by the kilo. Check out their shop for all their products.
The winery offers guided tours of its vineyards almost every day of the week, and you can also arrange special tours for larger groups if you contact them in advance. A member of the Lohitnavy family that owns the vineyard, Nikki, who you may meet on the tour, is also famous as Thailand’s first ever female winemaker.
Don’t miss eating at the GranMonte restaurant either. The food is superb and, of course, they serve their own wines. There’s also a wonderful guest house you can stay at, for a reasonable charge per night, which overlooks the stunning vineyards and includes breakfast for two and discounted green fees at Khao Yai Golf Club.
The Village Farm – Another Khao Yai vineyard is The Village Farm, located on the outskirts of Khao Yai and near Baan Pai Ngam village. The farm and vineyard is on 80 acres of land and not only grows grapes and makes wine, but also produces flowers and exotic fruit.
The Village Farm has a tour around its winery, as well as offers accommodation in several chalet-style houses. There’s even a spa, where you can experience wine hydrotherapy, body scrubs and Thai and Swedish massage, all while enjoying the wineries stunning natural beauty.
The on-site restaurant is located in a lovely old barn, thus “The Old Barn” name, and serves traditional and more modern Thai and western foods, using fresh and often home-grown ingredients.
PB-Valley Khao Yai Winery – One of the oldest vineyards in Thailand, having been open since 1989, PB-Valley Khao Yai Winery grows many different varieties of grape from all over the world. Their products include Shiraz, Chenin Blanc and Rose wines, and they also produce and sell grape juices, passion fruit juices, grape jams and jellies and grapes by the box.
At PB-Valley Winery there’s a wonderful tour, complete with a cute motorized train that will take you throughout the vineyard and, after the tour, don’t miss eating at the Great Hornbill Grill Restaurant. They serve European and American food (the fish and chips is excellent) and their pizzas from their wood-burning stove are simply delicious. Yum.
The vineyard also runs a small resort, with cute little cabins nestled among the trees and on the edge of the vineyard, with the mountains beyond. Imagine waking up in the morning and looking out over that.
Photo – Gran Monte Family Vineyard, Khao Yai, Thailand – beautiful, eh?