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Vineyard uncorks tropical wine - 23rd July 2020

Lohitnavy sisters produce first-class wine, not from Tuscany nor the South of France but here, The Granmonte Vineyard, just 3 hours from Bangkok, Thailand.

Founded by the sisters' parents, the winery is now in the hands of their daughters with viticulture graduate Nikki overseeing changes to the estate's output which better suit the climate.

Experts in cultivating grapes in tropical conditions, the sisters are attracting the attention of winemakers from across the globe seeking advice on making wine in a changing climate.

Nikki: “Tropical wine making is really up and coming. A lot of wine makers from around the world they want to know what we do here because the climate is changing so they have to adapt to warmer temperatures, higher rainfalls in their regions too."

The challenges facing the sisters aren't limited to the warmer weather they have, as they also have to contend with Thailand's stringent advertising laws.

Mimi: “For example I can't show clearly a bottle of my wine, I can't post on social media what the wine tastes like, how or why it's good and also there's a restriction in the form of excise tax."

Lockdown has hit the sales revenue at the Granmonte Vineyard hard with nearly one million dollars lost. The sisters fear further rules could hinder the vineyard's recovery.