You Had Me At Merlot: Continuing Thailand Wine Weekend at PB Valley Vineyards

After a fabulous Thai wine weekend kick off at GranMonte Vineyards, we were on to our second stop of the day, PB Valley. Appropriately, PB Valley — formerly known as Khao Yai Winery — was the second vineyard in the country to attempt growing wine grapes. Yet as the first winery to open in the now bustling Khao Yai wine region — yup, in Southeast Asia just four wineries makes a wine trail! — PB Valley has earned its self-appointed moniker as the “birthplace of the Khao Yai wine region.”

When I’d written to PB Valley enquiring about the capacity for groups and the availability of tours in English, I received an invitation for a private tour from Heribert Gaksch, the German-born Head of Marketing and Business Development himself.

Heribert greeted us at the entrance with another open-air tram, and promised us a very special behind-the-scenes experience ahead.

As we wound through the seemingly endless fields, it became clear that GranMonte paled in size to PB Valley. With nearly 800 acres, almost 200 of which are planted with grapes, PB Valley easily has the largest vineyard in Khao Yai. Aside from grapes they also grow other produce, much of which finds its way into the fresh meals served in the onsite restaurant.

In its exploratory years, PB Khao Yai Winery planted over fifty different species of grapes until they found their vintage. Today, they plant Syryah, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dornfelder, Chenin Blanc and Colombard — though I must admit, they all looked purple and green to me!

In a remote corner of on of the lush vineyards, we came to a stop. The original plan, Heribert explained, had been for us to meet some of the harvest team who had been working the field tirelessly throughout the season. However, sadly, due to the traffic we’d hit leaving Bangkok we were running behind, and they had just left the fields moments before. As punishment for our lateness, Heribert joked, now we were being put to work.

And he handed out baskets and shears and let us loose.

What a blast we had! Later, as we all recounted our highs and lows of the weekend, this moment was listed as a near-universal favorite.

While I doubt we’ll be called back for an interview anytime soon — our rate of grapes per minute was tragically low due to the number of times we needed to stop for selfies — it was an unbelievable experience to get out there, get our hands around some grapes and really see and feel the vines up close and personal.

In between giggles, we learned how PB Valley had come to be. The history of PB Valley wine starts with a different beverage entirely — beer. In 1989, Dr. Piya Bhirombhakdi, former president of Singha Beer (a brand that will be familiar to anyone who has traveled Thailand!) and a passionate entrepreneur, became intrigued by winemaking and established Khao Yai Winery. They made their first planting in 1992, just barely beat to the punch by Chateau de Loei Vineyards in the north, who made their first planting in 1991. After several years experimenting with grapes, the winery opened in 1997, just in time for the first harvest a year later.

Later, as other wineries began to establish themselves in the Khao Yai Region, the company decided to change their name to PB Valley, after founder’s initials, in order to avoid confusion. The logo, a hornbill perched atop a cluster of grapes, is a nod to the vineyards’ location on the cusp of Khao Yai National Park.

Having these precious friends together in one place, tipsy on wine and life and vacation — this is why I’d planned this very trip.

Once Heribert managed to wrestle the shears back from us and wrangle us back onto the bus, we were off to the winery and education center.

Helmed by two Thai winemakers trained in Germany and New Zealand and with a capacity of a million bottles per year, PB Valley competes for the largest winery in Thailand — it was certainly the largest-scale and most impressive production area we personally saw.

No surprises from this former crafter — my favorite aspect was the labeling machine.

Finally, on to the tasting. As we tasted PB Khao Yai Reserve Chenin Blanc, PB Khao Yai Rose, and PB Khao Yai Reserve Shiraz, we learned of the many impressive tables PB Valley wines have made it to, from Thai State dinners to the first class menus of Thai Airways flights.

Like GranMonte, PB Valley also has a gift shop with local sundries and onsite dining at the highly-rated The Great Hornbill Grill. Onsite accommodation is currently under renovation and should re-open soon.

Seventy-five minute tours are run five times per day and cost 300 baht per adult and 250 baht for children ages 4-12. Cooking classes and live music are occasionally featured — check the website for more details on tour times and special events.

When we reluctantly peeled ourselves away from PB Valley, it was only because we were excited to reach our accommodation for the night to rest up and drink up for round two the next day! I’d scoured the internet for lodging options before finally settling on a gargantuan Airbnb in the countryside (get $35 off Airbnb!) where we all could sleep under one roof. I’ll have more accommodation details in my upcoming Khao Yai region guide, but I was so thrilled with our choice — we had an amazing home cooked family dinner, tucked into the wine we’d acquired throughout the day, and played a rousing game of Cards Against Humanity. What more could a girl ask for?

Needless to say, day one of our Khao Yai weekend was a wild, wine-soaked success. We could hardly wait to wake up the next morning and do it all over again the next morning.

Missed the first post in this series? Check it out here! Meanwhile, stay tuned for my third and final post from my big beloved Thailand wine trip.

What’s the weirdest wine region you’ve ever been to?

Black Friday to Cyber Monday Sale!

Update: Travel Blog Success was merged with Superstar Blogging by Nomadic Matt. It’s an equally impressive course that I plan to take and review eventually — click here to take it yourself! 

I rarely stop yacking about how Travel Blog Success helped me make Alex in Wanderland what it is today — a financially successful and creatively fulfilling travel blog that just celebrated its fifth anniversary. It’s the first thing I recommend to those who write to me for blogging advice! Our secret member’s Facebook group gives me daily inspiration, feedback, and hearty laughs. Yes, the warmest community in travel blogging is on sale now! And now’s definitely the time to buy, as this is the biggest discount of the year by far.

Bonus: Recently, Travel Blog Success launched an exciting new videography course, one of several new specialty courses also on sale. So if you’re already a member, now is the time to invest in continuing education. Purchase two or more products and get an additional 10% off your purchase!

Double Bonus: This week, Bluehost will be offering their hosting services at promotional prices as low as $2.65/month, exclusively for Alex in Wanderland readers. That’s up to 42% off their regular price!

Click here to receive an exclusive savings on all Bluehost hosting packages. Sale ends Monday. Please note that I’m also a proud affiliate of Bluehost and will earn a percentage of your purchase at no extra cost to you.

And finally, my featured blogger program is going strong and on sale — nab one of the final spots for January and beyond now!