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Myanmar has become the new kid on the block for producing wine in the 'new latitude wine' region, joining India, Brazil and Thailand, reports Forbes.com. Aythaya Estate, started by a German mining engineer from Düsseldorf has become the first winery project.
It has been producing reds, whites and rose since 2004 and is preparing for a leap forward in both output and quality, with exports also on the horizon.
"Had I not been convinced that we can make quality wine up in our mountains, I would not have started the project," said German entrepreneur Bert Morsbach, who not only had to tread on viticulturally uncharted terrain but faced political risks in a military-run country shunned by many foreign investors.
Morsbach hatched the idea of Myanmar wines in 1997, consulting experts who concurred that the project had a "high survival chance." His chief wine maker Hans Leiendecker says growing conditions on their 23.5-acre vineyard are excellent, with the limestone soil not unlike that found in Tuscany and southern France and a climate similar to California 's wine country.
The rainfall is moderate and the 4,260-foot elevation, making Aythaya probably the highest vineyard in Asia , brings cool temperatures that can fall to as low as 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) on a winter night.
Aythaya wines have already garnered some good reviews. Thailand-based wine critic, David Swartzentruber, wrote of its 2004 Sauvignon blanc: "This wine should worry France . Here is a wine produced in Asia that possesses all the attributes of good Bordeaux white. "Another wine expert, R. James Mullen, praises the 2006 rose, noting its "flower notes with a touch of sweetness, perfect balance and perfect finish, reminiscent of the really top French roses which are genuine food companions."
From Italian Moscato grape, rose is the winery's top seller, regarded as most appropriate to a tropical climate and the best partner to Myanmar curries and other Asian food.
Most of Aythaya's wine is now snapped up by the foreign tourist industry. While a growing number of Myanmar people are beginning to enjoy the beverage there is no traditional wine culture in the country.
Detailed story at http://www.forbes.com |
