For wine lovers in Pattaya the final Friday of the month is a highlight as the Amari hosts their popular monthly ‘Wine Experience’ evenings. These are held in the gardens with a gentle breeze blowing up from the bay.
This is a relaxed and tranquil setting amidst the trees that are wrapped in twinkling lights, with the house duo playing classic jazz in the background.
For the August 28 event, it was New World wines on offer. These included a new addition to the Chilean Casillero del Diablo label with their chilled sparkling wine called Devil’s Brut NV.
(L to R) Michael Scollins, Yalia Pekhtereva & Tony Aston.
Sauvignon blanc was to follow and guests could opt for the New Zealand Haymaker or the Casillero del Diablo. Both wines were from 2013 and in fact many of the guests enjoyed both and were able to compare the two grapes from different parts of the world.
The food for the evening included salami, asparagus wrapped with homemade pancetta, tomatoes & fresh mozzarella bruschetta, fried paprika chicken wings, homemade bacon & egg pie; Napoli meatballs in spicy tomato sauce, beef skewers, the delicious Hong Kong shrimp & pork ravioli with macadamia cream sauce, and a live cooking station & quesadillas with chili con carne.
Guests enjoy the selection of dishes.
Then it was time for a glass or two of merlot with the 2012 Haymaker, full of plums, cherries and a hint of mint; and the 2014 Casillero del Diablo with dark aromas of chocolate, red berries and a subtle flavor of vanilla and smoke.
(L to R) Sarah Daly, Za Brubaker, Margaret Reid & Rosaly Jansen.
Wine is always regarded as something of a luxury in Thailand, mostly because of the excessive duty levied on the imports. However, at under a thousand baht for the evening these Wine Experiences offer exceptional value for money.
The next Wine Experience at the Amari Pattaya will be advertised in a forthcoming edition of the Pattaya Mail.
Mr. & Mrs.Johannes Schulte and Sirada Pachayakan.
The house duo entertain the guests with some smooth jazz.
