Wines
Our wine list is unusual, particularly for a Thai restaurant, because the wines are selected by us and not by wine merchants. We are pleased to receive recommendations but our final choice is made only after tasting sessions at Sangthai. In this way the wines can be assessed in the presence of Thai food and we can be sure that our final selections really do complement the dishes on our menu.
For this new list we have retained some old favourites and found many new gems. We know that you will enjoy drinking them with our food.
Room temperature should be much cooler than a warm bar! We hate warm red wines and our wine cabinet stores red wines at cool room temperature. During busy nights some wines may not stay in the cabinet long enough to cool down and so please tell us if your wine is too warm. We think that some red wines served slightly cooler are even better with our spiciest food.
Where’s the cork? You may have noticed that modern twist top technology is bringing the Stelvin enclosure to more of our wines. Wines that require long, slow ageing may still need natural corks but everything else is benefiting from new screw tops that use a non-reactive cellulose seal to allow just the right amount of air to reach the wine. This type of closure can no longer be thought of as being inferior, New Zealand’s fine wine producers have been using Stelvins for some time but now other countries, including France, are discovering the benefits.
The vintage of each wine is correct at the
time of printing but may change during the life of this list. It is
possible (although rarer nowadays) for a new vintage to be disappointing and
so we reserve the right to
substitute a wine if we feel it is necessary.
White
1 Cuvée Blanc ‘Le Bouquet’ NV,
Georges Duboeuf, France.
12% ABV
Fresh, fruity and packed with aromatic tropical flavours. An excellent apéritif
and also a fitting partner for most of our dishes.
£13
175ml glass £3.50, 250ml glass £4.95
2 Thai White Wine 2007, Monsoon Valley, Siam
Winery. 12% ABV
Thai grapes and French expertise have now produced a Thai wine good enough to
partner the finest Thai food. The local Malaga Blanc grapes are grown on the
amazing ‘floating vineyards’ in the Cha Phraya Delta and they produce
a wine with exotic aromas of lemongrass and watermelon.
£14
175ml glass £4.00, 250ml glass £5.50
3 Sauvignon Blanc 2007, Panul, Lontue Valley,
Chile.12% ABV
Bright, clean and packed with ripe gooseberry fruit. A New World alternative
house wine, good with Thai food and delicious to drink on its own.
£14
175ml glass £4.00, 250ml glass £5.50
4 Pinot Grigio 2007, Brume di Monte, Italy.
12% ABV
100% Pinot Grigio from Trentino Vineyards in NW Italy, at the foot of the Alps.
The bouquet is reminiscent of acacia flowers and the wine is deliciously fresh
and surprisingly fruity. Very good with starters and milder stir-fries.
£15
175ml glass £4.50, 250ml glass £5.95
5 Borsao 2007, Campo de Borja, Spain.
13% ABV
Not too dry with lovely fresh appley fruit and a crisp acidity. In recent
tastings this wine was a popular match for a variety of Thai dishes, from starters
and mild stir-fries to spicy curries.
£15
6 Alasia Araldica NV, Vino da Tavola Bianco, Piemonte, Italy 13% ABV
A perfumed Muscat wine that is fresh, fruity and almost dry. The delicious
floral tones marry well with the strongest Thai flavours to make this an excellent
choice for all types of food.
£16
175ml glass £4.50, 250ml glass £5.95
7 Semillon Chardonnay 2007, Willowglen, S.E. Australia.
12.5% ABV
A superb, flavoursome wine. The intense juiciness of the Chardonnay is given
extra bite with the addition of Semillon, making it a much better partner for
spicy Thai food.
£16
8 Leventhorpe 2004, Yorkshire Regional Wine, England.
11.5% ABV
From one of England’s most northerly commercial vineyards, a few miles
away on the outskirts of Leeds. This wine is made from the Madeleine Angevine
grape, which gives an aromatic wine reminiscent of dry whites from the Loire.
Surprising richness on the palate and a touch of refreshing apple-like acidity
that cuts through rich and spicy food. Delicious.
£17
9 Stickleback White 2007, South Australia.
12% ABV
A subtle blend of Verdelho, Semillon and Chardonnay creating a wine that
has a round and silky palate of fleshy fruit, tasting of ripe apples and pears.
Lovely on its own or with food, particularly milder stir-fries.
£18
10 Chardonnay 2006, Carmen, Valle Del Maipo, Chile.
13.5% ABV
Hint of oak on the nose, elegant yet packed with fruit and bursting with
flavour. Some tropical fruits, rich but not heavy. Good with all styles of Thai
food, including spicy curries.
£19
11 Pinot Grigio 2007, Cantina di Casteggio, Oltrepò
Pavese, Italy. 12% ABV
Pinot Grigio is now grown in many warm localities where it over-crops to
produce thin and tasteless wine. However, these grapes are grown in the cool
Po valley, near the foothills of the Alps, and the resulting wine is packed
with rich, juicy fruit. Serious PG that goes well with serious Thai food.
£20
12 Dry Riesling 2006, Chateau Ste Michelle, Columbia
Valley, Washington State, USA. 13% ABV
Chateau Ste Michelle is Washington State’s oldest and most acclaimed
winery. Superb winemaking and a cool climate that allows the riesling grape
to reach full maturity are responsible for the vineyard’s excellent reputation.
Off-dry with intense flavours of apple and lime with a touch of peach and a
pronounced mineral finish. Perfect apéritif and Thai food wine.
£20
13 Sauvignon Blanc 2006, Babich Black Label, Marlborough,
NZ. 13.5% ABV
No apologies for having so many Sauvignons on our list, they are arguably
the best wines for Thai food and New Zealand is credited with producing some
of the finest. This wine has a fine herbal nose with a touch of asparagus that
leads into an intense fruit salad of flavours. Delicious with or without food.
£21
14 Gewürztraminer 2006, Cave de Pfaffenheim,
Alsace. 13.5% ABV
Exotic and spicy with the distinctive flavour of lychees. A dryer style
of Gewürztraminer and an excellent partner for all types of Thai food.
£22
15 Chablis 2006, Domaine des Malandes, Lyne et Jean-Bernard
Marchive. 12.5% ABV
Chablis from a fine producer who makes wine in the classic style: dry with
appley fruit and a firm minerality with hints of honey and gunflint. Perfect
with seafood but excellent with all types of Thai food.
£23
16 Chablis 1er Cru 2005, Mont De Milieu, Denis Race.
12.5% ABV
Good fruit on the nose with a hint of honey. Elegant Chablis with wonderful
balance and classic mineral character. The village Chablis is one of our favourites
wines and this has extra richness and length.
£29
17 Cloudy Bay 2007, Marlborough, NZ. 13.5%
ABV
The benchmark New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that put that country very firmly
on the world wine-making map in the early 80s. Powerful aromas of blackcurrant
and asparagus that reprise on the palate and an aftertaste that sings on and
on.
£32
Sweet White Wine
18 Domaine De L’Ancienne Cure 2005, Christian
Roche, Monbazillac. 13% ABV
Wonderfully apricotty, rich and honeyed with delightful vanilla and marshmallow
flavours. Delicious with most puddings or to drink on its own.
Half bottle £18.00
125ml glass £6.50
19 Classic
Rutherglen Muscat NV, Victoria, Australia.
17.5% ABV
Incredibly rich, raisined old wine with very sweet, complex flavours of nuts,
Christmas cake and barley sugar. Try it poured over ice cream.
Half bottle £29.00
35ml glass £4.50
Rose
20 Merlot
Rosé 2007, Finca El Picador, Chile.
13% ABV
Ripe summer fruits with a refreshing acidity, an excellent wine with Thai food
or just to drink on its own.
£14
175ml glass £4.00, 250ml glass £5.50
21 Pinot Grigio Rosé
2006, Mannara, Veneto, Italy.
12% ABV
Fresh and dry with delicious soft fruit flavours. A wine that goes well with
starters and less spicy dishes.
£15
22 Château
Mourges du Gres, Les Galets Dores Rosé 2006, Costières de Nîmes,
France
13% ABV
Intense strawberry aromas and a refreshing touch of acidity, this is serious
rosé made from a blend of Grenache and Syrah grapes. Recently awarded
89 out of 100 by Robert Parker Jnr.
£23
Red
24 Richelieu Bush Vine G.C.M.
12% ABV
Produced in L’Herault from a blend of Grenache and Carignan with a helping
of Merlot for softness and added perfume. A surprisingly rich wine that is good
to drink on its own or with all types of Thai food.
£13
175ml glass £3.50, 250ml glass £4.95
25 Thai Red Wine 2007, Monsoon Valley, Siam
Winery. 12.5% ABV
Made from a blend of the local Pok Dum, Shiraz and Black Muscat grapes grown
in the famous floating vineyards near Bangkok. A helping of French expertise
has produced a medium bodied wine with a nice helping of Shiraz peppery spice.
Cote du Chao Praya perhaps.
£14
175ml glass £4.00, 250ml glass £5.50
26 Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot 2007,
Siete Soles, Chile. 13.5% ABV
Wonderful rich aromas of ripe blackcurrants and a velvety smooth palate mark
this wine out as outstanding value.
£15
175ml glass £4.50, 250ml glass £5.95
27 Nero d’Avola / Sangiovese 2007, Angelo,
Sicilia IGT, Italy. 13% ABV
All the warmth and ripeness of the South of Italy. Smooth and rich with cherries,
plums and a subtle smokiness.
£16
175ml glass £4.50, 250ml glass £5.95
28 Shiraz / Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Stoney Vale, South East Australia.
14% ABV
Rich full flavoured red, round and smooth on the palate with blackcurrant, smoky
plum and a touch of pepper.
£16
29 Stickleback 2007, Heartland, South Australia.
14% ABV
This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Grenache produces a rich, deeply
coloured wine with an attractive aroma of blackcurrants and summer berries.
The flavours of ripe, sweet fruit go particularly well with our starters and
stir-fried dishes.
£16
30 Merlot 2006, Carmen,Val del Rapel Valley,
Chile. 14% ABV
Smooth lush Merlot with wonderful Mulberry/blackcurrant fruit and a touch of
liquorice on the finish. We feel this wines goes with everything Thai, don’t
be afraid to try it with our spiciest food.
£19
31 Pinot Noir 2006, Carmen, Aconcagua Valley,
Chile. 13.5% ABV
Bursting with the ripe flavours of strawberries and raspberries, this wine is
a revelation. It would still be a bargain at twice the price. Excellent with
the whole spectrum of Thai food, from starters and mild stir-fries to spicy
curries and salads.
£19
32 Pinotage 2006, The Ruins, Bon Cap, Robertson,
South Africa. 13.5% ABV
Amazing depth of fruit on the nose and palate.. This wine is big, bold and quite
gorgeous. An organic vineyard too. Try it with spicy curries for an extra dimension
of super ripe fruit.
£20
33 Carmenère 2006, Casa Silva,
Colchagua Valley, Chile. 14% ABV
The soft creamy texture of this wine carries with it an intoxicating cascade
of mulberries, fruit pastilles, liquorice, dark chocolate and coffee. It goes
beautifully with our curry dishes.
£20
34 Cònero Rosso Riserva Grosso Agontano
2003, Garofoli. 14% ABV
A subtle and refined Montepulciano from the Marches region of Italy. This wine
has spent 18 months in oak barrels with another 12 months in bottle. Aromas
of ripe cherries fused with a delicate spiciness and vanilla tones from the
wood. Rich, sweet flavours of black cherries with liquorice and oak. A very
accomplished wine that goes wonderfully with Thai food, either mild or spicy.
£29
35 Urbina Especial 2003, Rioja.
14% ABV
Rich, sweet fruit, elegant yet powerful. This wine beat all others at a recent
tasting when partnered with Thai food. A wine to convert those who still believe
(yes, there are some) that red wines are no good with spicy food.
£29
36 Tres Picos 2003, Bodegas Borsao, Campo
de Borja, Spain. 14.5% ABV
Made in minute quantities from a block of Garnacha vines over 100 years old.
Parker gives it 90 out of 100 and describes it as: “an explosive, rich,
oncentrated, deep ruby-coloured wine offering a gorgeous bouquet of black fruits,
kirsch, liquorice and minerals. Full-bodied, spicy and seamless with low acidity
as well as layers of fruit and glycerine”.
£38
Sparkling
Wines & Champagne
F1 Crémant de Bourgogne, Louis Bouillot Brut
Made from the classic Champagne grapes, Chardonnay and Pinot, this rich yet
delicate wine tastes better than most Champagnes costing twice as much. Sparkling
wine always makes an occasion a special one and this example is an excellent
partner for most Thai dishes.
£19
F2 Baron de Beaupré, Champagne 12% ABV
From the house of Ellner in Épernay, a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40%
Chardonnay. This is a quality House Champagne, rich and complex with beautifully
balanced fruit and acidity.
£29
F3 Baron de Beaupré, Champagne (half bottle) 12% ABV
Smaller bottles age faster and this is a lovely creamy wine with mature biscuit
and honey flavours.
£20
F4 Baron de Beaupré Brut Rosé, Champagne 12%
ABV
A fine and elegant House Rosé with good fruit and some maturity.
£38
F5 Pol Roger Réserve, White Foil Brut
A very old and distinguished name, a lovely rich wine and a Champagne-drinkers’
favourite.
£38
F6 Veuve Clicquot, Yellow Label Brut
Old names don’t always mean best value but the Grande Dame is on form
with this wine producing a fantastic combination of freshness and power.
£38
F7 Laurent-Perrier Brut Rosé Réserve
Delicious traditionally made rosé with fresh red-fruit flavours. Limited
availability.
£58
F8 Krug Grande Cuvée
Older style, mature cuvée with very fine bubbles and the complex flavours
of a fine white burgundy. Wonderful tastes that stay in the mouth long after
the wine has gone.
£120