"As the cool sea breeze caresses the air, the colour fades and moonlight and stars gradually appear through the night sky. The perfect atmosphere for enjoying a glass of fine wine".
This is the way most touristy brochures begin about Thailand. This impression greeted us with the Thai Buddha in a new Bankok airport. Real potted orchids encircling escalators lead us to the very hot outdoor taxi rank, typical of the tropical zone.
Thankfully, the Thaifex- World of Food Asia 2007 exhibition hall was cool and comfortable. The organizer Koelnmesse GmbH Germany and Australian Trade Commission lead an absolutely brilliant and unforgettable performance. Compared with the previous years, wine participants increased twice and reached a total of 36 company-participants. Eight from Australia, and some representing the Thai, Chili, France and Italian wine markets.

The visitors, this year were proactive at the stands and infested in home and foreign trades, rushing to collect information about salable wares.
The exhibition prices ranged from 300 Baht (AUD $10) to 4000 Baht (AUD $138). *
We also noticed some shifts from entry level to premium wines.
Our stand featured Australia´s the premium dry, sweet and fortified wines as well as fruit wine varieties. The fruit wines gain particular interest among womenfolk.

"This is an incredible time to catch a glimpse of the new Thailand" remarked one of the directors of a growing company. "We mostly drink wine at corporate meetings now", which is a change from the traditional whisky and brandy refreshments.
WineLook has participated in wine tastings organized by Austrade, where Thai importers were invited. During the tasting, the category of Premium wines (brought by WineLook) sparked immense interest from importers.
The taste and preferences of the wealthy sector of society in Thailand has dramatically changed over the past years. Most of these people are made up of repatriates returning from abroad (America, Europe). They are already familiar and accustomed to the taste of premium wines of the New World along with Old World Vintages.
Having made local friends in Thailand, we were interested to discover that fine wine are an exclusive commodity that can cost up to a month´s salary. Despite the fact that French wine exhibitors were stationed next to us, we received a more vibrant and enthusiastic crowd. This was surely deserving of the wine we represented.
During our time at Thaifex WineLook made over 100 new contacts, 10 % was from importers and dealers who particularly paid attention to the price list.

10% of visitors arrived from neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, China, Singapore, India, showing promising emotions and turbocharged ambitions. Visitors from Russia, Sweden, Canada also left their cards and best wishes.
It is worth mentioning that there are at least seven wineries in Thailand and as we learned, Malaga Blanc, a white grape was introduced in 1685 to Thailand by King Louise XIV from France. To read about the 'floating vineyard' of Thailand please click http://www.jancisrobinson.com/.
WineLook will follow up on the visit to Thailand by enlightening our viewers with relevant information and images. Special thanks to our partners and organizes who trusted WineLook in this effort to promote great Australian wine.