Proudly holding the Wine
Spectator Award are (l-r) Somchart Boonmawat F&B Director (Grand Hotel),
Panga Vathanakul (Managing Director), and Christoph Voegeli (General Manager
& deVine Club Acting President).
Dr. Iain Corness
When you mention “wine tastings”, the image of long wooden school forms with
breadsticks and water and an attendant spittoon comes immediately to mind.
Now, undoubtedly at the ‘professional’ events this is needed to keep a level
playing field. Competition for, and winning, gold medals can seriously
affect the viability of a winegrowers future. However, there can be another
side to all this.
A few months ago, the Royal Cliff’s deVine Wine Club hosted a very different
style of wine tasting, featuring the Stonefish wine label. Eight stations
around the perimeter of the ballroom with different wines. No long forms, no
breadsticks, no spittoons and plenty of finger food. It was a ‘rave’ event.
Panga Vathanakul, MD of the
Royal Cliff Hotels Group leads her executives in welcoming their guests to
the extraordinary award celebration.
With the Royal Cliff securing yet another Wine Spectator
award (the ninth consecutive year - a world first) the hotel decided to
celebrate this with another wine tasting event, in the same format as the
Stonefish event last year.
However, this time many wine suppliers were invited to showcase their better
wines, and the deVine Wine Club members and guests were given the
opportunity to try around 50 different wines. In addition, Executive Chef
Walter Thenisch put on a spread which included live cooking stations with
duck, roast lamb and baked snowfish and a tomato soup with a splash of gin!
With eight wine stations, each with around six to eight labels, it was
impossible to try them all, without being carried out on a stretcher feet
first, but the following wines impressed: Ambrose Wines - Mapu Sauvignon
Blanc 2011 (Chile); Canpac Beverages - Rosemount Diamond label Chardonnay
2009 (Australia); BB&B - Sileni Sparkling (NZ); Vanichwathana - Sauvignon
Blanc Robertson Winery 2011 (SA); and Wine Dee Dee Stonefish Sauvignon Blanc
2012 (Australia).
Wine appreciation is always an individual feeling, but for me at least, the
Stonefish Sauvignon Blanc 2012 was the stand-out. Clean and refreshing with
good nose and wonderful long finish.
Congratulations GM Christoph Voegeli and his team, as well as Executive Chef
Walter Thenisch and the kitchen brigade. A truly wonderful evening. Thank
you. (P.S. When’s the next one?)
Enjoying the fruits of their
labour are Executive Pastry Chef Horst Rautert, Executive Chef Walter
Thenisch and Klaus Bodo Hund (Royal Wing Suites & Spa Resident Manager).
Regular guest Decker Oskar Paul Alfred (2nd right) joined in the
celebrations.
Vipavee Wuthichat (Resident
Manager of Operations), together with Vitanart, Panga and Vathanai
Vathanakul convey their best wishes to Mr Ackerman (2nd left) who celebrated
his 97th birthday that evening.
Panga Vathanakul takes a
short break chatting with Michael Kovac, long staying VIP guest from the UK.
Hundreds of deVine Club
members and guests attended the extraordinery evening to congratulate the
Royal Cliff on yet another outstanding achievement.
