Philip Guenat from Bakri Cono
Shipyard chats with Peter Malhotra, MD of Pattaya Mail Media Group.
Dr Iain Corness
Peter Papanikitas, the MD of the renowned Australian wine label
Stonefish Wines, made a quick visit to Pattaya last week. The occasion was the
Stonefish Wine event, held in the Pedro Gastrobar of the Hotel Vista on Soi 4
Second Road, celebrating the slew of medals won by the label in the latest wine
shows in China and Hong Kong.
The guests represented some of Pattaya’s well known Pattaya gourmets as Dieter
Precourt, as well as Rick and Harpic, and overseas wine connoisseurs such as
Philippe Guenat. In between there were numerous other hotel personnel,
restaurant owners, and even a golf club executive plus a horde of elegant women
dressed in the fashionable black cocktail outfits.
Several food stations around the Pedro Gastrobar with a great range of tapas
kept the guests’ interest, and included a bacon mini-quiche and smoked salmon
from Scott Tanner’s MJ Smokehouse.
MC of the evening was Dr Iain Corness who reminded the guests of Ogden Nash’s
immortal lines, “Candy is Dandy, But liquor is quicker!” and then took a walk
down Australia’s memory lane with such dreadful alcoholic apologies as Barossa
Pearl and Cold Duck. Fortunately, Australia managed to get over these offerings
to graduate to being one of the most prolific wine producers in the world with
high quality wines such as Stonefish.
Peter Papanikitas enlarged on the styles of his wines, and also informed the
guests of some of the recent gold medals his wines have received, and why. He is
very proud of the achievements that his small wine company has managed to
achieve in the past decade, and for the following that his wines have
internationally (represented in Thailand by Wine Dee Dee). His favorite was the
Stonefish Reserve Shiraz 2010, Barossa Valley, and after experiencing the mellow
smoothness of this wine, it was the favorite of most people that evening.
The evening had begun with a light-hearted sparkler, the Stonefish Brut Cuvee
which was effervescent enough to lift any jaded palates, yet not too much
bubbles to make it like a soda.
The second wine (of six) was the Stonefish Sauvignon Blanc (Margaret River), a
creamy white with a refreshing finish. The third wine was also from the Western
Australia’s vineyards and was the Stonefish Chardonnay, and one that I
personally found very appealing. Not too ‘woody’ and very nicely balanced.
The final three wines were all reds, with a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Merlot and the
Reserve Shiraz.
As a first time event for the Hotel Vista’s Pedro Gastrobar, this was a great
success and all credit to the organizers and the Gastrobar kitchen staff for
some very high quality tapas and snacks.
The management team from Pattana
Golf Club & Resort: Anirut Roschan, sales executive, Prawnapas Jindapornpan,
Director of Sales & Marketing, and Nathinee Suton, Asst PR & Marketing Manager
meet Peter Papanikitas.
Peter Papanikitas, MD of Stonefish
poses with the lovely lady, Ploypakchaya Klinsukon and Dr. Iain Corness.
Rodney James Charman, Paul
Strachan, Martin Van Bree and Dieter Precourt are enjoying the wine.
Bantawat Kerkpittaya, manager of
the Wine Dee Dee Pattaya, Thanakiti from Amari Pattaya, Somchai from Pullman G
Hotel Pattaya and Akarapong from Wine Dee Dee Pattaya.
Tony Malhotra, of Pattaya Mail
poses for a photo with Wipawan and Scott Tanner from MJ’s Smokehouse.
Ploypakchaya Klinsukon and Martin
Van Bree say, “We love Pattaya Mail”.
Jeab Intarasing of Siam Winery and
Nattakit Udomsrirat of TE Premium Tea.
Guests include Pattaya celebrities
as well as numerous other hotel personnel, restaurant owners and even golf club
executives plus a horde of elegant women dressed in fashionable cocktail
outfits, all had a great time.
