American wine critic James Suckling returned to Thailand for the culmination of the “Great Wines of Italy” tasting tour, to pack the house at the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in Bangkok on the final leg of his Asian tour.
Over 80 wine producers handpicked by Suckling from Italy graced the ballroom in an event showcasing Italy’s most sought-after wines from prestigious Italian brands and premium boutique wineries, presided over by the Italian Ambassador Francesco Saverio Nisio.
This year’s tasting also featured a screening of Suckling’s documentary called, “Great Wines of Italy: Alto Adige’s Vineyards in the Sky.” The documentary was filmed by Hollywood director James Orr (“Sister Act Two” and “Father of the Bride”). The movie focuses on the wineries and vineyards located in the stunning scenery of Northeast Italy.
“I love Thailand and I am delighted to return this year, introducing Italy’s finest wines to the Kingdom’s consumers, restaurateurs, sommeliers, and suppliers,” said Suckling, who has more than three decades of experience as a journalist and a wine critic, and oversees the influential website www.jamessuckling.com.
“Thai consumers appreciate Italian cuisine and culture. Italian wines are very drinkable, excellent value, and provide a connection to Italy that resonates wonderfully here. It also rounds off an incredible year for us – a year in which we have tasted over 16,000 wines and hosted over 10,000 wine participants to our events as we seek to bring great wines to customers around the world.”
James Suckling rates wine using the 100-point scale, which is adopted by wine merchants and consumers alike to help them make quality purchases. Any score higher than 90 is considered the equivalent to an A grade in school exam terms, and a rating of 95 or higher is considered to be an A+. All of the wines handpicked by Suckling for the Great Wines of Italy Asian tasting tour have achieved a score of at least 90 points.
Italy is one of the world’s oldest and largest wine-producing countries, with vineyards located in almost every part of the country. This gives Italy a wonderfully diverse selection of wines, and its so-called “Super Tuscans” such as Chianti are among the most highly-rated wines in the world.
A US national who currently resides in Hong Kong, James Suckling organized 12 global wine events in the USA, Hong Kong, PR China, and Thailand in 2017. The US series of the grand tasting tour earlier this year was a sell-out success, attracting nearly 3,500 attendees to events across the country.
