As we are the producer of 100% Thai wine, we pay a lot of attention to winemakers which is necessary important position and must be Thai people under an idea that Thai wine have to be made by Thai people. Khaoyai winery is the first winery in Thailand with 100% Thai operated under qualify Thai winemakers.
Prayut Piangbunta is currently the director of PB Valley (B.B.Holding Co.,Ltd. Pakchong Branch) and also the Manager and a Chief Winemaker of Khao Yai Winery Co., Ltd. under PB Partners group of companies.
He received his Bachelors degree in the Faculty of Agro Industry, Department of Food Science and Technology, Chiang Mai University in 1993 and Executive Master in Business Administration degree from Sasin Graduate Institute for Business Administration of Chulalongkorn University in 2008.
Prayut started off his career life at Boon Rawd Brewery Co.,Ltd. (Singha beer) back in 1993 with a goal of being a Brewmaster. By then, Dr.Piya Bhirombhakdi, who was the president of the company decided to establish Khaoyai winery. Prayut who was a diligent person and always willing to learn something different was chosen by the company to be our scholarship student to study Viticulture and Oenology in Germany.
“ In 1996 he was sent to Germany to study further in Viticulture and Oenology at Lehr-und Versuchsanstalt fuer Weinbau und Obstbau Weinsberg (LVWO) while the winery was under construction in Thailand. He graduated in 1998 and returned to Thailand before taking the position as a winemaker at a brand new winery, Khaoyai Winery Co.,Ltd and been working with us ever since. With his past experiences and profession in wine making, most of the wine made by him gained wide receptions and admirations and won many prizes on both national and international levels. Prayut is also considered as the first qualified Thai winemaker who graduated with specific winemaking degree of the country. “My pride as a winemaker is that I’m a pioneer myself and I have been through a lot of developments of Khaoyai property area together with improvement in wine quality each year. Francis Robinson, wine reporter wrote an article in Financial Time that he could see two countries rapidly developed and improved their wine quality to high standard, one is Spain and second is Thailand. This concluded that we are on the right track.”
“There was a word saying that the winemaker cannot make wine from bad grapes and in opposite way the winemaker could also make bad wine from good grapes. Good quality grapes as raw material is necessary for good wine making but it also has to be done in a right way. Personally I love drinking wine if there is somebody else drinking with me. One bottle for myself is too much and if there is some wine left in the bottle with air, the character will change ”
Mr. Joolpeera Saitrakul is currently an Assistance Winery Manager and Winemaker of Khao Yai Winery Co., Ltd.
Mr. Joolpeera began his life in New Zealand as a high school student back in 1995 at a city of Christchurch. After he graduated from secondary school, he realized his passion was in cuisine and wine and this drove him into a field of this industry by taking up the Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology course at Lincoln University (LU) Christchurch. During his period of study, he took up a position as a vineyard worker and cellar hand as part of work experience at Donaldson family Ltd., Waipara, North Canterbury which produced premium quality wine under Pegasus Bay and Main Divide label and also visited most NZ highly acclaimed wine producer regions. He finished his degree in 2007 and returned to Thailand before taking up the position as an assistance winery manager and winemaker of the winery the same year, under the supervision of Mr. Prayut Piengbunta, the country’s first Thai winemaker. Joolpeera is also considered as the second qualified Thai winemaker who graduated with specific degree after Prayut.
“ I prefer something different and challenging, always wanting to try out new stuff. My 12 years of studying and living experience in New Zealand taught me lots of things in terms of living and working. I chose to learn about wine because it was something kind of new and enthused plus science was my major field of study since high school. I love cooking and learning about international culinary, From my opinion, making wine is just like cooking, you need to have passion and knowledge, it is a kind of art.
As I’m working in wine industry, especially in Thailand, it is a big challenge and pride for me. My intention is to develop Thai wine quality to be the same as international with my own style and bring out new ideas to adapt with. For my self, I love drinking both red and white depending on occasions. I prefer an aroma of the wine follow by taste later, wine with good aroma is somehow halfway through winning. For red wine, I prefer wine without oak or just a touch of it and emphasize on true character, for white, I love aromatic wine like Riesling with a bit off dry style or grassy Sauvignon Blanc and this is why I’m so so with most old world wines and my style of wine making is on a basis of my personal preferness. Drinking habit of Thai people is changing now days, new generation start to drink wine as an alternative from whisky and beer and the popularity of old world style wine is declining as the price is dramatically expensive while new world wine is much cheaper and of course fresher and drinkable. This is my point of view that PB wine will be one of the popular choices for Thai drinker in nearby future just like Singha beer ”
