The technology-driven smart farming concept has been adopted by at least one Thai family that has invested in a winery -- a business turf not many Thais have ventured into -- which has raised the impact of their homegrown GranMonte label on the world market.
The GranMonte vineyard is spread over 100 rai of land in the Asoke Valley at the foot of Khao Yai National Park in Pak Chong district of Nakhon Ratchasima. photos by Nauvarat Suksamran and GranMonte Family Vineyard
The Lohitnavys had apparently taken a gamble on entering into the winery business, conventionally thought to be unsuitable for the tropical climate of Thailand. The growth of the business has been driven by the family bound by both blood and professional relationships.
Since its inception two decades ago, the company has gone from strength to strength as the family has groomed one its daughters to carry the torch and introduced viticulture-related technology to enhance the quality and production of its wine.
The GranMonte vineyard, wholly owned by the Lohitnavy family (the surname hints at a strong Thai navy bloodline), is located in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima.
The company has installed its so-called "precision agriculture", widely known as a "smart farming" system of growing premium-grade grapes to produce Thai wine with a unique taste and scent on par with globally recognisable brands from wine powerhouses like Italy and France.
Surrounded by the rich greenery of the surrounding mountains about 350 metres above sea level, the GranMonte Family Vineyard, as the area is called, covers 100 rai of land in the Asoke Valley at the foot of Khao Yai National Park in Pak Chong district.
Its advanced agricultural technology has turned an ordinary grape plantation, pioneered by wine tycoon Visooth Lohitnavy, into a smart vineyard.
The technology can outperform conventional viticulture and leverage the quality of grape yields, resulting in local wine defined by its distinct aroma and smooth, mellow taste that is guaranteed by awards the company has picked up at wine competitions across Asia and Europe.
The vineyard takes advantage of weather patterns that are suitable for growing grape varieties such as Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Durif, all of which make acclaimed red wines.
It is also home to other grape breeds for making white wine, such as Chenin Blanc, Verdelho, Viognier and Semillon. The Semillon, notably, is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines.
GranMonte has fulfilled Mr Visooth's dream of having his own vineyard and seeing Thai wine penetrate the global market.
Driven by his passion for wine, the tycoon floated the vineyard idea and later made a high-stakes decision to purchase a piece of land in the Asoke Valley, which used to filled with cornfields and cashew orchards. In 1998, he envisioned a lush vineyard carpeting the valley's rolling hills.
Mr Visooth didn't lose time acting on his dream. One of the country's pioneers in viticulture for wine making in the tropical region, he founded and chaired the Thai Wine Association in 2004.
Today, he is the CEO and managing director of the GranMonte Family Vineyard. His wife and their two daughters also work shoulder to shoulder to help him in the family business.
Visootha Lohitnavy, his eldest daughter, is general manager of the business and the only oenologist and winemaker in the country.
She explained how the smart vineyard works, saying the weather conditions are only one factor.
"We can't count on mother nature to deliver grape yields of fine quality and in sufficient amounts. We need the help of technology," she said.
The system installed at the vineyard was jointly developed by Mahidol and Khon Kaen universities, which are compiling databases to study climate and temperature changes.
The system monitors and records elements that affect the growth of the grapevines, from temperature fluctuations and humidity to wind speed and direction, the volume of accumulated rainfall, evaporation, sunlight, soil conditions and the proper amount of water and fertiliser used in the fields.
This information is tabulated and analysed. A final analysis will determine which period is most suitable to grow each grape variety with environmentally friendly agricultural practices.
"Even countries famous for making wine can't grow grapes wherever they want. Their vineyards must sit on specific areas, such as along the Mediterranean," she said.
"We can't control the weather but we know to deal with it. Fortunately, for a tropical country like [Thailand], the Asoke Valley is suitable for viticulture because of the generally cool and dry weather," she added.
In 2001, GranMonte wine from the Lohitnavy vineyard debuted in the domestic and global markets. Production volume has since risen. The vineyard also doubles as a learning centre.
Her passion for wine-making was kindled from a young age when she tagged along with her father on visits to the vineyard. She has been watching it expand steadily ever since while honing the skills needed to run a successful enterprise.
Her father, a walking textbook on the winery business, passed his knowledge and wisdom on to her, including details about the most effective wine-making techniques.
After graduating from high school in Thailand, Ms Visootha devoted herself to the arts and sciences of viticulture and wine production. She earned a bachelor's degree in oenology from the University of Adelaide in Australia and returned to the family vineyard to follow in her father's footsteps.
Ms Visootha said she has put her heart into developing grape varieties and improving wine-making techniques.
Her younger sister, Suvisooth Lohitnavy, serves as the company's marketing director. She has devised numerous strategies and come up with ideas that have boosted sales and capitalised on agricultural tourism, which complements the business.
Ms Suvisooth said GranMonte's annual output tops 120,000 bottles, most of which are exported. She said good quality locally made wines are hard to come by in Thailand.
Explaining why GranMonte wine is rarely seen on the shelves of local supermarkets or specialty shops, she blamed the high taxes on domestically produced alcoholic drinks, which lead to expensive retail prices. Foreign imports can work out to be comparatively cheaper, she said.
Despite the steep tax, GranMonte wine is is high demand from luxury hotels and state agencies that prefer to serve Thai wine to their foreign delegations, she added.
Ms Suvisooth now plans to launch a large hotel project at the vineyard. Existing guesthouses the company built on the vineyard's premises are insufficient to accommodate visitors, she said.
Sakuna Lohitnavy, Mr Visooth's wife and the president of the company, said the vineyard operates a training centre for interns from tropical countries to promote grape cultivation. One of the company's wines, the GranMonte Sakuna Syrah Rosé, is named in her honour.
The vineyard has welcomed tourists and interns from Indonesia, Japan, India, Brazil and African countries, as well as representatives of wine manufacturers from Europe.
"An annual event will be held in February, when the grapes are harvested. It will feature activities like a big party, music concert and various games so that everyone can join in," Ms Sakuna said.
Grapes are ready for harvest.
The Lohitnavy family, right to left: Sakuna, president of the GranMonte Family Vineyard; Visooth, CEO and managing director; and Visootha, general manager — take a photo in the family's vineyard. Right Father and daughter show off barrels of their wine.
