Posted by ITKT Featured Writer on Mar 3, 2017
Plans change. Sometimes for the better.
On a recent Asian cruise I discovered, upon docking at
Thailand's Laem Chabang, that my selected shore excursion to Pattaya Beach had
sold out. Disappointed, I chose an alternative a short drive away, which
promised a visit to a winery. Since I wasn't aware Thailand even had a wine
industry, I had visions of a rustic backyard shed and a few straggly vines.
I couldn't have been more wrong. Silverlake Vineyard was
established by a former Thai movie star in 2002, and is a real surprise!
Jumping on the estate's motorised tram, I explored the
vineyard's grounds with its acres of vines, beautifully manicured gardens and
quirky topiary plants, gazebos and windmill. Form the Movie House B&B
complex, which boast cinematic themed rooms, I had a first class view of nearby
Khao Cheejan Mountain with its magnificent gold-embossed giant Buddha. And
there is a 300-seat outdoor amphitheatre which hosts an annual music festival
and a concert lawn where up to 6,000 people can enjoy jazz, country, classical
and rock music all year round.
At the state-of-the-art winery, which produces both wine and
juice, I made my way past walls of wine bottles and pristine silver-coloured
wine vats to an ultra-modern cellar door with indoor/outdoor tasting areas.
There I was offered generous glasses of two of the local grape varieties,
Chenin Blanc and Shiraz; impressive to say the least.
At the beautiful Villaggio, the entrance to the vineyard, is
a small shop that sells vine-fresh grapes, 100% vineyard grape juices and
homemade grape jams and jellies. There’s also a café for light snacks, fresh
coffee and homemade ice-cream. But I dined at the Silverlake Wine and Grill
Restaurant and Pizza Café which boasts both Thai and Italian food and seats a
massive 200 guests.
I opted for the Thai banquet that had something for all
tastes – from green curry with pork to stir-fried sizzling seafood. The Italian
menu offers appetizers like marinated Italian Beef Carpaccio and includes
soups, pastas and pizzas. And the restaurant has a lava stone grill where chefs
cook Australian Wagyu beef in a range of sauces, and poultry and seafood in
Italian style. The extensive wine list includes not only Silverlake’s own
offerings, but a feast of fabulous European wines as well.
But it isn’t just the fabulous wine and food that makes
Silverlake unique. The estate, which features a huge man-made lake, has a real
Italian feel. All of the buildings, including the Villaggio community mall,
have been constructed in Italian style right up to their richly coloured
terracotta roofs. In fact, on my way out of the air-conditioned restaurant, I
stopped to view the estate from the balcony and thought I had somehow been
transported to Lake Como in northern Italy.
It was time for a good walk to settle all that good Thai
food, so I spent an hour or so wandering through the adjacent Viharn Sien
Chinese Pavilion. A museum set on three acres, it houses one of the best
Chinese art collections in Thailand. Some of the pottery is 3,000 years old,
and eighteen Shaolin monk statues demonstrate a martial art form popular
fifteen centuries ago.
I also enjoyed viewing the scale model of the Terracotta
Army and actual figures of terracotta warriors, horses and chariots; Viharn
Sien is one of the few museums outside of China where these gems can be found.
I only had a few hours to spend at Silverlake, but I could
have spent all day – and night. And as it turned out, it was just as well that
other shore excursion wasn’t available!
Written by: Penny Garnsworthy
Penny lives in the beautiful Tamar Valley in Tasmania. She
loves to travel, and she loves to write – and combining the two is her passion.
She also writes for the educational market in Australia and blogs about travel,
books and life in general at:http://creativepenny.blogspot.com.
All Photo Credits: Penny Garnsworthy
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