There I was surprised to find a thoroughly drinkable and surpassingly good Thai herbal wine. Thailand’s
Boss Lake Hills deserves full praise for its Black Rhizomes Red Wine.
I was skeptical at first. The wine was predominantly pineapple based and teenage memories of Boone’s have left me permanently wary of fruit wines. I was even more concerned when the waiter started laughing at me after I had bought the bottle to my table.
The delightful Black Rhizomes Red Wine
I sipped it and suggested that it wasn’t that bad.
He laughed uncontrollably.
It was similar to a dry red grape-based wine, with slight hints of cloves and Christmas spices. I told him that. He laughed even more uncontrollably.
Eventually, the waitress came to the table and apologized for her colleague. She said that he was laughing because black rhizome wine was a
well-known Thai aphrodisiac.
More specifically, she said, “that wine make you either have sex or spank monkey!”
I noted that the bottle simply claimed that it aided digestion. And further noted that Asians think everything is an aphrodisiac: dog soup, tiger or seal penises, rhino horns, live mudskippers… whatever.
Nevertheless, given the awful alcohol that I had to deal with, the wine was worthy of an endorsement. It tasted like a mid-range valpolicella but with spicier notes. The hue was closer to rosé or a very light red. It had notes of Christmas spices and a warming feel to it, similar to a cooled-down mulled wine.