Description
Chateau De Phu Phan Winery (ชาโต เดอ ภูพาน โรงไวน์สกลนคร at ภูพาน สกลนคร) is a popular Sakon Nakhon wine shop, located about 40 minutes from the city in the Phu Phan mountains. The wine at Chateau De Phu Phan is hand-made from the mak mao berry (Thai blueberry), which Sakon Nakhon is well-known for growing.
If you have ever had a local wine in Thailand, you probably drank a rather "too sweet" variety, which really is appropriate only as a desert wine drank in small amounts. However, mak mao berry wine is different. The berry has both a sweet and sour flavor (with a hint of bitterness) that makes it highly suitable for wine.
When you arrive at Chateau De Phu Phan Winery, the friendly staff will be happy to provide you with a taste testing (without even having to ask for one). They will taste 4 different wine varieties with you to ensure the test bottles are still fresh and a good representation of an uncorked bottle. The cheapest variety (which is usually around 450 baht) is a bit sweet compared to the others.
Our favorite of the 4 Chateau De Phu Phan wines is the level 3 organic mak mao wine, which is about 750 baht. If you buy multiple bottles you may be able to negotiate a lower price. In addition, you may get lucky and be given a free small bottle of mak mao berry juice, which is quite delicious when served cold.
It was tradition in Sakon Nakhon culture for men to take mak mao juice with them when hunting in the forests, as the juice is nutritious and said to have medicinal properties, such as providing relief from a fever.
Chateau De Phu Phan Winery also sells other local OTOP (One Tambon One Product) products and Phu Phan souvenirs, such as locally made honey, Mae Phu Phan water, and mak mao jam. Being located on the main road that leads from the Phu Phan mountains to Sakon Nakhon, makes stopping at their wine shop a must-do activity when driving to or from Bangkok or a neighboring province to the southwest, such as Kalasin, Khon Kaen, or Maha Sarakham.
Be sure also to visit the nearby temple Wat Phra Phutthabat Namthip, with its impressive courtyard filled with dozens of large, white sculptures of the Buddha. It is located just 2 kilometers past Chateau De Phu Phan Winery on the left side of the road.
