Mellow jazz and soul were the accompaniment to a few hours of fun, laughter and networking, accompanied by a free flow of a wide variety of wonderful sparkling wines and scrumptious finger food at the Italasia showroom at Sundance Hua Hin on Friday evening 29th July 2022 for the Vinyl & Bubbles event.
This well-attended event was the brainchild of Thierry Berno, the newish manager of Italasia, Hua Hin. The crowd was a mix of expats and Thais, keen to learn what Italasia could do for them and to enjoy scintillating company and make new friends. Post-Covid, Thierry is set to revitalise and re-energise the local activities of Italasia, a company founded almost 60 years ago by Mr Othello Benedetti and now managed by his grandson Max Benedetti, with branches all over Thailand. Max is keen to keep his family business growing, evolving and changing, the very definition of a living thing.
The venue was stacked to the ceiling with bottles of both wine and spirits from around the globe, although there is naturally a focus on Italian products, as the name Italasia would imply. The impressive array of Italian wines is even categorised by region, for the more discerning wine enthusiast.
Participants had the opportunity to browse the shelves as they enjoyed the company of fellow patrons and enjoyed a special discount of 20% on any purchases they made on the evening. The patrons were not shy in taking up the host’s kind offer. Thierry, who hails from Nice in southern France and has made Thailand his home for the last 5 years, is keen to share his profound knowledge of the wines he stocks with the local Hua Hin community, a knowledge he garnered through his long and impressive career in the hospitality industry.
I was mightily impressed he had details of the 3 specific wineries which provided the 3 separate types of grapes, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot used in the blend of a red wine I had the privilege of tasting at the showroom, as well as in-depth knowledge of the female vigneron and her family’s wine-making heritage. A man after my own heart, really. And I admit, I cheated by verifying what he was saying using Vivino, a wine purchasing app.
Thierry and Italasia, a one stop shop solution for the hospitality business, have an extensive catalogue of wines and spirits, sake, soju, Monin Syrups, Orasi milk alternatives, San Benedetto Italian mineral water, balsamic vinegar and olive oil which appeals to both the expat and Thai markets. He proudly stocks specialty products such as gift-packed Penfolds wine from Australia. Italasia is also the local distributor of world-renown Illy coffee, along with hospitality equipment including glassware, cutlery, kitchen utensils and even furniture that would be the envy of any local barista, café, restaurant or nightclub owner.
And through hosting events like this one, Thierry is certain to be creating more active partnerships with the food and beverage serving community of Hua Hin. A wonderful event for Italasia to reintroduce itself to the Hua Hin community.
Author: Felicitee Lawrie
Felicitee Lawrie spends as much of her life as she can in Hua Hin, Thailand. She is passionate about exploring the local culture, keen to make contacts among the Thai and expat residents of Hua Hin and in particular wants to learn more about the food culture of this area of Thailand. If she is able to promote local businesses and producers along the way, this is indeed a bonus. Felicitee has also been enjoying her writing in the People of Hua Hin series of feature articles, finding so many local people have fascinating stories to share with her.
