Nikki Lohitnavy: award-winning tropical winemaker
Nikki (Visootha) Lohitnavy is an oenologist who has overseen winemaking at GranMonte Co. in Thailand for seventeen years. With her significant experience in the innovative realm of tropical viticulture and winemaking, Nikki has guided GranMonte to become one of Thailand’s best-known wineries, and has amassed more than 100 awards from international wine competitions.
Nikki’s innovation, passion and skill has also earned personal accolades – from the prestigious Wolf Blass Foster’s Wine Prize for Excellence in Winemaking during her 4th year of study at the University of Adelaide, to several years named “Best Wine from Southeast Asia”, and most recently the “Best Wine from Asia” award from the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirit Competition. She was also listed in Forbes’ inaugural 30 Under 30 Asia alongside other “top promising young leaders, daring entrepreneurs and game changers” in the manufacturing and energy sector. She has spoken at symposiums, been on judging panels, and had her research published in respected scientific journals.
Nikki has slowly but surely built up her family’s small vineyard to a medium-sized, internationally recognised brand despite the challenging conditions. In fact, Nikki is motivated by the challenge in growing grapes and making wine in an unconventional climate, striving to grow the best grapes in a tropical climate regardless of the conventional belief that it could not be done. This success has earned her global recognition as a specialist in the emerging field of tropical viticulture and winemaking.
Her next exciting botany project is growing vanilla in Thailand, as she believes that vanilla is a high-value crop like wine grapes. Nikki has a small vanilla farm in northeast of Thailand in the Khao Yai region the same location as her vineyard.
“Vanilla also reflects the origin where it is grown, just like wine. There isn’t a great variety of economic crops in Thailand and I want to add vanilla to that list.”
Nikki’s interest in grape growing started at a young age. She was always interested in plants and wanted to initially be a botanist. When her family started a vineyard in Thailand in 1999, her passion grew as she heard wonderful stories from wine writers and makers who took an interest in, and visited, the vineyard.
“I wanted to pursue this career path to make wine and travel around the world like the people who inspired me.”
Nikki has indeed been able to travel and has thoroughly enjoyed working and consulting in new wine regions such as Mexico, Brazil and Venezuela because she is able to contribute more to the new and growing industries there.
“Australia was the right starting point for me, but even after Australia, new discoveries and innovations can be made in newer and more challenging areas.”
Work and travel have also helped Nikki to keep in touch with former classmates who are in viticulture, winemaking, wine sales or wine marketing fields.
Her advice for someone considering a career in the wine industry is to consider the opportunities especially in new winemaking regions… and to go for it!