Portfolio Highlight: Wine Aspect, Thailand

"I got the sense already that we will have a good and fun talk together," was what Rapheephan "Bew" Naweera said to me the first time we connected over WhatsApp.

She must be extremely extroverted, I had thought.

I looked at her portfolio before my trip to Bangkok, knowing full well that she's new to the wine trade. Yet, she carries some of the best producers. I was curious. What kind of person, with less than three years of experience in wine, does it take to convince some of the best names in Burgundy and Tuscany to work with her?

This was answered as soon as she saw me standing outside her flagship store and wine bar at Thong Lor, waving so enthusiastically that she was drawing a whole semi-circle with her arm. She wore a big smile as I walked in, and warmly introduced me to her entire team. She had evidently done her research about me too. I was amused.

Meeting Bew was akin to meeting an old friend. Fifteen minutes into meeting her, she was showing me her magnum bottle of Leclerc Briant's Abyss, one of her agency brands — knowing that I had just done an event with those sea-aged cuvées the week before. I couldn't help but smile, because it was exactly what I would have done.

While her family is in the spirits distribution business, Bew's love for wine started with a 2016 Domaine Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage. The wine had blossomed as it sat in her glass; she went on to buy six cases of it every year.

Her portfolio currently has more than 30 brands, but when she started two and a half years ago, she only had six: Les Parcellaires de Saulx, Château de Pommard, Dufouleur Frères, Château La Nerthe, Domaine de Beaurenard, and Grand Calcaire.

"These were the first six domaines who took a big bet on me," she said, "just by having a meeting with zero experience in wine distribution on my CV and zero portfolio, zero reference."

She channelled that gratitude into building the fine wine community in Thailand, focusing on distribution channels and organising more than 50 wine events a year.

When Bew speaks about wine, her eyes sparkle. She reminded me of myself when I first fell in love with it. I simply cannot help feeling inspired by her sense of wonder.

While discussing our favourite producers and staring up at the different shelves in Wine Aspect, what struck me was how she never once led with prestige. Her reverence lies in the wines. She could articulate why Château de Pommard's Clos Marey-Monge translates like a Chambolle-Musigny on certain parcels, how its soils carry an unusual density of clay for Pommard, a village whose profile usually runs masculine and rustic.

This is why her producers fell in love with her, too.

"Choosing a winery is 50% quality and 50% relationship," she declared. This is typical of how business is conducted in Asia, and this sounds like common sense. Instead, consider her context: she is young and new, navigating this male-dominated industry. It would have been far easier to choose popular domaines even without a sound working relationship. This alone tells you she is in it for the long term.

"In the next five years, I hope Wine Aspect will be a solid medium-size wine importer in Thailand who has an amazing strong portfolio which is respected by wine professionals in Thailand and internationally," she shared. "In the next ten years, I hope we will be one of the benchmarks in Thailand's fine wine market."

If the breadth of her portfolio is any indication, she is well on her way there. Burgundy forms the spine, but she has built around it carefully: Laherte Frères for Champagne, Domaine Paul Prieur for Sancerre, Château La Nerthe and Domaine de Beaurenard for the Southern Rhône, and an Italian section anchored in Tuscany by Bibi Graetz and Tua Rita.

We need more of Bew in Asia market.

Editor's Pick for Importer's Portfolio: Wine Aspect, Thailand

Bew also aspires for Wine Aspect to be known for its price-to-quality ratio. It is never easy picking only three wines from an importer's portfolio, and so I picked with my heart.

1. Champagne Laherte Frères Les Empreintes Extra-Brut 2019 

Bew shared that she loved everything they stood for; from the philosophy, the vineyards, the vision on the market, and of course, the people. While I idolise their specialised Meunier cuvées, this singular Chardonnay-Pinot Noir blend is equally compelling, showcasing incredible precision and depth. They are, to this day, among my top three Meunier producers in Champagne. 

2. Domaine Paul Prieur, Monts Damnés Sancerre 2023

Bew described Luc Prieur as a rising star in Sancerre. It was my first time trying this producer, but I see her point. The wine is what you expect from this steep Kimmeridgian marl plot of Monts Damnés, while representing phenomenal price-to-quality value. 

3. Domaine Coquard-Loison-Fleurot Chambolle-Musigny 2023

I do not deny I have a weak spot for Chambolle-Musigny, but I also deeply admire producers who balance structure with whole bunch as well as CLF does — as we affectionately call Coquard-Loison-Fleurot in Asia. Thomas Colladot's precision in handling whole-bunch inclusion is often my benchmark and case study.