History and Our VISION

Before history was to emerge for Myanmar’s first vineyard, there was a vision of its founders about a product struggling for. From the start in 1997 the objective was that one day the new Myanmar Wine was to compete with the top qualities among the classic wine-producing countries. The strategy then was to combine the best vine varieties from Europe with the best locations in SE Asia. Then the most recent know-how in tropical viticulture had to be added to fulfill a vision that top quality wines can be made in a tropical country like Myanmar.

THE HISTORY

The project sponsors were Mr. Bert Morsbach and a group of European friends who shared his love for the country and for wine. They also liked the challenge: To combine these elements and accept the un-avoidable risks of being pioneers.

In 1998 the first 3,000 vines were imported from Europe and were planted in Loikaw, the capital of the Kayah States.

In June 1999 this first vineyard was relocated to the Htone Bo Farm in Aythaya, near Taunggyi in the Southern Shan States. Some 10,000 vines were imported to launch a research & trial period. At that time the pioneers did not know that one day the results would be overwhelming.

In December 2004 Aythaya Wine was marketed for the first time at a famous charity event in the City of Yangon. Numerous presentations were to follow, e.g. at the Strand Hotel and at the Le Planteur Restaurant to herald the advent of a new Asian Wine, the AYTHAYA Wine from Myanmar.

Today, in late 2006, the founders can claim that it is possible to produce quality wine in the Southern Shan States of Myanmar. In hindsight it was a hugely challenging time between the first viticulture research in 1997, bottling the first wines in 2004 and the emerging exports in 2006.

Myanmar is on the map of wine-producing countries.