Wine in Phuket: Buying Wine & Best Wine Bars 2026

Wine is expensive in Phuket. There is no way around that fact. Thailand's import duties on alcohol are significant, and wine bears the brunt. A bottle you'd buy in a French supermarket for 8 euros will cost you 700–900 THB in a Phuket wine shop. A restaurant bottle that would be 25 euros in Paris becomes 1,800–2,500 THB on a Phuket wine list.

This is not a reason to despair — it is just a reality to factor into your budget. Phuket has some genuinely excellent wine bars and wine-focused restaurants, particularly in Bang Tao and Surin. And the wine you can buy to drink at home has improved considerably with the growth of online wine retailers delivering to Phuket. Here is the honest picture of wine on the island.

Where to Buy Wine in Phuket

Supermarkets

The main supermarkets in Phuket all carry wine, but selection and quality vary significantly:

• Villa Market (Laguna / Bang Tao): The best supermarket wine selection in Phuket. Reasonably curated range covering France, Italy, New Zealand, Australia and Chile at 400–1,500 THB. Staff are somewhat knowledgeable. Worth visiting before any dinner party.
• Tops Supermarket: Decent selection at multiple locations. More mainstream choices — you'll find reliable Chilean and Australian options at 350–700 THB. Good for everyday drinking.
• Makro: Bulk buying option. Less selection than Villa but reasonable prices on case quantities for regular drinkers. Worth joining if you go through a bottle a week or more.
• Lotus's (formerly Tesco): Limited wine range. Not the best option for wine specifically.

Specialist Wine Shops

Phuket has a small number of dedicated wine shops — mainly in Bang Tao, Laguna and Phuket Town. These carry better selections than supermarkets, often including natural wines, aged bottles and fine wine options. Prices are higher than supermarket but you get genuine expertise and curation. Worth finding your local specialist shop early.

Online Wine Delivery to Phuket

Online wine ordering has grown significantly and is now a realistic option for Phuket residents. Several Bangkok-based online wine retailers deliver to Phuket, typically within one to two working days. This is particularly useful for: specific wine styles not available locally, buying by the case (usually better value), and accessing a wider range of regions and producers. The delivery costs are manageable when you are buying at least six bottles at once.

Wine Bars in Phuket: Area by Area

Bang Tao and Surin

Bang Tao and Surin have the highest concentration of wine-focused dining in Phuket. Several upscale restaurants in this zone have serious wine lists — proper cellar selections with French, Italian and New World options at a range of price points. A few dedicated wine bars have opened that offer proper by-the-glass service with knowledgeable staff.

Expect to pay 250–500 THB for a glass of decent wine and 1,500–3,500 THB for a bottle. These are restaurants and bars where the wine is genuinely central to the experience, not an afterthought. If you are looking to spend a proper wine evening, this is the area. Check current listings in the Cherng Talay and Surin Beach road areas.

Phuket Town

Phuket Town's old quarter has a growing wine culture, partly driven by the upscale Sino-Portuguese restaurant scene and partly by the influx of international residents in the area. Several restaurants in the old town now carry thoughtful wine lists, and a couple of wine-bar-style operations have opened in recent years. Prices are slightly lower than Bang Tao for comparable quality.

Rawai and Nai Harn

Rawai's wine scene is less formal — wine at restaurants rather than dedicated wine bars. Several upscale restaurants in Rawai and along the Nai Harn lakeside carry decent wine lists. For wine-at-home in the south, Villa Market in Chalong and local bottle shops are your primary options.

Kata and Karon

Both areas have international restaurants with wine lists catering mainly to European tourists. Selection is reliable if not exciting. Prices are average. Not a destination for serious wine drinkers but perfectly functional for a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc with dinner.

Thai Wine: Is It Worth It?

Thai wine has improved dramatically over the past decade, and some of it is genuinely worth drinking — particularly as an affordable alternative to imported wine at the prices Phuket charges.

The honest recommendation: try Monsoon Valley's white blend and Granmonte's Syrah. Both are worth the price relative to imported alternatives at the same quality level. They are also good conversation pieces when hosting — guests who haven't tried Thai wine are usually pleasantly surprised.

Wine at Restaurants: What to Expect

Restaurant wine markups in Phuket are significant — typically 3x–4x the retail price of the bottle. This is comparable to (or higher than) European restaurant markups when applied to already-expensive imported wine. A bottle that costs 700 THB at Villa Market will appear on a restaurant wine list at 2,000–2,500 THB.

Practical approaches for wine-drinking expats at Phuket restaurants:

• Order by the glass at places with good rotation — this avoids committing to a full bottle at restaurant prices
• Look for restaurants with BYO (bring your own) policies — some smaller spots in Rawai and Kamala allow this with a corkage fee of 200–400 THB, making it significantly more affordable
• Thai wine on restaurant lists is sometimes better value than imported options at the same list price
• Happy hour wine deals at wine bars (usually 17:00–19:00) can offer glasses at 150–250 THB, which is genuinely reasonable

The Practical Wine Strategy for Phuket Expats

After six years of navigating Phuket's wine landscape, here is the strategy that works: buy Thai wine for everyday drinking (it genuinely holds its own at the price point), use online delivery for restocking at home (better selection, competitive pricing), treat Villa Market as your primary supermarket source, and reserve restaurant wine for special occasions where the experience justifies the markup.

Wine is one of the few areas where Phuket's cost of living is meaningfully higher than Western averages — see our full cost of living calculator for a complete picture. For more on the Phuket drinks scene, see our cocktail bars guide, craft beer guide, and rooftop bars guide. Our lifestyle hub covers the full picture of daily life in Phuket.