The northern Bali mountains
have proven an ideal spot for
growing the grape in Indonesia.
The wines
associated with Indonesia are usually made from herbs, tomato, papaya,
apple, tamarind and rice.
Other popular
drinks are Tuak, a sweet palm wine with low potency;
Brem, also sweet, non-distilled rice based drink with
moderate alcohol levels; and Arak a distilled rice based
drink with high percentage of alcohol.
For years, the humid
climate of Indonesia was thought incompatible with growing grapes.
Some traditional wineries were established, but they used imported
grape juice.
Enter Hatten
winery, a happy partnership between an Indonesian owner and French wine maker begun in 1994. Together
they have found grapes that can flourish in the climate of mountainous northern Bali — including the local Propolingo Biru, Alphonse-Lavalle and Belgia grape, a member of the Muscat grape family — to produce a variety of remarkable wines.
In addition the climate permits the vines to be evergreen,
resulting in up to three harvests a year.