Thai name: A-ngune
Season: September to April
Real grapes in a hot country like Thailand? By all means, and delicious ones, too, both red and white, and available all year round though the peak fruiting season is September through April. Actually, most of the varieties grown were developed at Kasetsat Agricultural University to thrive under tropical conditions and are now an important source of income for many farmers in Nakhon Pathom, Ratchaburi and Samut Sakhon Provinces. Thai wine is also being made and while a bit sweet for most European palates is nonetheless steadily improving in quality.
The name Phuket (of which the ph sound is an aspirated p) is apparently derived from the word bukit in Malay which means "hill", as this is what the island appears like from a distance.