A 2023 blend from Bhutan Wine Company marks a significant milestone as the first-ever wine produced in the Kingdom of Bhutan, with an anticipated 2024 Chenin Blanc in the pipeline.

Located in Paro, Bhutan, Bhutan Wine Company boasts its very own vineyard.

Back in 2017, a couple, Mike Juergens and Ann Cross, journeyed to Bhutan to participate in the country’s international marathon. Upon completing the race, Juergens asked around to find out where they could explore the vineyards of this South Asian gem, only to learn that there were none—the Bhutanese wine scene was virtually nonexistent, until now.

“It had the look and feel of a classic wine region, so we assumed there were vineyards there,” Juergens shared with Forbes. “We felt strongly that this was a missed opportunity not just for Bhutan but for the world of wine.”

As October 2024 arrives, the venture that the couple started, Bhutan Wine Company, is set to unveil the first-ever wine produced in Bhutan, sourced from their 2023 vintage. The launch features a unique blend made from six varieties of red grapes and four varieties of white grapes harvested from four distinct vineyards, all under the label Ser Kem. This name, which means ‘alcoholic gift for the gods,’ was selected after consulting with monks who specialize in naming Bhutanese children, as noted by British wine critic and advisory board member for Bhutan Wine Company, Jancis Robinson, in an article she penned here. This distinctive wine will be available exclusively within the Kingdom of Bhutan. In 2025, they plan to launch their first commercial offering: a 2024 Chenin Blanc harvested in June.

Upon their return to southern California in 2017, Juergens and Cross set about creating a 10-year business strategy, which featured an outline of initial ideas for regulating wine production in a nation with no history of viticulture. They shared these plans with the Bhutanese government, and after thorough discussions with local agencies, they secured the approval to establish the country’s inaugural winery and to cultivate the first vineyards.

The initial step involved importing vines. In 2019, Bhutan Wine Company collaborated with Sebastian Traviesa from Sunridge Nurseries to bring in the first grape varieties and commence planting the country’s first vineyards.

Considering the many uncertainties associated with this endeavor, Juergens and his team—which includes international viticultural consultant Russell Moss, winemaker Matt Brain, and chief operating officer Karma Choeda—decided to focus on grape varieties that had extensive knowledge regarding their cultivation, as well as those known to flourish in diverse regions around the globe.

The 2024 harvest of Chenin Blanc from GorTshalu Vineyard marked Bhutan’s inaugural commercial harvest.

The vineyard has successfully planted a diverse selection of 10 red varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir, and Tempranillo, along with six white varieties, including Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling. Additionally, two hybrid varieties were introduced in vineyards situated at elevations ranging from 500 feet to over 9,000 feet. This initiative aims to discover which varieties will not only flourish in their unique locations but also authentically represent the Bhutanese terroir. “We are open to the possibility of blends, single varietals, sweet wines, or anything else that may emerge,” stated Juergens and Cross.

“Establishing world-class grapes in a country with no previous experience will require time,” emphasized Brain, who transitioned to the team from Alpha Omega Winery in Napa Valley. “While it’s still too soon to determine which varieties will excel the most, we are starting to see promising signs from various types at this early juncture.”

Bhutan’s natural environment offers significant advantages for viticulture; Juergens and Cross highlight Bhutan’s unique status as the only carbon-negative country globally, featuring pristine, varied soils, microplastic-free water, and unpolluted air. These factors contribute to Bhutan’s ability to cultivate some of the finest crops on the planet. “If this terroir is capable of producing the world’s best guava, it’s not an unreasonable expectation that it can also yield some of the finest grapes,” they remarked.

“Moreover,” they elaborated, “the impressive variety of elevations ranging from 500 feet to over 25,000 feet allows us to explore multiple grape varieties rather than committing to just one.”

Even with the unique natural beauty of Bhutan, and the founders’ extensive experience in the wine industry—Juergens as the global leader in Deloitte’s Winery Solutions and Services consulting and a Master of Wine candidate, while Cross brings expertise in brand management along with a WSET Diploma—numerous unknown variables still exist in this venture.

Given that there has been (and still is) no history of wine production in Bhutan, Juergens and Cross will persist in observing, analyzing, and determining how the diverse microclimates, soil characteristics, and varying altitudes of their ten vineyards influence each grape variety. This careful examination emphasizes their clear and thoughtful goal: “to capture the essence of Bhutan rather than simply create another generic wine.”

As Bhutan Wine Company steadily transforms experimentation into success with their initial commercial production, they have already begun to see positive outcomes from their project, contributing to new opportunities for Bhutan.

“We are educating many individuals on the art of viticulture; our current team dedicated to this field comprises over 50 individuals, both full-time and part-time,” stated Juergens. As their production capabilities grow, the positive impact on the Bhutanese economy will become more pronounced, resulting in the creation of new job opportunities in agriculture, local cooperages, hospitality, and wine tourism.

“This development will enable them to enhance one of their existing primary sectors, which is tourism, by incorporating wine experiences into the broader Bhutanese tourist offerings,” Juergens remarked on the additional advantages of nurturing Bhutanese wine. Most importantly, he emphasized, “this endeavor enables the people of Bhutan to share their incredible country with the world, particularly with those who may never have the chance to visit Bhutan.”

The inaugural release marks the initial move toward potentially defining Bhutan’s future in viticulture, as the Bhutan Wine Company team takes a bold approach to cultivate the world’s newest wine region in 150 years.

“We believe the last instance of a nation without indigenous wine grapes building a complete wine industry from the ground up was New Zealand in the 1800s,” Juergens elaborated. “Thus, there is a significant amount of support for this initiative to see what it may yield.”

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