Cambodia isn’t well-known for its wine production. In fact, no Southeast Asian country can be said to have a large wine industry, and what is produced isn’t necessarily of very high quality. But it’s a developing market, and Cambodia is jumping into the fray, boasting a grand total of one winery in the country.

The first and only winery in Cambodia, as it was described to us, is located not far from the town of Battambang, and is a great stop on a longer tuktuk tour of Battambang’s environs. The entrance is picturesquely framed by vines, and the tasting room is an open-walled space furnished with a tasting table and chairs. Our hostess spent some time cleaning the glasses to her satisfaction before pouring us a taste of the red wine, a mix of varieties that didn’t taste much like any of them. We also tried a brandy, but couldn’t try the rosé since the tasting bottle was empty; we decided to trust to luck and buy a bottle since it smelled all right and was a third of the price of the insipid red.

Later that evening, we combined the rosé with a pleasant dinner eaten on a balcony overlooking the street, and were pleased to discover that we weren’t charged a corkage fee at all! The crisp notes of the wine went well with the spicy food, and it was a refreshing drop on a warm night.

Discover more about travel in Cambodia.

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This article was written by Linda Martin

Linda Martin is a self-confessed word geek, Spanish addict and world traveller. She and Craig have been travelling full-time for six years, taking in parts of Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. She's currently in A Coruña, Spain.