Banan Winery

The day broke grey and trying to rain. Laying in bed on a Saturday wondering what to do. This is my day off, a brief respite from a week of teaching people English. I saw the advertisement for Banan winery laying beside the bed. A winery! In Cambodia! 12 kilometers from Battambang! Coffee, a quick shower and we found ourselves winding our way down a narrow road heading for a vineyard. The road was lined by fire trees in bloom trying their best to brighten up the grey day and the smell of tropical flowers and people starting to prepare lunch. A narrow road, it made sure that you stayed alert. Dogs and people standing on the road, risky overtaking procedures and the occasional truck laden with dirt travelling to another building site in Cambodia.

I checked the odometer to see if 12 km were up yet. Almost there I thought. Then I caught the sign post out of the corner of my eye. Not all things are well marked here. A quick U Turn and we had arrived. Sadly the grapes were not on the vine. After talking to an employee we discovered that they harvest in September. We were much to soon. Also it was surprising that the person who was meant to be looking after us kept on disappearing and had remarkably poor English skills.

A nearby notice board proclaimed 12000 vines with a mix of Shiraz and Black Opal. My mind wandered back to New Zealand and the fabulous Shirah style that we make from this grape, or possibly it could be the similar to the explosive Shiraz from Australia with it's jam like qualities.

No free wine tasting was on offer, but you could have a glass of their finest red for $2, it was priced at $15 a bottle so possibly a fair price. A quick swirl of the glass, a sniff and I thought I was not in for a treat today. A small sip and my suspicions were confirmed. Not without it's charm, but never the less a poor quality wine. Like many things in Cambodia quality is almost an after thought. Sad really, because it had so much potential.

Finishing the glass of wine we headed for a quick walk around the vineyard and then the short trip back to Battambang.