AsiaLIFE

Local wine lovers constantly looking to sniff out a good buy will be delighted to learn that the number one selling white wine in Australia is now available here in Cambodia. What might come as a surprise to many though, is that it is not an Australian wine.

According to market research company AC Neilson, the current number one selling white wine by value in Australia is Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc. The label is owned by Delegat’s Estate, New Zealand’s third largest winemaker. “New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc complements Australia’s own white wine styles and our Sauvignon Blanc epitomises this style of wine, which consumers are seeking out more and more,” says the estate’s managing director Jim Delegat.

What shouldn’t surprise is the wines outstanding quality. In its very first vintage Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc won the coveted Marquis de Goulaine Trophy for Best Sauvignon Blanc of the Competition at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in London. It was voted Premium White Wine of the Year at the Australian Liquor Industry Awards (ALIA) in both 2005 and 2006.

Described by one London wine scribe as “pretty close to being the elusive stuff of dreams”, the wine takes its name from Oyster Bay on the tip of New Zealand's south island. The fruit comes from the Marlborough wine region, described by Oz Clarke in his Webster’s Wine Atlas as, “one of the greatest places on earth to grow them [vines], producing some of the world’s most remarkable wines.” Pale straw green in colour with brilliant clarity, the wine is zesty and aromatic. A concentration of tropical and gooseberry flavours on the palate, it is crisp, elegant and refreshing. Complimenting seafood and lighter, spicy Asian dishes, it is best consumed within a year of harvest (while still racy and vibrant) and served well chilled.

Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc is exported to over 30 countries around the world. With its reasonable price tag, Asian food friendliness and eminently refreshing style Cambodia’s wine lovers can be thankful this tally now includes them.

Darren Gall is a 20-year veteran of the wine industry with experience in all of its facets from brand ambassador to winemaking and grape growing. He has worked in over 20 countries and is currently based in Asia as a market consultant. For information on where to obtain this wine or any aspects of the industry, please feel free to contact him at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it