Phnom Penh is about to get its first wine bar. With an expected opening date of July

15, the company Khmer Commerce International (KCI) plans to open a wine bar specializing

in French wines.

KCI will be offering brands such as Bourgogne Aligote des Domaines de Villaine, Touraine

Amboise, Domaine Dutertre, and a variety of red wines including Bourgueil, Medoc

and Saint-Emilion. In addition, the wine bar will carry a permanent stock of champagnes

and other "luxury beverages" from selected chateaus and domaines.

KCI has secured the services of Gilbert Mehat, a consultant with the Rothschild Group,

who will be making regular visits to Cambodia to help promote French wines.

Apart from regular sales, KCI will offer wholesale prices to business concerns and

discount prices to the general public with a minimum purchase of one case.

According to KCI's press release this new venture "will enable French residents

to savour a taste of home, and give the rest of us a chance to experience what is,

after all, a major factor of the art of living 'a la Francaise'."