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The Sommelier’s Corner

The sommelier’s corner with Seyha HAK from Topaz TheCommune

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Seyha HAK, 37, sommelier at Topaz TheCommune, has been with the Thalias group since 2006. After completing his secondary education, he started at Restaurant Malis in Phnom Penh as a steward, before moving on to become a barman and bar supervisor.   In 2013, he began to learn the secrets of wine and in 2014, he became the first sommelier specialising in Champagne wines in the Kingdom of Cambodia, following a fine victory in a regional competition.  With the Cambodian Sommelier Association   Currently Secretary General of the Cambodia Sommelier Association (CSA), he is passionate about changing the way wine is seen in Cambodia, particularly in view of the rapid development of the Kingdom with its many restaurants and luxury hotels. It is therefore very important for him to know the different histories of wine and to promote the collective work of the association, so that he can recommend them according to the different demands of the clientèle, but also in terms of their associations with various dishes.  A true passion for wine   In 2013, Thalias group imported a lot of new and quality wine, and it was a real game-changer for Seyha. Thanks to the knowledge and encouragement of Mr Arnaud DARC and his father, he has been able to constantly develop his approach to wine and his desire to become a sommelier.  “They taught me how to appreciate and understand wine in a way that I never thought possible! Every day, I practised and every day, I still try to be better by testing different wines in order to recognise and understand them. It’s so exciting, I learned so much about wine with Mr Arnaud and Papa DARC ”, he says with a smile.   The incredible uniqueness of Château Margaux 2012  Seyha chose to introduce us to the incredible Premier grand cru classé en 1855, Château Margaux, which is a truly unique wine from the Médoc wine region (Bordeaux) and one of the top five recognised estates alongside Château Lafite, Château Latour, Château Rothschild and Château Haut-Brion.   It’s a one-of-a-kind, multi-faceted wine that could also be called a “lady wine”! Château Margaux 2012 is a wine that defies expectations. Its lightness is its greatest asset, making it an appealing choice for those who appreciate a wine with a rich bouquet of black fruits, red fruits, laurel and cedar. Its unique red colour reflects elegance, softness and harmony, making it a wine that is sure to delight. For four centuries, the exceptional Château Margaux has been recognised as one of the world’s greatest and rarest wines, thanks to its delicate floral notes.   Pairing  The perfect match between Khmer culinary style and French gastronomy: Château Margaux 2012 According to Seyha, this wine is the ideal partner for both the French gastronomy of Topaz TheCommune and local Khmer meals.   This red wine is a natural sublime accompaniment to red meat, particularly top-quality beef, but also to a starter, such as Topaz TheCommune’s Jambon Pata Negra, the best jamón ibérico in the world, which is sublimely melt-in-the-mouth tasty.  When it comes to Khmer cuisine, he would pair this wine with his family and enjoy it with local Khmer beef, lock lak with a spicy sauce, or beef with kroeung, a mixture of spices forming a paste, with a papaya salad.    His ambition with the Topaz TheCommune wine cellar  According to Seyha, it’s incredible how much the Cambodian community of wine lovers has grown in the past 10 years! They’ve gone from knowing nothing about wines to being truly interested in them. They’re now familiar with all kinds of wines, not just the big names. Now, the Kingdom’s gourmets are taking a greater interest, thanks in particular to restaurant associations and social networks. With more than 200 references of French wines, as well as Australian, Italian, Argentinian and Chilean wines, the aim of the Topaz TheCommune wine cellar is to promote the uniqueness of each wine and, above all, to pass on valuable knowledge to customers. “I sincerely hope that, in the future, Cambodians will be more open to the art of wine tasting and that they will learn from our experience at Topaz TheCommune ”, Seyha concludes with a smile. Engage with Us  Subscribe to Thalias Newsletter: Enjoy exclusive offers, event invitations, and culinary insights. Subscribe Here  Reserve Your Table at Topaz TheCommune: Experience fine dining redefined. Make a Reservation with ease and discover instant booking perks.  Discover More: For a deeper dive into our culinary universe. Visit Our Website     

The Sommelier’s Corner: Château Angelus Saint-Emilion, one of the most popular Grand Cru in the Kingdom

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“This is one of my favourite wines”, says Eden Gnean, manager of Topaz brand and president of the Cambodian Sommelier Association. In her opinion, this Grand Cru, which goes well with classic meat dishes but also with Khmer cuisine, is a perfectly balanced wine with many nuances, a fine quality of tannins and a certain freshness. Eden is part of a generation eager to discover the subtleties of gastronomy and what goes best with it: a good wine, an excellent wine, a grand cru. A few years ago, she had the privilege of meeting Comte Hubert de Boüard de Laforest, owner of Château Angelus, at a workshop on the Grands Crus of Saint-Emilion. The legendary winemaker proudly explains: “These young Cambodians probably like Château Angelus because of this tannic touch, which is perhaps a little bit special and which you can feel here in Asia” Indeed, Hubert de Boüard de Laforest is a frequent visitor to Cambodia, and the Thalias Group’s Cambodge Mag magazine was lucky enough to meet him in December 2023 to ask him a few questions about the ‘unusual’ success of his grands crus in the Kingdom. The success of Château Angelus in Cambodia  “I’ve been coming to Asia a lot for a long time now, for over 30 years, because I’ve always thought and considered that this region is an enormous magnet for our great wines, especially those from the Right Bank, especially from Saint-Emilion“ he said, adding: “Château Angelus is one of the two or three biggest jewels in the region. I think it really is a magnet. In terms of the Cambodians’ taste for wine and curiosity, it’s quite incredible. The conversations we’re having with the younger generations – the older ones already had some knowledge – clearly show that it’s spreading and that there’s a real curiosity about wine. Young people want to come and visit, they want to understand why they love these Rive Droite wines”.  “I don’t know if I can say this, but our wine also has a hint of cashmere, a sensation that caresses the palate while retaining a certain density, but which is extremely elegant and reveals a great deal of finesse. The response in Cambodia has been very strong. We’ve found that there’s not just curiosity, but an appetite to drink these wines, especially Château Angelus, which has become one of the strongest, best known and most recognised brands in Cambodia today”. “I think Cambodians are very attentive and very curious about the quality of the wine, but also about the family history behind the wines. There really is a human side to our vineyards and they’re very interested in that”. Does Château Angelus go well with Khmer food?  “Our wines go well with Khmer food. It’s a cuisine that I know very well now that I’ve been here in Cambodia more than a dozen times. With a few exceptions – when we really go overboard with the spices, for example – our wines go extremely well with Khmer food, thanks to the softness of our tannins. With the authentic softness of Saint-Emilion wines, we have both a texture and a slightly rounded, enveloping flavour, with a hint of spice, which goes very well with Khmer cuisine, which I really like. In fact, some time ago we met a young chef who showed us what great Khmer cuisine could be, with a touch of tradition but also a certain modernity. It really was worthy of a Michelin star. It is all the easier for me to say this because our family has two Michelin-starred restaurants, one in Saint-Émilion and one in Bordeaux. For us, the food is very important, it goes with the wines. It’s a vertical axis for our production”.   To discover this Grand Cru: https://topaz.thalias.com.kh/ Subscribe to Thalias Newsletter: https://thalias.com.kh/email-signup Author: Christophe Gargiulo