Expert blooms in budding wine culture

Lee Yun-gyeong

Lee Yun-gyeong took home the winning trophy at this year’s Korea International Sommeliers’ contest. At 27, she went to Lee Yun-gyeong, 27, she is the youngest and the only woman among the contenders to become the country’s best wine steward. Most of her competitors in the finals had at least 10 years of experience.
Despite only two years of experience as a wine expert, Lee was praised for her talent to blind-taste wine and identify the varietal and region the grape came from.
She said it was the growing popularity and knowledge of wine among people in Korea that inspired her to study more about the drink.
“Not many people had a deep knowledge of wine when I first studied to become a sommelier,” Lee said. She started her career as an employee in the refreshments department of Lotte Hotel after graduating from college in 2004. “So I had no trouble decanting and explaining to customers the perfect wine for a specific meal.”
But over the few past years, as wine grew in popularity in Korea, she faced customers who were wine experts themselves.
“The reason people come to a five-star hotel and pay more is because they simply want better service,” she said. “So I had to study more to become a better sommelier so that I wouldn’t disappoint them.”
She entered the wine course at Kyung Hee University’s College of Hotel and Tourism Management.
“I couldn’t afford to taste wine as much as I wanted because it was too expensive,” she said.
“So I joined a wine club where the cost was less of a burden because we paid as a group. I also read a lot of books on wine.”
In her graduation exam, Lee received an A-plus on the written part. Her professor then advised her to try out for the sommeliers’ contest.
“I drank and tasted many kinds of wine after that,” she said.
Next year, she will compete against last year’s winner and the winner of next year’s contest to become the Korean representative at the 13th international sommelier tournament in 2010.

By Song Ji-hye JoongAng Ilbo [mina@joongang.co.kr]